The German power transmission system operator (TSO) 50Hertz forecasts a 30-40% increase in electricity demand in its network area (eastern Germany Länder, Berlin and Hamburg) by 2030, spurred by the electrification of the transport and heating sectors. The TSO plans to invest €5.6bn in power transmission grids over the 2022-2026 period, in order to boost the connection capacity for large offshore wind parks in the Baltic and the North Sea from the current 1 GW to 7 GW in 2030. Indeed, 50Hertz plans to connect over 6 GW of additional wind parks to the grid in the maritime area between Rügen and the Danish island of Bornholm, and in the North Sea. The group will also have to invest in new overhead lines and underground cables.
In 2021, the German energy regulator Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) approved its Grid Development Plan 2035, which considers around 500 km of new grid reinforcement and expansion investments in eastern Germany and Hamburg by 2035, including a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) line between Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the North Frisian coast.