Extra-high voltage line Ganderkesee – St. Hülfe

The expansion of the electricity grid is an important part of the energy transition. It is so urgently needed because in Germany, electricity from renewable sources is mainly generated in areas with low population density. However, the electricity has to be transported to where it is consumed and population density is high. So, lines are needed to transport the electricity.

For new expansion projects to be accepted, it is important that relevant stakeholders are involved in the planning from the outset: questions must be answered, concerns addressed and compromises found.

Prognos supported the electricity grid operator TenneT in an intensive participation process for the energy transition project from Ganderkesee to St. Hülfe in Lower Saxony. The extra-high voltage line went into operation in August 2023.

Electricity transmission from north to south

The 380-kilovolt line from Ganderkesee to St. Hülfe is 61 kilometres long. In a pilot project, TenneT also laid 13 kilometres of underground cable in three sections. Prognos supported and helped organise the project communication from start to finish.

These are the advantages of the north-South electricity axis:

• It closes a previous transport gap for green electricity heading south and thus contributes to a secure electricity supply in Germany.
• It reduces the costs of redispatch measures, which are used to regulate the output of power plants due to overloaded lines.
• As a pilot project for partial underground cabling, it provides important insights into how overhead lines and underground cables can be combined in the three-phase current area.

Prognos was commissioned to support project communication in public participation and to involve stakeholders in a transparent dialogue in the energy transition project.

Links and downloads

More on the project (TenneT, in German)

Project team: Nicolas Allié, Axel Bohn, Anna-Luise Müller, Hendrik Schramm

Last update: 16.01.2024