The four German power transmission system operators (TSOs), namely Amprion, TenneT, 50Hertz and TransnetBW, have submitted the second version of the future domestic power grid development strategy (Netzentwicklungsplan or NEP 2030) to the energy regulator Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) for examination.
The draft unveils several scenarios but all of them include the 65% renewable target for gross electricity consumption by 2030 set out by the Germany's government coalition in 2018. The 5 scenarios also plan conventional power generation capacity to be reduced by 5-6 GW by 2030 compared to the previous NEP 2030 (2017) and the scenario B 2025 plans coal-fired power capacity to halve compared to 2017. All scenarios revise upward renewable capacity (+40-50 GW) compared with NEP 2030 (2017), and 17 to 20 GW of offshore wind capacity are expected by 2030, which is much more than the 15 GW target set out in the Renewables Act (EEG).
The four TSOs estimate that the additional capacities required to reach this target will boost the necessary investments in power transmission lines: onshore lines would require €52bn in investment (€20bn more than previously thought), while an additional €18bn to €27bn would be needed to link up offshore wind parks with the mainland power grid. Some of the additional costs will come from digitalising power transmission systems and running more lines underground.