380 kV line Wesel – Dörpen

The 380 kV Wesel – Dörpen line is currently being implemented as a three-phase high voltage overhead line for two 380 kV circuits, which in its final expansion will go from the Niederrhein substation near Wesel in North Rhine-Westphalia to the Dörpen -West substation in Lower Saxony will lead.

The approximately 150 km long section from Wesel to Meppen is planned and built by Amprion , the 31.1 km long section from Meppen to Dörpen by TenneT TSO . Parts of the line are being built as underground cables as part of a pilot project .

In May 2019, the sections in the northern area between Dörpen and Meppen and in the southern area between Nordvelen and Wesel were completed.

meaning

Map of the EnLAG projects. The Wesel – Dörpen project bears project number 5.

energy transition

The line is intended to transport the electricity generated in the offshore wind farms in the North Sea and the onshore wind farms in northern Germany to the industrial centers in the south. So far, there are only a few extra-high voltage connections between northern and southern Germany. This is due on the one hand to the regionally different development of the transmission network (power generation and distribution formerly by a company in a defined area) and on the other hand to the focus on coal and nuclear power with locations close to the consumption centers.

The legal basis of the approximately 180 km long high-voltage connection is the Energy Line Expansion Act (EnLAG) of 2009, in which it is listed as Project No. 5. When the law was drafted, commissioning was planned by 2017, currently (2017) it is assumed that the system will be commissioned in 2021.

At the same time, the new connection replaces the 220 kV line from Ibbenbüren to Wesel, which was built in 1928 and will be demolished when the new line is built due to its age.

Underground cable pilot project

Four sections of the line at Raesfeld , Borken , Legden and Haren (Ems) will be implemented as underground cables as part of a pilot project. These are the first 380 kV underground cable sections in Germany outside of densely built-up urban areas. The basis for this is Section 3 of the Federal Requirements Plan Act (BBPlG).

course

Dörpen West

Wesel / Lower Rhine

Start and end point of the line

The line begins in the Wesel / Niederrhein substation, which is located directly on the Lippe, southeast of Wesel , and initially leads north on combination pylons with the line to the Pfalzdorf substation. At Lackhausen the line turns to the northeast on barrel masts, into the route of the former Wesel – Ibbenbüren line. It crosses the A 3 and converted, shortly before Raesfeld for cable transfer station Löchte where the first 3.5 km long underground section begins.

To the north of Raesfeld, the overhead line begins again at the Diestegge station on Danube masts, and after a few kilometers at Borken at the Marbeck station it merges into the next underground cable section. The underground cable route leads past Borken and continues as an overhead line east of the city at the Lüningkamp station. The 110 kV Dorsten / Hervest – Stadtlohn line leads to the route right at the first mast of this section, which is why the Danube masts have an additional crossbeam for two 110 kV circuits. At Nordvelen currently (2019) the 380 kV circuits end blind, the 110 kV line leads on newly erected pylons to the west and then back to the original route to the north.

The other sections are currently in the planning stage or under construction.

Construction progress

Wesel - Bredenwinkel - Borken-Süd

This section follows the old Ibbenbüren – Wesel line almost entirely. Since building permits had existed since February 2014, clearing of the route space could be carried out before the beginning of spring. In July 2014, construction work began on the 3.4 km long underground cable section near Raesfeld. The conduits were laid in the 42 m wide cable route at the end of September, and the underground cables were then installed from October.

In January 2015, the 220 kV circuit on the old Ibbenbüren – Wesel line was shut down. From January to April the line route between Lackhausen (north of Wesel ) and Bredenwinkel (near Raesfeld ) was widened, after which the new masts were erected and the conductor cables installed on the 11.8 km stretch. At the same time, the cable transfer stations (KÜSt) Löchte and Diestegge were built at both ends and the old 220 kV line was dismantled. A total of 46 old fir tree masts from 1928 were dismantled and replaced by 28 new barrel masts for 380 kV. These are on average 68 m high and accommodate two circuits. The transmission line section between the Kuest This Tegge and the point Borken South comprises 14 new Donau masts .

Between the Wesel substation and the Lackhausen point, the two 380 kV circuits were installed on the two upper traverses of the existing 220 kV Wesel / Niederrhein – Pfalzdorf line. The line was designed for a voltage of 380 kV when it was built in 1974 in order to transport electricity from the Kalkar nuclear power plant (which ultimately never went into operation) . With the connection to the Wesel substation, the underground cable section was able to go into test operation for the first time in July 2016.

Borken-Süd - Nordvelen

Construction work on the Borken – Nordvelen overhead line section began in March 2016 and was completed in 2017. The 110 kV Hervest – Stadtlohn line was relocated to an additional crossbeam in the new line route and the old overhead line masts were dismantled.

Meppen - Dörpen West

In December 2017, the groundbreaking ceremony for the northernmost section between Meppen and Dörpen - here the line is being built and operated by the transmission system operator TenneT TSO. This is divided into three construction lots (1, 2a and 2b), with another underground cable section located in construction lot 2a. In contract sections 1 and 2a, the pipeline was completed in May 2019, while construction section 2b is scheduled for completion by the end of 2019.

The Dörpen West substation was expanded until May 2018 by converting two switchgear panels that were previously in reserve for connection to the new line. In addition, two new anchoring portals were created for the cable entry.

Tabular overview of the line sections

No.	section	status	Length ( km )
1	Wesel - Bredenwinkel	Completed (2015) , test operation	15th
2	Bredenwinkel - Borken South	completed (2015)	11
3	Borken Süd - Nordvelen	Completed (2017) , 110 kV circuits in operation	13
4th	Nordvelen - Legden Süd	Plan approval procedure	15th
5	Legden Süd - Wettringen	Plan approval procedure	29
6th	Wettringen - Haddorfer See	Plan approval procedure	11
7th	Haddorfer See - Meppen	Plan approval procedure	56
8 (2b)	Meppen - Dörpen West	under construction (since 2017)	31
8 (2a)		completed (2019)
8 (1)		completed (2019)
Total length (km) :			181

Picture gallery

Earthworks for the first underground cable section near Raesfeld (July 2014)
Cable transfer station Diestegge in Raesfeld. The outgoing overhead line Bredenwinkel – Borken-Süd is completed but not yet connected. (July 2017)
Pulling in the conductors in the section near Dersum (September 2018)
Extension of the switchgear in the Dörpen West substation (September 2018)
Finished, but not roped mast at Dersum (January 2019)