Federal Network Agency issues planning approval for the cable tunnel under the Elbe

SuedLink’s crossing of the Elbe has been approved. All preparatory construction measures have been in full swing since the beginning of the year and the official start of construction in the presence of representatives from politics, business, and public life will take place on September 11th in Wewelsfleth (Steinburg district). The transmission system operator TenneT received the planning approval decision from the Federal Network Agency yesterday. This is an important milestone for the timely completion of SuedLink.

Tim Meyerjürgens, COO of TenneT: “The successful completion of the complex approval process shows that we have been able to gain significant speed at SuedLink. Now, on September 11th, we will have the official groundbreaking ceremony and start tunnel construction on the Elbe. I look forward to this project milestone in the presence of Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and the state ministers Tobias Goldschmidt and Christian Meyer. This is an important step towards the launch of SuedLink in 2028.”

The Elbe crossing is one of SuedLink’s largest special structures. Between Wewelsfleth in Schleswig-Holstein and Wischhafen in Lower Saxony, SuedLink will cross the Elbe for around five kilometres by means of a tunnel structure. The so-called tubbing construction method is used, in which a specially manufactured tunnel boring machine digs its way under the Elbe like a mole.

In the further course, six 525 kV DC cables will be pulled in and connected to the SuedLink underground cables on both sides of the Elbe. Rails in the tunnel allow tunnel vehicles to enter the tunnel so that the tunnel is accessible for maintenance and repair work even after the construction phase has been completed. Construction is expected to take four and a half years.

TenneT had already completed the preparatory construction measures at the shaft site in Schleswig-Holstein in June. The measures included, among other things, clearing the building site and creating the surface pavement.

Source: https://www.tennet.eu/
Image source: Courtesy of TenneT