Arcadis, ILF win route planning job on German grid expansion project

September 21 (Renewables Now) - German transmission system operator Amprion has chosen design and consulting firms Arcadis and ILF Consulting Engineers to provide technical planning review and initial route planning services for the Rhine-Main-Link underground power line in Germany.

The 500-kilometre-long (310 miles) energy link will transport electricity from offshore wind farms in the North Sea to the Rhine-Main region. The project envisages four direct current links in one route.

The Arcadis/ILF consortium will assist Amprion in submitting a planning application and documents with the Federal Network Agency.

Amprion has committed to spending about EUR 22 billion (USD 24.23bn) in the next five years to expand and upgrade the country's power grid to allow the integration of more renewable energy. In August, the company started planning the 8-GW Windader West energy corridor which will enable the transmission of electricity to cover the needs of eight million people.