New High-Speed Power Connection for Germany and Netherlands

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--RWE Transportnetz Strom, a division of power company RWE AG (OTC:RWEOY) (Essen, Germany), and Dutch national utility TenneT TSO (The Netherlands) have completed the investigation phase to build a $184 million power connection between Germany and the Netherlands.

Potential routes have now been proposed to connect the Dutch town of Doetinchem to the high-voltage station Niederrhein in the German city of Wesel, adding between 25% and 50% capacity to the cross-border transmission. The planned 380,000-volt high-voltage connection between the cites will run for 60 kilometres, and both companies have agreed to split the cost evenly.

The partners said that the new connection represents a "considerable contribution to an enhanced unification of the regional markets, and it simultaneously increases the security of supply in both countries."

RWE and TenneT are part of larger group of European power companies that have pledged to increase the security of supply and create more efficient transnational grid operations. For additional information, see related news item from January 9, 2009 - European Transmission System Operators Form Common Power-Security Platform.

RWE will present the planned trajectory for the connection as well as a cross-border study regarding the environmental effect of the new connection today. In the Netherlands, the planned route will be revealed in May and overseen by the Minister of Economic Affairs jointly with the Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment. The connection will be commissioned after 2013.

"By means of the new connection we create additional capacity, which encourages the merging of the international energy market", said Dr. Klaus Kleinekorte, RWE Transportnetz Strom CEO. "Currently the interconnection capacity between both countries represents approximately 3,800 megawatts. The new connection increases this capacity by approximately 1,000 to 2,000 megawatts."

"This new interconnection is once again a step forwards on the road to an integrated Northwest European Electricity market," said Mel Kroon, TenneT TSO CEO. "Connections such as this, the NorNed, BritNed cable and market coupling with the countries around us, result in one single market with equal price levels".

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