SuedLink: Heilbronn Regional Council approves converter for Leingarten substation

• Permission granted under German pollution control law to build on premises of Leingarten substation
• Start of construction process planned for 2020

On 15 January 2019, transmission system operator TransnetBW received its first partial construction licence from Heilbronn Regional Council to build the SuedLink converter at its Leingarten location. This means the first preparatory construction measures can begin in 2020 as planned. The idea is that from 2025 onwards this SuedLink, a 700-km DC underground cable, will link the windy regions of Northern Germany with Baden Wuerttemberg and Bavaria in the south of the country. The converter will turn the direct current into alternating current and feed it into the existing transmission system at the hub of the Grossgartach substation on the Leingarten district boundary.

For Dr Werner Götz, CEO of TransnetBW, securing this consent is a key step forward for energy transition: "This consent from the Regional Council for the converter to be built on the premises of our substation means we have found the best solution for the region and the local community. I am very pleased that we are the first transmission system operator in Germany to receive approval for such a DC converter." And he adds: "Transparency and dialogue are particularly important to us when it comes to expansion of the grid and we will continue to apply that policy to the next planning steps". As part of the process, TransnetBW will be opening an information centre in April 2019 at the converter location in Leingarten. Visitors will be able to seek information there about the energy transition process, the SuedLink project and further details specific to the region of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

TransnetBW originally submitted its comprehensive application documents to the Regional Council in the autumn of 2017. As soon as the manufacturer of the converter plant has been confirmed, it will undertake the detailed planning of all the technical and building specifications and further consent applications.