New $123MM Transmission Line to Deliver Renewable Energy in Germany


Germany hopes an electricity line will help supply the country with enough energy as it begins to phase out nuclear power. The $123 million transmission and distribution line will transmit renewable energy about 55 miles from north Germany to the south, Bloomberg reported.

The line will make distributing electricity generated by wind farms in the north of the country more efficient, the article stated. It began operating December 18.


German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced in 2011 the country would begin replacing nuclear power with more fossil fuel-fired plants and renewable energy. To transport this new energy to areas that need it, she said "thousands of kilometers" of new electricity lines will have to be developed.

"The acceptance of renewables depends on our managing to bring power from where it's generated to where it's needed," Merkel said, according to Bloomberg. The newest line to come online will supply Hamburg, Germany, where the country's largest port is located, with electricity.

According to Recharge News, renewable energy sources are expected to contribute 23 percent of Germany's electricity output this year. About 8 percent comes from wind energy projects and photovoltaic solar installations contribute 5 percent. Biomass was responsible for 6 percent of the renewable energy output in 2012.