At the request of the German federal government, the four German grid operators - 50Hertz, Amprion, TenneT and TransnetBW - have drawn up their grid-expansion proposal, which features plans for the development of an offshore transmission system designed to integrate large amounts of offshore wind power. The proposal is expected to cost €20 billion over the next 10 years.
According to the grid operators, onshore high-voltage grids in Germany will have to undergo considerable expansion in the next decade. This expansion is necessary to facilitate the German energy transition (Energiewende) and the development of a European electricity market.
In addition to the optimization and upgrading of existing lines, the grid operators anticipate that a total of 3,8400 km of new high-voltage lines will need to be constructed over the next 10 years in addition to the 1,400 km of lines already planned or being built - at a cost of €7-billion - under the government’s decade-old network plan.
The percentage of solar, wind, hydro and biomass energy in the country is expected to increase by 35 percent by 2020, as the country prepares for the phase-out of nuclear energy announced by Chancellor Angela Merkel after the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe last year.