Rhein-Main-Link: Hesse looking for green electricity for the future!

Rhein-Main-Link: Hesse looking for green electricity for the future!

The planned high-voltage Rhine-Main Link, which is intended to make Hesse climate-neutral by 2045, is the focus of Hessian industry. Large consumers like Dyckerhoff, the company based in Mainz-Amöneburg, see this infrastructure measure as an important prerequisite for covering their high energy needs. Plant manager Stefan Woywadt emphasizes the challenges arising from the increasing demand for electricity, particularly in the cement sector. Dyckerhoff employs around 5,000 people and requires 76 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which corresponds to the consumption of 19,000 households. To make energy consumption sustainable in the future, the company plans to use alternative materials such as blast furnace slag, but this could increase electricity requirements by up to 50%.

The Rhine-Main Link is designed as an important project to transport wind energy from Lower Saxony via North Rhine-Westphalia to Hesse. From 2033, the route is expected to deliver up to eight gigawatts of wind power and thus cover the high demand in the Rhine-Main region. According to forecasts by the Fraunhofer Institute, electricity demand in Germany and Hesse could double by 2045. In Hesse itself, gross electricity consumption was over 37 terawatt hours in 2023, with 42% of this occurring in commerce, trade and services.

Route and planning phase

The planning of the Rhine-Main Link is complex and is currently in the planning approval process. The transmission system operator Amprion submitted an application to the Federal Network Agency at the end of June to determine the exact route. The course is expected to be determined in the second half of 2026. The first construction work could begin as early as 2028. The route itself will be around 600 kilometers long and have four end points in the Rhine-Main region, including Bürstadt, Marxheim, Kriftel and the Hessisches Ried.

Particular attention is paid to the converter systems that are built at the end points to convert direct current into alternating current. This energy corridor is intended to relieve the strain on the power grid and increase the capacity for the low-loss transmission of electricity from north to south. Critics, including citizens, municipalities and nature conservation associations, express concerns about the impact on fertile soils, water protection areas and the planning of new residential and commercial areas.

Political aspects and social concerns

The construction of the Rhine-Main Link is anchored in law, but it is controversial: the BUND questions the energy requirement calculations and sees them as oversized. Municipalities fear that the construction of the route could hinder new construction projects. Foresters and farmers express concern about the possible negative impacts on local forests and soils. To avoid resistance to above-ground cables, it was decided to lay the cables underground. Despite this measure, political actors are calling for the obligation to lay underground cables to be lifted, but this was rejected by the Federal Network Agency.

The overall high electricity prices could shift production abroad and hinder the electrification of processes. Against this background, Dyckerhoff emphasizes the need to invest in energy supply in order to secure future production capability. This is particularly important given the challenges posed by the energy needs of a changing market.

While Amprion is carrying out test drilling to explore the site, the planning phase remains crucial. Legally secure planning is necessary in order to counter possible lawsuits at an early stage and thus to continue the digitalization and climate protection project in an area that is subject to high energy demands.

For more information, see hessenschau.de and fr.de.