en.Wedoany.com Reported - The German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) has published a new position paper proposing 12 recommendations aimed at accelerating Germany's grid expansion.
The association notes that thousands of kilometers of transmission and distribution grids have been built in Germany in recent years, but connection demand from all parties is rising sharply. Data centers, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, renewable energy projects, industrial users, energy storage systems, and heat pumps are all seeking grid access, requiring further acceleration of grid construction.
BDEW warns that grid expansion is often delayed by various minor issues, such as additional coordination efforts, new requirements, and overly cautious administrative decisions. The association believes a dedicated acceleration package is urgently needed, particularly for the 110 kV high-voltage network, where the current average delivery time is around ten years—a pace deemed unacceptable.
Specific recommendations include prioritizing permits, reducing environmental assessments for replacement projects, and expanding the application of simplified "incremental" reviews for changes to existing infrastructure. BDEW also calls for more flexible compensation rules, allowing financial payments to replace operators' own implementation of compensation projects. Additionally, planning requirements for small-scale projects should be relaxed, environmental impact assessments for shorter lines and upgrade works should be eliminated, and fixed deadlines should be introduced in permitting procedures. The association proposes mandatory completeness checks, integrating land access procedures into the approval process, and allowing earlier construction starts. While safeguarding drinking water resource protection, the public interest in rapidly building the grid should be recognized.
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