“Grid expansion is challenging” Interview with Dr Henrick Quick, 50Hertz

Dr Henrich Quick, Head of Offshore at 50Hertz, sits down with us to explain the challenges currently faced by the industry.

EEHH: Grid expansion is a fulcrum for the energy transition. How do you assess the current situation in Germany and also in Europe?

D. Henrich Quick: “Network expansion is progressing steadily. The time periods for the implementation of new grids are completely different from those for the construction of wind or solar farms, which means that the grid seems to lag behind the expansion of renewable energies. However, this applies primarily to grid expansion on land, because we have to deal here with many connecting kilometres, with residents, with different nature conservation concerns and encroachments on the property rights of landowners. This is somewhat less complicated when it comes to grid expansion at sea, where we deliver on time and ensure that the offshore wind farms can feed electricity into the grid quickly after they are commissioned. 50Hertz is now investing ten times as much in grid expansion as it did six or seven years ago. This demonstrates the scale and speed of grid expansion on land and at sea these days. Incidentally, in the grid development plan, the relevant stakeholders discuss the most efficient measures on an ongoing basis. Feedback is heard from everyone in the consultation rounds. We transmission system operators also exchange information continuously. It’s not only in Germany that network expansion is a challenge. Our partners in other European countries are facing similar issues and in some cases have to put grid connection applicants off for several years, even as far as the late 2030s.”

EEHH: 50Hertz is involved in the new Bornholm Energy Island. Please explain the milestones and special features of the project.

Dr Henrich Quick: “At the North Sea Summit in Hamburg in January, very relevant agreements were concluded between the German and Danish governments for Bornholm Energy Island in order to clarify regulatory ambiguities, for example on liability issues. Basically, this is a flagship project with regard to international connectivity at sea. 50Hertz and Energinet are pioneers in this area, and together we are implementing the world's first hybrid DC interconnector. We have many eyes on us internationally looking to see how we succeed in doing this. We are collaborating in building an electricity hub on Bornholm and will transmit a total of 3 gigawatts of offshore capacity to both countries as needed, with a capacity of 2 GW to Germany. However, BEI not only serves the distribution of offshore wind power: the lines are also used for international electricity trading, because they will, of course, not be used to full capacity 365 days a year. The project will receive over €600 million in EU funding, since this is pioneering work and some components would not be competitive without this grant. 50Hertz and Energinet have recently adopted the schedules and milestones, the technical concept is in place and there are supply contracts with NKT for the cables and with Siemens Energy for the necessary converter plants and substations. The wind farms are to feed into the grid from 2034. So, we are ready to take up our shovels and start digging. In some cases, we are already doing this and making interesting discoveries. For example, during archaeological construction site investigations, we discovered finds that are up to 6,000 years old: tools and other things.”

EEHH: The expansion of offshore wind has stalled in Germany – what do you expect from the German government as one of the four transmission system operators?

Dr Henrich Quick: “One of the most pressing issues is the shading effects. The current expansion plans require a high spatial density of offshore wind farms, which makes the individual wind farms uneconomical for the respective project developers. Policymakers, authorities, developers and network operators must address this challenge together. Moreover, offshore wind should be expanded across borders in the future, just like we are planning with the Bornholm Island project. In the draft for the next grid development plan 2037/2045, we have already undertaken a paradigm shift. Our assumption is that optimised spatial distribution allows the same amount of energy to be transmitted with less installed capacity.

The second point is regulation. The German tender design must be adapted to ensure planning and future security. This can also include contracts for differences. Basically, the German market is a very attractive one that now needs to be readjusted. In my opinion, it makes sense to devote ourselves to these challenges with calm and due care. In the past, we sometimes tackled too much at once and perhaps overwhelmed the entire industry with overly ambitious targets, thereby driving up prices unnecessarily.”

EEHH: Thank you very much for this interesting talk!