The converter is to be ready for operation by 2026 at the latest
02/28/2023
Source: Energy & Management Powernews
The transmission system operator Transnet BW has received the second and final partial approval for the construction and operation of the Südlink converter in Leingarten (Baden-Württemberg).
With the decision of the Heilbronn District Office, the first of the four Südlink converter stations nationwide is fully approved. The start of construction is planned by Transnet and Siemens Energy already for summer 2023.
For Werner Götz, CEO of the transmission system operator, the approval is an important signal: "We are fully on schedule. Thanks to the constructive cooperation with the approval authority in Heilbronn and the siting municipality of Leingarten, we are successfully advancing Südlink as a core project of the energy turnaround." Ralf Steinbrenner, mayor of Leingarten, also welcomes the development: "As the siting municipality, the town of Leingarten has actively and constructively accompanied the lighthouse project of the energy turnaround since 2013."
The converter is scheduled to be commissioned by 2026 at the latest in order to contribute to grid stability in the Baden-Württemberg transmission grid with reactive power - irrespective of the complete laying of the Südlink underground cables. Instead of the conventional power plants that will be eliminated due to the phase-out of coal and nuclear power, the converter will be able to absorb or deliver reactive power from the AC grid in so-called Statcom operation.
Südlink is to connect Schleswig-Holstein and Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria from 2028 as a direct current underground cable link. In order to integrate direct current links into the existing alternating current grid, converter stations are required at the starting and end points. They convert the direct current into alternating current and feed it into the existing transmission grid.
The Südlink
Südlink project, with a length of around 700 kilometers and an investment sum of 10 billion euros, is the largest infrastructure project of the energy transition. The direct-current underground cable link is intended to connect the wind-rich regions of northern Germany with Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, which have high electricity consumption. The connection is being realized by the two transmission system operators Transnet BW and Tennet. The total possible transmission capacity is 4,000 MW at a voltage of 525 kV.
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