Two Bavarian communities have failed with lawsuits in connection with the planned “Südostlink” power line before the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig. The court rejected the lawsuits, said a justice spokeswoman on Thursday. The municipalities of Brennberg (Regensburg district) and Niederaichbach (Landshut district) as well as a plaintiff farmer are currently not allowed to freely dispose of plots of land, since the plots of land may be needed for “Südostlink”.
In February 2020, the Federal Network Agency defined a route corridor for section D (from the Schwandorf area to the Isar network connection point) of the underground cable and issued several so-called bans on changes. For the time being, the plots of land affected by the blocks should not be built on or otherwise changed.
The plaintiffs had planned, among other things, a drinking water production plant including a water protection area and a chicken fattening plant for the property. According to the court, they argued that their interests had not been properly appreciated and that the bans on changes were disproportionate. The judges apparently did not follow the reasoning in the hearing on Tuesday. The court spokeswoman did not initially announce the reasoning for the verdict on Thursday.
Last March, a Bavarian district – Wunsiedel in Upper Franconia – failed before the Federal Administrative Court with a lawsuit in connection with the power line.
“Südostlink” is intended to bring excess electricity from the north-east to Bavaria in the future, thus securing the power supply. According to the plans of the Federal Network Agency, the route has four sections. In Bavaria, the corridor is to run from Hof east of Marktredwitz and Weiden to the Isar near Landshut. The technical implementation and the exact course of the underground cable still have to be decided. Electricity could flow from 2025 onwards.