Selected project examples

The German transmission grid is being revamped due to the focus on renewable power generation in northern Germany through offshore and onshore wind farms, along with the simultaneous loss of generation capacity in the south due to nuclear and coal phase-out. Several direct current transmission line projects are currently being implemented throughout Germany so that the large distances between power generation and consumption can be bridged in future with as little loss as possible and in an environmentally friendly manner. One of these is the SuedLink project, which will transmit four gigawatts of power at a voltage level of 525 kilovolts (kV) in high-voltage direct current by means of two parallel, point-to-point links over 700 km long from the Elbe to the Main and Neckar rivers. The expected capital investment including the four converter stations (two in the north and two in the south of Germany) is around 10 billion euros. This means that the SuedLink project is currently the largest infrastructure expansion project in Germany, if not in Europe. The project is being implemented by the two transmission system operators TransnetBW and TenneT in a joint project partnership.

In the SuedLink project, Fichtner is acting as a strategic partner of TransnetBW GmbH, the project promoter responsible for the southern section. In a joint interdisciplinary project team, spread over several subprojects, Fichtner is thus assisting in the control and implementation of SuedLink throughout all its planning and implementation phases up to the first flow of electricity.

Photos: TransnetBW SuedLink GmbH & Co. KG