Germany has set itself ambitious goals for the expansion of renewable energies by 2045. With the increasing production of wind power in the north of the country, the challenge of distributing this electricity efficiently is becoming apparent. In order to support the energy transition and ensure national energy security, the German electricity grid is being expanded and improved constantly.
In this context, the transmission system operators 50Hertz and TenneT work together to bring the SuedOstLink to life. It extends over a total length of around 780 kilometres from Klein Rogahn in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and from the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt to Isar in Bavaria and bundles the two grid expansion projects V5 and southern part of project V5a from the Federal Requirements Plan Act (German: Bundesbedarfsplangesetz), which are being constructed simultaneously in two parallel cable trenches. The envisioned 525 kV direct current underground cable systems aim to transport especially wind power from the production sites in the north to the consumption centres in the south of Germany, thereby contributing to the security of energy supply.
CDM Smith is part of this project. In co-operation with partner companies, we are responsible for comprehensive planning and approval services as well as construction site management. Our area of responsibility ranges from implementation planning and site management to construction supervision in several sections of the SuedOstLink.
In 2022, the CIB consortium (CDM Smith, INP Deutschland, Bernard Gruppe ZT), led by CDM Smith, was awarded the contract by 50Hertz for the planning and construction site management of the approximately 94 kilometre long A2 section in Saxony-Anhalt.
In the following year, Tennet then commissioned the consortium ARGE BM SOL Süd (CDM Smith, INP Deutschland, Bernard Gruppe ZT, Zetcon Ingenieure), again with CDM Smith in the lead, with the overall construction management, construction supervision and construction-related engineering services for the five line sections C1, C2, D1, D2 and D3 in Bavaria with a length of 270 kilometres.
This ambitious underground cable project not only harbours technical challenges, such as the Danube crossing in a horizontal drilling procedure, but also requires a high level of expertise in dealing and communicating with the residents along the course of the route.
We are proud to have been able to convince the client with our comprehensive service portfolio and look forward to continuing our cooperation with 50Hertz, Tennet and our partners.
