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The energy transition in Germany requires powerful supra-regional direct current links for the distribution of electricity from renewable sources. The Rhein-Main-Link, an over 500-km-long underground cable connection, will transport electricity from offshore wind farms in the North Sea to the Rhein-Main region in the future. The Rhein-Main-Link is one of four links that is designed to meet the strong growth in energy demand in the Rhein-Main metropolitan region in the coming years.

The consortium comprising Arcadis Germany GmbH and ILF Beratende Ingenieure will support the grid operator Amprion with a technical planning review of the Federal Network Agency’s preliminary preference area as well as with the necessary route planning services. The goal is to apply for planning approval and to submit the plan and documents.

Heike Hackemesser, Sales Director Resilience of Arcadis, and Fred Wendt, Managing Director of ILF, are delighted about the opportunity to combine Arcadis’ and ILF’s expertise in the areas of energy transition and transmission grids for the first time in a lighthouse project such as the Rhein-Main-Link: “We are excellently positioned to provide consulting and planning support to our client Amprion in this complex major project with its ambitious schedule.”

Due to the decarbonization of industrial processes as well as more electric vehicles and heat pumps, the energy demand in the Rhein-Main region is increasing enormously. In Hesse, not only millions of private households but also hundreds of companies will benefit from the future wind power connection in ten years’ time.

The draft of the 2037/2045 Electricity Grid Development Plan envisages four direct current links in one route for this project. This will bring a combined wind energy output of around eight gigawatts from the North Sea to southern Hesse. The total investment for the four links is estimated at several billion Euros. Completion of the application for planning approval is scheduled for June 2024, with final route planning in March 2028. The first link to the Rhein-Main region is scheduled to go into operation in 2033.