The German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur or BNetzA) has approved the route for the first section (60 km) of the 340 km long Ultranet high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power line that will stretch between Osterath in North Rhine-Westphalia to Philippsburg in Baden-Württemberg (south-west Germany), transmitting wind power from the North Sea to the southern German market.
The approved 60 km section will be built between Riedstadt in Hesse and Mannheim-Wallstadt in Baden-Württemberg. The construction will be implemented by the German power grid operator Amprion, which will lay DC and AC cables along existing lines, in order to speed up delivery and avoid transmission losses.
The 380 kV DC link is scheduled for completion in 2023 and will transmit 2,000 MW of electricity. It will help to meet the electricity needs created by Germany’s phase-out of nuclear reactors by 2022, including in particular the Philippsburg nuclear plant.