The German Government has launched the construction of the first converter in Leingarten (Baden-Württemberg) for the 700 km Suedlink high-voltage direct current (HVDC) line, which will link Brunsbüttel in Schleswig-Holstein (northern Germany) to Heilbronn in the south of the country. The converter is scheduled for completion in 2026, while the entire Suedlink project is expected for 2028.
The 525 kV underground cable line, which will have a capacity of 4 GW, will be built by the transmission system operators TenneT and TransnetBW, with an investment of approximately €10bn. TenneT is responsible for the northern section of the cable connection, while TransnetBW is responsible for the southern part. The first sections of the electric line are scheduled to start construction in 2023, with the remaining sections to follow by the end of 2025.