Strengthening Germany's transmission grid will require hundreds of billions of euros over the next two decades

According to its four operators, developing Germany’s transmission grid will require huge investments in the coming years, most of which are expected to go towards expanding offshore infrastructure. The grid operators estimate that investment in the system, driven primarily by the further development of renewable energy, could reach nearly a quarter of a trillion euros by 2045.

In recent years, Germany has been working to strengthen its domestic transmission grid, particularly along the north-south axis. This is necessary to ensure sufficient internal transmission capacity to carry electricity from the windy north to the industrial south in winter, and to transmit power generated by solar plants in the south to the north in summer. Strengthening the transmission grid is also important for the future electrification of other sectors, particularly heating and industry, as German grid operators expect electricity consumption to grow sharply over the next 10 to 15 years.

The four German transmission system operators estimate, according to the Montel news service, that the country will need a total of 240 billion euros in investment by 2045, providing it with nearly 26 thousand kilometres of new lines. Most of this sum is expected to go towards developing offshore infrastructure, primarily to connect offshore wind farms to the grid. In some cases, these could also serve as cross-border interconnectors with other countries via offshore wind farms.