In 2023, the German Federal Network Agency received approval for around 600 kilometres of power lines. Thanks to legal acceleration, implementation can begin immediately for an additional 400 kilometres. These developments will enable the transmission system operators to start building a total of 1,000 kilometres of lines.
Klaus Müller, President of the German Federal Network Agency, comments: “The acceleration is having an effect. In 2023, the number of kilometres of lines inspected increased significantly. We expect to see even greater progress in the coming years. We want to have completed a considerable proportion of our current approval procedures by the end of 2025.”
Progress in the authorisation process
The Federal Network Agency has defined a route corridor for 200 kilometres in the so-called federal sector planning in 2023. Federal sector planning can be dispensed with for a further 700 kilometres or so thanks to statutory accelerations. This will also be possible for future direct current lines. This means that by the end of 2023, around 4,600 kilometres of power lines will be in or awaiting planning approval by the Federal Network Agency. In the subsequent planning approval procedure, the Federal Network Agency will determine the exact route of the lines. Planning approval has been completed for around 1,300 kilometres or is no longer required due to legal changes. These lines can be built.
Currently, around 14,000 kilometres have been legally approved for the expansion of the electricity grid. The German Federal Network Agency is responsible for reviewing and approving around 7,400 kilometres. The other part is handled by the respective federal states. By the end of 2024, the Federal Network Agency is planning to issue approvals for a total of around 2,800 kilometres. A total of 4,400 kilometres of lines should be approved by the end of 2025.
