No underground cables?
Authority sees billions in savings potential in outdoor network expansion
03.06.2024, 04:28 a.m.
In order to avoid fears of “monster routes”, the SPD and CDU introduced a priority for underground cables for network expansion in 2016. Many federal states now want to use overhead lines to save costs. The Federal Audit Office has presented figures on potential savings.
The Federal Network Agency has calculated how much money could be saved by doing without underground cables for the expansion of the network up to 2045. “Based on current forecasts, an investment volume of 284.7 billion euros can be estimated without underground cables,” the agency announced. For the expansion of the electricity transmission networks up to 2045, the agency has so far assumed total investments of around 320 billion euros. The difference between the two calculations is therefore 35.3 billion euros.
The new lines are intended to ensure a better distribution of renewable electricity in Germany. This is considered a prerequisite for the development of a climate-neutral energy system. The estimated savings potential in the transmission network for connecting wind farms on land is 16.5 billion euros, according to the network agency. “In addition, further savings of 18.8 billion euros are possible for offshore connection lines, which have so far been extended as underground cables, sometimes far inland,” the agency explained. Underground cables have had priority since 2016.
The priority for underground cables for large power highways has been in effect since the beginning of 2016. It was introduced by the grand coalition of the CDU and SPD to increase public acceptance of the network expansion. The reason for this was concerns about “monster routes”. Several federal states are now in favor of using cheaper overhead lines instead of underground cables, citing possible cost savings, as a dpa survey has shown.
Methodological differences
The background to this is that the costs of expanding the network are passed on to all electricity customers via the network charges. The network agency has no information that would speak against implementing the underground cable projects as overhead lines from a technical or spatial planning perspective, it said. “The compatibility of network expansion projects with the objectives and principles of spatial planning can be examined equally for both underground cable and overhead line projects.”
However, due to methodological differences in the investigation, different routes may be used. Delays are also to be expected if projects are already in the approval process and switched from underground cables to overhead lines. “A decision to adjust the priority given to underground cables would have to be made politically,” explained an authority spokesperson. “We have always attached importance to the fact that, in the case of direct current projects, the legislator makes the decision as to whether the projects are to be implemented as overhead lines or underground cables.”