A consortium of Arcadis Germany GmbH and ILF Beratende Ingenieure GmbH has been commissioned by the grid operator Amprion with the initial, conceptual phases of route planning for the Rhein-Main-Link energy route, an underground cable connection over 500 km long.
For the distribution of electricity from renewable energies, powerful supra-regional direct current connections are needed within the framework of the energy transition. In future, electricity from the offshore wind farms in the North Sea will reach the Rhine-Main region via the Rhine-Main Link. The project, which consists of four projects (DC34, DC35, NOR-19-2 and NOR-19-3), was first proposed in the Grid Development Plan for Electricity 2037/2045. It is intended to meet the rapidly growing energy demand in the Rhine-Main metropolitan region in the coming years.
The Arcadis/ILF consortium will support the grid operator Amprion with the technical planning assessment of the preliminary preference area of the Federal Network Agency and with the necessary planning services for the route planning. The aim is to apply for a planning approval decision in accordance with §19 NABEG and to submit the plan and documents in accordance with §21 NABEG.
Increased energy demand due to decarbonisation, electric vehicles and heat pumps
Heike Hackemesser, Sales Director Resilience of Arcadis, and Fred Wendt, Managing Director of ILF, are pleased about the opportunity to jointly contribute the expertise of Arcadis and ILF in the areas of energy transition and transmission grids to a lighthouse project such as the Rhine-Main Link for the first time. Due to the decarbonisation of industrial processes as well as more electric vehicles and heat pumps, the energy demand in the Rhine-Main region is increasing enormously. "We are in an excellent position to support our client Amprion with advice and planning for this complex major project with its ambitious schedule." In ten years' time, not only millions of private households but also hundreds of businesses in Hesse will benefit from the planned wind power connection.
Wind power capacity of around 8 GW from north to south
The draft of the Grid Development Plan for Electricity 2037/2045 envisages four direct current connections in one route for this project, which together are to bring a wind energy output of around 8 GW from the North to the South of Hesse. This corresponds to the demand of around 8 million people. The total investment for the four projects is estimated at several billion euros. The completion of the application for planning approval is scheduled for June 2024, the final route planning for March 2028. The first connection to the Rhine-Main region is to be put into operation in 2033.
