Opportunities to Accelerate Expansion and Minimize Risks Must Be Tapped for the German Transmission Grid

The process of planning, approving, and implementing extra-high voltage lines, which run, for example, from Northern to Southern Germany to supply industrial load centers, often takes up to ten years. This results in higher costs and jeopardizes the success of the energy transition. On behalf of the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), Guidehouse, in a consortium with the legal practice of Dr. Dammert & Steinforth, ILF Business Consult, and the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI), has developed the "Praxisleitfaden Netzausbau" (Practical Guide to Grid Expansion), which brings together best practices and measures used by the industry, as well as new approaches to accelerate the expansion of the transmission grid in Germany. 

The guide is intended to support regulatory authorities and transmission system operators (TSOs) in leveraging existing opportunities that can accelerate and minimize risks in grid expansion projects during the approval and implementation phases. The project team has compiled more than 100 measures organized within a total of 14 topic areas. They incorporate the extensive experience of TSOs and regulatory authorities from past and current projects. Specific measures can speed up the approval and implementation phases or minimize delay risks. The guide also includes cross-phase measures related to project management and public participation that contain important levers for acceleration.

The Practical Guide to Grid Expansion is published on the BMWi website (in German).