The Federal Network Agency has completed the planning approval process for the first section of the Suedlink power line in Baden-Württemberg. This almost 18 km long section stretches from Bad Friedrichshall near Heilbronn to the Großgartach network connection point. TransnetBW can begin building the underground cable for this section as the course of the power line has been confirmed.
According to the Bundesnetzagentur President Klaus Müller, further approvals are yet to come this year and the next. The DC line runs from Bad Friedrichshall as an underground cable at a shallow depth, to a depth of about 200 meters before going to the Porzellandorf and Heilbronn mines. Each location requires a shaft to complete the connection. Finally, the cables lead back to the top of the site near the converter and the Großgartach grid connection point.
The federal planning process for the Suedlink was finished last May with the route being determined in a planning approval process. The construction of the north-south power lines and the Suedostlink has seen delays due to politicians deciding to build them as underground cables rather than overhead lines on power poles, after violent public protests. Suedostlink construction started in March.
The Extra High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission lines connect Schleswig-Holstein to Southern Germany. They cover around 2,300 kilometers and make up almost one-third of all line kilometers, needed to power Southern Germany from the north.
