Lamspringe/Ludwigsau (dpa/lhe) – Lower Saxony’s Energy Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) has officially put the first 105 kilometers of a new power line into operation, which should extend to Hesse after complete completion. The high-voltage line has so far stretched from Wahle near Braunschweig to Hardegsen near Göttingen and supplies southern Lower Saxony primarily with electricity from wind power plants. The network operator Tennet announced that the new route is an important contribution to the security of supply in the region.
Overall, the 380-kilovolt line, which runs mostly above ground, will reach Mecklar, a district of Ludwigsau in the Hersfeld-Rotenburg district. It will transport wind power from northern to southern Germany over a distance of 230 kilometers. To date, 237 electricity pylons have been erected in Lower Saxony.
“The partial commissioning of Wahle – Mecklar comes as a positive signal at the right time in these challenging times,” said Lies at a new substation in Lamspringe, Lower Saxony. The effects of the terrible war of aggression on Ukraine would clearly show how important a secure and, above all, independent power supply is for Germany.
Construction work on the new power line began in 2018 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024. According to Tennet, the construction project is one of the most important for the company. It is also one of four pilot projects in which high-voltage alternating current cables are laid underground. Among other things, a 13-kilometer section is the longest of its kind in Germany to date.
