Without new power lines, wind power from the north cannot reach the south. But does it have to be transported via expensive underground cables? No, say some countries. The Federal Network Agency has already done the math.
It is a mammoth task: thousands of kilometers of new overland power lines must be laid for the energy transition. The “power highways” are primarily intended to transport wind power from the north to the south. A significant proportion of these are to be underground cables – but these are much more expensive than overhead lines. The costs are passed on to all electricity customers via network charges. This is why a debate has now gained momentum. Some countries are in favor of a change of course, as a survey by the dpa showed.
The Union in the Bundestag had announced that it would submit a motion that in future expansion would no longer rely on underground cables, but rather overhead lines. The underground cable priority for large electricity highways has been in place since the beginning of 2016. It was introduced by the grand coalition of the CDU and SPD in order to increase public acceptance of the network expansion. The background to this was concerns about “monster routes”.
High savings potential by eliminating underground cables
The Network Agency estimates the total investment volume for the expansion of the transmission networks from now until 2045 at around 320 billion euros – including the wind-at-sea connections, the so-called offshore projects. If underground cables are dispensed with, the authority estimates the savings potential for onshore projects at 16.5 billion euros.
“In addition, further savings of 18.8 billion euros are possible for offshore connection lines, which have so far been extended as underground cables, sometimes far inland,” the authority said. Based on current forecasts, an investment volume of 284.7 billion euros can be estimated without underground cables, reports the Federal Network Agency. That is 35.3 billion euros less than with underground cables.
Habeck: “Further delays would be harmful”
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) sees the cost aspect, but is nevertheless against changing the regulations. “If one wanted to switch to overhead lines, this would only be possible if the states, including Bavaria, quickly and jointly called on the federal government to do so. And everyone would then have to promote it in the regions. I think that is very unlikely,” said Habeck in an interview with “Zeit” in March. Long debates about this will make it even more expensive. “We have now accelerated the expansion of the network so much that further delays would be harmful.”
According to the ministry, around 18,000 kilometers of network must be strengthened or expanded by 2045 for the energy transition. The number of kilometers of route under construction doubled in 2023 compared to 2021. A record increase of around 1,500 kilometers is expected this year.
Several countries want to change course
Almost all federal states are directly affected by the expansion plans. Some, such as Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt and Rhineland-Palatinate, are in favor of abandoning the underground cable priority. Overhead lines are quicker and cheaper to build, they emphasize. Others, such as Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia, are against switching from underground cables to overhead lines, citing public acceptance as the reason for this.
Baden-Wurttemberg
Overhead lines offer several advantages over underground cables, stresses the Ministry of the Environment in Stuttgart. “They can be built more quickly and cause significantly less disruption to the ground.” They are also more cost-effective. According to the information, transmission system operators and a broad alliance of industry are in favor of switching from underground cables to overhead lines.
Hesse
“Hesse, as an economically strong federal state, has a great interest in affordable electricity prices and network fees,” explains Hesse’s Minister of Economic Affairs Kaweh Mansoori (SPD). At the time, the priority of underground cabling was enshrined in law in order to increase acceptance for the expansion of the necessary lines. “Today we see that even wide corridors for underground cables are perceived as an imposition in many places,” he explains. “Particularly in view of the costs, an honest debate must be held about where underground cables make sense in the future and where overhead lines, which are significantly cheaper, are better.”
Brandenburg
According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Brandenburg is in favor of abolishing the priority for underground cabling. In addition to the high costs of underground cabling, the higher technical effort required for underground cabling also means more time is required for network expansion. “The assumed higher acceptance of underground cabling compared to overhead lines has not materialized, the conflicts have simply shifted,” it says. The abolition of the priority for underground cabling could be implemented by amending the Federal Requirements Plan Act. This could be implemented as early as 2024.
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt’s Energy Minister Armin Willingmann (SPD) is in favor of abandoning the priority for underground cables on large direct current transmission routes and foregoing priority regulations in the future – so that the most practical route variant can be chosen. “With the increased construction of overhead lines, the network expansion in Germany could be implemented much more quickly and cost-effectively,” said Willingmann. By abolishing the priority regulation for underground cables, the federal government could provide significant relief in network charges.
Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU) can also imagine a change of course. “If this makes the process cheaper and faster, it makes sense to examine underground installations – especially where there is the possibility of laying power lines above ground along major traffic routes such as motorways and railway lines,” said the CDU politician. However, he added: “In nature and tourism areas as well as in the protection of residential areas, the priority must remain on underground installations.”
Thuringia
Thuringia’s Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (Left Party) is open to relying more on overhead lines than underground cables when expanding the power grid. “Overhead lines can be a way to speed things up and optimize costs. It makes sense to examine every new measure in this regard. Above all, it is about better coordinating the systems with one another,” Ramelow explained when asked in Erfurt.
Rhineland-Palatinate
The Climate Protection and Energy Ministry of Rhineland-Palatinate is in favor of using above-ground power lines where they speed up the process. “In addition, above-ground power lines are cheaper, so the surcharge on network charges would be reduced and electricity prices would not rise as much,” the ministry emphasizes. However, the planning processes already underway should be completed as planned.
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony’s red-green state government is in favor of underground cabling. Environment Minister Christian Meyer (Greens) said: “The expansion of the network is progressing ever more rapidly, also because the underground cabling has led to acceptance among the population. We must therefore not under any circumstances touch this consensus across society, otherwise we will hit the brakes again on the energy transition and climate protection – instead of moving much faster, which is absolutely necessary.”
Schleswig-Holstein
According to the Ministry of Energy Transition, Schleswig-Holstein continues to advocate the use of underground cables for so-called high-voltage direct current transmission lines. “There are better ways to reduce electricity prices than playing with the acceptance of the energy transition,” the ministry said. “The residents of the planned electricity highways have a right to reliability. The legal promise to lay these new direct current lines as underground cables has strengthened the acceptance of line projects in rural areas,” it said.
Rural areas are the main drivers of the energy transition anyway. Unraveling the political compromise that has been reached would trigger new waves of protests along new overhead lines. It is also questionable whether the new lines could really be built more quickly as overhead lines, as planning would probably take longer.
North Rhine-Westphalia
The North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Economic Affairs also rejects the idea of replanning underground cable projects to overhead lines. It said it was following the current discussion “with great concern”. Particularly in a densely populated industrial state such as North Rhine-Westphalia, underground cables would contribute massively to acceptance.
“If the plan is rescheduled again, there is a risk that a lot of local acceptance will be lost and the recently accelerated approval procedures will be delayed again due to a much higher number of objections.” However, the expansion of the electricity grid must urgently move forward. The search for new routes for overhead power lines would also lead to considerable delays of at least a year.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
The Ministry of Economic Affairs of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania wants to look at each individual case: “A differentiated solution is preferable, which is not only dependent on the cost factors, but also on the acceptance factors on site,” it says in a statement.
Source: Stern
