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Bavaria gets third direct current line

12.02.2024


Source: Energy & Management Powernews

Bavaria is to receive a third direct current power line to supply wind energy from the north. According to the plans, the route called "Südwestlink" will lead to the greater Würzburg area.

After Südlink and Südostlink, Südwestlink has the task of securing renewable energy for the south of Germany. It is to run from Schleswig-Holstein to Bavaria and on to Baden-Württemberg.

The Trennfeld site in Lower Franconia, Bavaria, is planned as the end point of one of the two underground cable routes of Südwestlink, which will probably run largely parallel until then. Here, 2,000 MW of direct current will be converted in a converter and fed into the distribution grid as alternating current.

The other Südwestlink line will continue to Baden-Württemberg. Bavaria's Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) has now informed the district councils affected by the project. According to this, the new route is part of the projects that the Federal Network Agency has newly planned in the 2045 scenario.

Parts of the Südlink direct current connection are currently under construction, which will also bring 2,000 MW each to Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. However, it will still take some time until completion. The year 2028 is currently being discussed. The second major direct current line currently under construction, Südostlink, is scheduled for 2027.

All projects feed wind power into the grid at former nuclear power plant sites that have since been shut down. Originally, the lines were due to go into operation at this point in time.

The forced rescheduling from overhead lines to underground cables by the Bavarian state government then led to years of delays and a multiplication of costs. The 700-kilometer-long southern link alone, which is considered the backbone of the energy transition, will probably cost 10 billion euros. There is also resistance from local politicians and citizens' initiatives along the planned route.

Author: Günter Drewnitzky