Infrastructure
Record Year for Power Grid Expansion in Germany
Germany’s Bundesnetzagentur (“Federal Network Agency”) issued a record number of high-voltage transmission line permits in 2025.
Jan 08, 2026
Approximately 2,000 km of power lines were given the green light last year – representing a 45 percent increase on 2024 permit levels. The record year helps bring the total length of fully approved lines within the agency’s jurisdiction to approximately 4,700 km.
According to the Federal Network Agency, the first approval procedures for major high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) lines were completed. Planning permission for the “electricity highway” power lines – A-Nord, Ultranet, SuedLink, and SuedOstLink – running from the north to the south of the country was also issued.
Expansion of the national power grid is central to Germany’s energy transition aims. Around 16,800 km of power lines have been legally identified as being necessary for grid expansion in order to safeguard secure and reliable power supply as part of the national transition to renewable energy sources. Around 3,500 km of the required grid expansion has been built as of June 2025.
