TenneT, Energinet.dk to Reinforce Danish-German Link

German TenneT TSO GmbH and Danish Energinet.dk are working to reinforce the interconnection across the Danish-German border.

TenneT has previously approved an upgrade of the existing 220 kV connection between Dollern in Germany and the Danish border to 400kV-level, and Energinet.dk’s Supervisory Board has also granted its consent to the Danish side of the 400 kV project, connecting the existing Substation in Kassø.

In Denmark the final approval of a new connection from Kassø to the border also requires approval by the Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Building.

The transmission line features on the EU’s PCI – Projects of Common Interest – list. The connection will increase capacity between the two countries to around 2,500 MW. Today, it is possible to transmit up to 1,500 MW in northbound direction and up to 1,780 MW in southbound direction.

The availability is depending on the situation in the grid as well as the in-feed from renewables and the load on the respective day.

“The transmission line will significantly reinforce the connection between the Nordic electricity system and Central Europe. Cross-border connections and open electricity markets are of the essence if we are to ensure an efficient transition to renewable energy and, for instance, transmit the large volumes of wind power and solar energy that we produce in the region to Norway, or vice versa, if hydroelectric power from Norway is to be transmitted to Denmark and further on to Central Europe during periods without wind,” says Peder Østermark Andreasen, President and CEO of Energinet.dk.

“Both Northern Germany and Denmark currently produce large volumes of renewable energy, and they will continue to do so. The power grid is therefore being expanded considerably in these years, and expanding the connection will not only benefit the Danish-German border region, but an even greater area. The transmission line will significantly improve the possibilities of transmitting power between producers and consumers as well as contribute to the security of supply in both Germany and Denmark,” says Urban Keussen, Chairman of the Management Board of TenneT TSO GmbH. 

The German sections of the line are planned to be ready in 2019. Including the Danish part, the new line is scheduled to be in operation in 2019-2020.

In Denmark, the intention is to install a 30 km, 400 kV overhead line from the national border to Kassø. The connection will replace the existing 220 kV connection and is to be located close to the existing interconnection.

In 2014 Energinet.dk put in operation a new 400 kV line from Kassø to Tjele near Viborg in the centre of Jutland.

At Tjele it is connected to a new cable connected to Norway – a joint Energinet.dk and Statnett (Norway) project. This new Skagerrak 4 line is the fourth sea cable between Denmark and Norway and the total capacity is now 1,700 MW.

In Germany, TenneT will replace the existing 220kV line between Flensburg and the Danish border by a 10 km 400kV overhead line and will enter into a licensing procedure in this year. Thereby the existing 220kV Substation in Flensburg will be replaced by a new 380kV Substation in Handewitt.

All further German sections of the project Kassø –Dollern are either under construction, in licensing procedures or in preparation of this. The total line connects electricity production of renewable sources in Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein with the load centers especially in the greater area of Hamburg and Lower Saxony. It has a total length of almost 150 km.

Image: TenneT