The construction, expansion and conversion of electricity lines are infrastructure measures that affect many interested parties, like nature conservation or tourist associations. That is why the legislator has clearly arranged the processes for the planning and approval, for example in the German Energy Industry Act.
The KONTEK interconnector will run right next to the existing route. For this reason, the project is planned within an already approved area, for which no new spatial planning needs to be performed before the planning approval procedure.
In the second half of 2020, 50Hertz is planning to apply for a planning approval procedure. This requires qualified prerequisites, for instance that the rights of others are not affected and that the project developer has coordinated with the public authorities (such as the district of Rostock). Both are the case here, meaning that the prerequisites for a planning approval procedure are met. Although the legislator does not provide public participation for a planning approval procedure, 50Hertz is nevertheless planning to enter into a dialogue about KONTEK with the parties involved and local residents. The Ministry of Energy of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is responsible for the procedure.
We will keep you updated on upcoming early public participation measures here and in our newsletter.