Green electricity generated at sea should play a key role in the energy transition. So that it can also be used inland, thick and long lines are required. Details have now been revealed.
From 2032, the so-called “Windader West” is to bring wind power from the North Sea to North Rhine-Westphalia on a large scale. The transmission system operator Amprion presented the name and other details of the billion-dollar direct current cable project on Thursday.
“The power connection should bring up to eight gigawatts of power from offshore wind energy directly to North Rhine-Westphalia and thus cover the energy needs of eight million people in total,” the company said.
The “Windader West” energy corridor consists of four individual projects, each with an output of two gigawatts. A total of 16 to 18 billion euros are to be invested. The four projects are scheduled to be commissioned in 2032, 2033, 2034 and 2036.
The lines are intended to absorb the wind power generated at sea and bring it hundreds of kilometers to NRW. According to a spokesman, while one line is intended to cross under the East Frisian island of Norderney, it is planned that the other three will cross under the island of Langeoog. The corridor and later the exact course of the route are to be determined in a complex process in the coming years.
spatial planning procedure
“Early involvement of all interest groups is particularly important to us,” said an Amprion spokesman. “In this way, we can get in touch with the local people and pick up important information that will help us with our planning.” In October, Amprion wants to offer the first information events to provide information about the project and the content of the first approval step, the so-called regional planning procedure.
The routes are to end at different locations in North Rhine-Westphalia: in Wesel, in Haltern, in Rommerskirchen and in Oberzier. In the vicinity of the substations already located there, the direct current is then to be converted into alternating current in so-called converter stations, which can then be fed into the NRW power grid.
Amprion is one of four transmission system operators in Germany responsible for supra-regional electricity transport. In addition to the “Windader West”, Amprion is planning other DC connections that will bring North Sea wind power to NRW and Hesse.
Source: Stern
