Germany plans switch from underground to overhead power lines to cut costs - report

Germany looks set to switch from underground cables to overhead lines when extending its long-distance transmission grid to save billions of euros, Tagesspiegel Background reported. The government is working on a draft law that would require new high-voltage lines to be built overhead, ending a ten-year priority for underground construction introduced to overcome public resistance.

Germany must urgently upgrade and extend its electricity transmission grid to improve connections to neighbouring countries and to transport renewable power from the windy northern coastal regions to industrial centres in the south. The country has prioritised underground cables since 2015, following local campaigns against “monster overhead lines”. 

Germany’s Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) estimated that building lines overhead would save around 35 billion euros by 2045, compared to using underground cables. Making the energy transition more cost-efficient is a key priority for the government in order to improve competitiveness. Lower costs for grid expansion would ultimately translate into lower grid fees for consumers, thus contributing to lower electricity prices in the long term. 

Germany’s states must approve the government plans. Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia have already expressed scepticism, fearing that public acceptance could be lost, and that new objections could delay projects. Other states, including Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Saxony, have said they favour cheaper overhead lines, Tagesspiegel Background reported. 

The debate about switching from underground to overhead lines was already underway during the previous government under chancellor Olaf Scholz, with farmers, grid operators, industry associations and trade unions calling on the government to change legislation favouring underground power lines. 

Grid expansion has become a major stumbling block for the energy transition, as ever more power comes from decentralised renewable sources. Grid projects have been long delayed by local opposition and public resistance, often because the infrastructure is regarded as an eyesore.