Bavaria’s plans for an electricity route through southern Thuringia have met with massive criticism from the state government in Erfurt. “The fact that the Bavarian government is planning another power line at the expense of Thuringia and yet simply has a corridor on our territory is an unparalleled audacity,” said Thuringia’s Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (Left) on Monday in Erfurt.
The project is shocking, “because there has been resistance from Bavaria for years for approved systems that are more compatible with the landscape and cheaper,” said Thuringia’s head of government. Thuringia always meets its obligations when it comes to network expansion. However, the Bavarian government did not even seek discussions with Thuringia about its plans. “Good neighborhood looks different.” He will do everything he can to avoid placing any further burdens on Thuringia. “In addition to the three new power lines that we already have, there is no need for a fourth. This corridor through the Heldburger Unterland is simply unnecessary.”
A few days ago, Bavaria’s Energy Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) informed about plans by the Federal Network Agency in Bavaria. This therefore envisages another above-ground line with the title P540 from Schalkau in Thuringia (Sonneberg district) to Bavaria. The course will also lead through the Heldburger Unterland in the southern Thuringian district of Hildburghausen.
However, an illustration from the Bavarian Ministry of Energy shows that the route of the line has not yet been determined. Previous proposals from the network agency for connecting Bavaria had envisaged the P44 route from Thuringia to Grafenrheinfeld near Schweinfurt. However, these plans were scrapped.