Germany plans to extend the SuedWestLink DC line into Bavaria

Germany plans to extend one of its backbone transmission lines into Bavaria. Until now, two DC lines, SuedLink and SuedOstLink, were expected to connect northern Germany with Bavaria. A third major energy link had been under discussion for some time, and plans have now been made to extend the SuedWestLink line.

The planned high-voltage direct-current line SuedWestLink, which is intended to transmit electricity from the country's windy north to industrial centers in the south, will have a direct connection to Bavaria, the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs said.

SuedWestLink is planned as a high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) line, which will be buried underground. The 740-kilometer line was originally due to end in the state of Baden-Württemberg, which borders Bavaria.

Extending SuedWestLink into Bavaria will give the state an additional 2 GW of transmission capacity, roughly equivalent to the installed capacity of two nuclear units. The connection could probably be commissioned sometime in the 2030s.

Challenges in grid expansion

Germany's transmission grid expansion has long faced problems, primarily because of strong opposition from local residents and other interest groups, whose lawsuits and protests have delayed the construction of new lines.

Opposition was particularly strong in Bavaria, where the state government long insisted that the main transmission lines be built outside its territory. This was despite Bavaria's reliance on electricity imports.

Speeding up approval processes

Last year, as part of the so-called Easter package, the German government introduced a law intended to accelerate the energy transition. Transmission lines are central to various initiatives aimed at shortening approval processes.

According to infrastructure planning company ILF, the faster approval processes are already having an effect. This acceleration is creating new bottlenecks in the development of Germany's transmission grid.