Austrian construction company STRABAG has secured a contract from TenneT TSO to execute civil engineering works on a 68km section of the SuedLink direct-current line north of Hanover, Germany.
The section, known as B1, connects Scheeßel and Schwarmstedt, traversing the districts of Rothenburg and Heidekreis in Lower Saxony.
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The project is part of the broader initiative to expand Germany’s transmission grid, facilitating the delivery of renewable energy to southern Germany.
STRABAG has previously been awarded several contracts for both the SuedLink and SuedOstLink projects, which are seen as critical to the country’s energy transition.
Construction on B1 is anticipated to begin later this year, pending the planning approval decision expected in the coming months.
STRABAG’s project team is set to commence preliminary construction activities in September, focusing on the undercrossing of the Aller river near Walsrode using horizontal directional drilling (HDD).
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By GlobalDataThese early construction measures will prepare for the main works scheduled for the end of the year.
The SuedLink direct-current underground cable spans approximately 700km across Germany, linking Brunsbüttel and Wilster in the north with Großgartach near Heilbronn and Bergrheinfeld/West in the south.
TenneT manages the northern section while TransnetBW oversees the southern parts. With STRABAG’s new contract for the Lower Saxony section, all 15 sections of the SuedLink project have now been contracted.
Typically, power line installation employs the open trench method, which involves excavating, laying cables, and backfilling.
However, when encountering obstacles such as roads or rivers, closed methods such as HDD are used. The technique allows for underground pipe installation without surface excavation, ensuring minimal disruption.
In late 2024, STRABAG won an order to construct a segment of the planned SuedLink direct-current underground power transmission line.
The German subsidiary of STRABAG has been tasked by grid operator TransnetBW with executing the extensive civil engineering works for a 34.5km portion of the transmission line, stretching from Gerstungen to Breitungen, located south of Eisenach in Thuringia.
