Charlotte wittnebel-schmitz our modern lives don’t work without electricity: technical devices don’t run, the light bulb stays dark and a large number of everyday tasks are not possible. Under the impact of the reactor disaster in fukushima, the federal government made a U-turn in energy policy in 2011: away from nuclear power and toward renewable energies. There is a huge 89 percent support among the population for this, as the annual study by the agency for renewable energies (AEE) last showed in october 2019. But the energy turnaround has consequences: "the grid is not equipped to meet this challenge", says axel puttkammer, project manager for the P43 at tennet. Energy from wind power or photovoltaics brings fluctuations in electricity generation, depending on whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. With the phasing out of nuclear energy and coal, constant energy suppliers have disappeared. The main focus of eco-electricity generation is in northern and eastern germany. There is a considerable need for imports to southern germany.
Course of the planned power line
Tennet is therefore planning an alternating current line, the "fulda-main line" (P43). It is to run from mecklar (hesse) via dipperz (hesse) to bergrheinfeld in the district of schweinfurt.
A rough project that has consequences for people and the environment. One difficulty is: the power lines are to run mostly over 65 meter high pylons. These need a free protective strip of about 30 meters. Underground cabling is only feasible under certain conditions and only in sections of about three to six kilometers long.
In the past few days, tennet employees have traveled through all the affected counties to discuss the planning with regional representatives. On thursday they met at the hotel frankenland in bad kissingen. "We are still at the very beginning of the project. We still have the green meadow, says puttkammer. Those present were asked to write down ideas and hints about the project on maps. Tennet then bundles the data with the help of a geographic information system.
The attitude of politicians from the county and representatives of citizens’ initiatives is clear: they reject P43.
Fridolin zehner, 1. Mayor (CSU) of the municipality of rannungen hoped the planning dialog would give him a "first-hand look at what other options are available".
"I am not convinced whether the P43 is needed at all", said matthias klement, 1. Mayor of mabbach (CSU) and chairman of the rhonlink association. Nico rogge, 1. Mayor of oerlenbach (CSU), thinks the region is already burdened by sudlink. For district administrator thomas bold (CSU) it is incomprehensible that the capacities of the sudlink and the sudost-link are not sufficient and that a supply of bavaria can allegedly only be ensured with the additional alternating current line from dipperz to bergrheinfeld. "If this is true, you have to ask yourself whether everything was taken into account when planning the sudlink and sudost-link projects, which are worth billions of euros", so bold. "I expect alternatives to be prioritized.", said motten’s mayor katja habersack (independent). They do not see the need for the route yet. Mario gotz, mayor of oberthulba (CSU), and andreas tragner, 2, expressed similar views. Burgermeister from munnerstadt ().
Elke muller, bavarian and hessian chairwoman of the citizens’ initiative pro sinntal, criticized that there is too little talk about storage capacities. She spoke of an undermining of democracy and asked, "what happens to property owners who don’t agree??"
Jakob euba, member of the board of the "sinntal gegen die stromtrasse" citizens’ initiative, said after an initial information presentation: "what i heard today is a repetition of what i have already heard from sudlink." the sudlink power line had already been the subject of much discussion in previous years.
What happens next?
After bundling the information now received, tennet plans to inform the general public in the form of information markets starting in september and to present an initial draft plan for a corridor network.