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Milestones: Groundbreaking ceremony at Wolmirstedt

Wolmirstedt substation in the Börde district, the morning of March 21, 9 a.m.: Dr Robert Habeck, the German Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Dr Reiner Haseloff, the Minister President of Saxony-Anhalt, and other guests of honor joined 50Hertz CEO Stefan Kapferer and Elia Group CEO Chris Peeters in the symbolic groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the first converter for the SuedOstLink (SOL). This marks the start of the implementation of one of the most important energy transition projects in Germany.

Dr Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, at the groundbreaking ceremony. Photo: 50Hertz / Manfred Vogel

The SuedOstLink converter represents the starting point for the direct current connection between Wolmirstedt and Landshut in Bavaria. In the future, large amounts of electricity from onshore wind farms in the German states of Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and wind farms in the North Sea and Baltic Sea will flow through this to southern Germany. 


A role model for speed


After a processing time of only seven months, the approval for the construction of the converter was received from the district of Börde. It is scheduled to go into operation in just two years. 
"The construction of the converter in Wolmirstedt marks the start of the construction of the SuedOstLink. We have reached a key milestone in the expansion of the electricity grid in Germany. To achieve climate neutrality in the power sector, we need thousands of kilometres of additional power lines within the next two decades. These must be built - and planned and approved in advance. The converter was approved in just seven months and is scheduled for completion in 2025. The plant is thus be a model for accelerated planning and approval procedures related to electricity grid expansion." “, emphasized Minister Habeck at the groundbreaking ceremony. This was also underlined by 50Hertz CEO Stefan Kapferer. The Wolmirstedt example exemplifies what is possible when "when all parties involved are working towards the same goal in an open and solution-oriented manner. "

Great interest in central project for the energytransition

There was also great public interest in this milestone for the SuedOstLink: numerous media teams accompanied the groundbreaking ceremony and reported on the importance of the project. Two direct current lines will run along the approximately 540-kilometer-long SuedOstLink; together, they will transport around 4,000 megawatts of electricity. This amount of electricity is equivalent to the output of up to 1,400 wind turbines at full load or four large nuclear power plant units. The SOL is therefore central to the supply of electricity to businesses and households and to the stability of the German and European power grids. 50Hertz is responsible for the northern part of the SuedOstLink through Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia, while the transmission system operator partner TenneT is responsible for the southern, Bavarian half. At the former Isar power plant site, TenneT will also build converters that convert the direct current back into alternating current. Electricity will then flow to Bavaria via the SuedOstLink in 2027.

More details 

Want to learn more about the route, the approval procedure or public participation for the SuedOstLink? See our detailed project information page

Starting signal for central project of the energy transition