Eastern Bavaria is a pilot region for Bayernwerk

24.10.2025

Source: E & M powernews

In Bayernwerk Netz's grid area, connection requests have skyrocketed, particularly in eastern Bavaria. The grid operator now wants to speed up expansion there.

Bayernwerk Netz GmbH has invested around 79 million euros in the expansion of the energy infrastructure in Eastern Bavaria this year. Michael Pollerspeck, Head of the Regen Customer Center in Lower Bavaria at Bayernwerk Netz, described this as a "record budget". The budget is set to be even higher next year, said Pollerspeck at a press conference on October 22. This is the distribution grid operator's response to the sharp rise in connection requests and feed-in capacities in this region.

The budget covers measures in the districts of Cham, Deggendorf, Freyung-Grafenau, Passau, Regen and Straubing-Bogen. And demand is growing noticeably: in the supply area of the Regen customer center in eastern Bavaria alone, the number of connection requests rose from just under 5,000 in 2021 to over 8,000 in 2024. The largest increase is attributable to ground-mounted photovoltaic systems, whose output is expected to increase sixfold by 2030 according to Bayernwerk. Eastern Bavaria is rural, with agriculture and tourism.

Expansion and reinforcement of existing grids

Bayernwerk also announced that specific projects are in the pipeline in several districts. In Grafenau (Lower Bavaria), the transformer station is being renovated, the transformers are being reinforced and a third unit is being added. Parallel to the work at the substation, the medium-voltage grid must be upgraded. The grid operator is replacing 3.5 kilometers of overhead lines with underground cables and installing new digital local grid stations. Completion is scheduled for the end of 2026.

The Freyung substation will also be expanded. In addition to the new switchgear building, the high-voltage secondary technology will be modernized. At the same time, 3.5 kilometers of overhead line between Schönbrunn and Atzesberg will be replaced by a five-kilometer underground cable. A new replacement substation is also being built in Regen, supplemented by a third transformer unit. Construction is scheduled to start at the beginning of 2026 and be completed in 2028.

Construction is also underway on the existing gas grid. A second feed-in option is being created in Kattersdorf in the district of Regen in order to increase the security of gas supply by enabling the distribution network operator to fall back on an alternative supply option in the event of a disruption.

Pilot region of Eastern Bavaria for Bayernwerk

Bayernwerk Netz GmbH also sees this region as a pilot region in which new technology is being used, such as grid-serving storage systems or the superstructure of grid connection points. Three "innovative projects" in this region would show what the energy system could look like in the future:

• A "feed-in socket" has been in use in this region for several months. The feed-in socket is a grid connection point that is used exclusively to collect green electricity generated in the region into the grid. The ground-breaking ceremony took place on March 19 of this year in the district of Dingolfing-Landau.
• Bayernwerk Netz claims to be the first distribution grid operator in Germany to integrate a grid-serving storage facility with a capacity of 5 MW into its grid. The location is the municipality of Wald in the district of Cham.
• The topic of superstructure is about optimizing grid connection points for decentralized generation plants such as photovoltaics and wind power, which will be able to share a grid connection in the future. Interested parties can use an online platform to find out about potential feed-in points in the Bayernwerk grid in an uncomplicated and non-binding manner. The "SNAP Pro" platform was launched in mid-August this year.

According to Bayernwerk, grid connections are to be managed more closely in future with a view to existing capacities and planned expansion steps. The aim is to integrate decentralized generation securely and efficiently. In addition to large central power plants, regional potential is also to be utilized. A stable regulatory framework is a prerequisite for ensuring a secure and affordable supply in the long term.

Author: Heidi Roider