Wind power from the North Sea for North Rhine-Westphalia: Construction of the A-Nord underground cable route has begun in Emden. From 2027, it is expected to deliver two gigawatts of electricity annually – this corresponds to the capacity of two nuclear power plants.
Groundbreaking ceremony for an important energy transition project: Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) and state politicians Olaf Lies (SPD) and Christian Meyer (Greens), together with the network operator Amprion, gave the starting signal for the expansion of the direct current connection A-Nord in Meppen, Lower Saxony.
In order to bring wind power from the North Sea to North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the planned energy transition and the promotion of renewable energies, Germany needs new power lines. In the Rhineland and Ruhr area, all coal-fired power plants will gradually be taken off the grid by 2038. The supply gap is intended to be closed by electricity generated from wind power from the North Sea coast, which is also transported south via the A-Nord connection.
“The lines are late”
Habeck said at the groundbreaking ceremony: “This is a starting signal for action and implementation.” Nevertheless, Germany lost a lot of time in implementing infrastructure projects for the energy transition. This should have started when the Bundestag made the decision to phase out nuclear power, said Habeck. “The lines are coming five to six years too late,” criticized the minister.
The route, which has its starting point in Emden, is intended to deliver electricity from the North Sea to Meerbusch-Osterath in North Rhine-Westphalia. The capacity is two gigawatts. According to the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment, this corresponds to the energy needs of around two million households or the capacity of two nuclear power plants. The construction period is estimated to be three years.
Underground cables are used for the power line
The entire length of the approximately 300 kilometer long line will be laid as an underground cable. Compared to overhead lines, underground cables are generally more expensive, but the impact on the landscape is less. These additional costs are borne by the network users, i.e. the economy and all consumers – via the so-called network fees.
The cables are underground at a depth of around 1.5 meters. According to an information brochure from the Federal Network Agency, farmers can generally use the soil above it normally. However, no plants with very deep roots should grow above the cable on the so-called protective strip. Building is also not permitted on this strip.
“Major artery the energy transition”
In Osterath, route A-Nord will then be connected to the other planned Ultranet line. The wind power from Emden travels via this line to Philippsburg in Baden-Württemberg. The entire route is Corridor A. Network operator Amprion calls it one of the “main arteries of the energy transition”.
The electricity is transmitted using high-voltage direct current technology. According to Amprion, this process is ideal for transporting large amounts of energy over long distances with low losses.
However, since the transmission network in Germany predominantly uses alternating current technology, there must be a converter station at the starting point in Emden and at the destination point in Osterath. There, the connection takes place via transformer stations to the 380 kilovolt alternating current network. Converter stations convert alternating current into direct current – and vice versa.