Grid expansion projects in Schleswig-Holstein Challenges for planning and communication to accelerate the expansion of the power grid

Electricity expansion - why the shutdown of nuclear power plants needs a new power grid

The press, radio and television make it clear to us almost daily: the expansion of the power grid is a key part of the energy transition. A sluggish expansion of the grids seems to be the Achilles' heel of the energy transition. How can there be a need for new line capacities in a state like Schleswig-Holstein, where only little electricity is consumed due to the density of settlements and industry and where three nuclear power plants were shut down at the same time?
Somewhat simplified, this can be explained as follows: the elimination of the nuclear power plants, all of which are located in the spatial vicinity of Hamburg, and the desired production of renewable energies, especially in decentralized wind farms, will necessitate a completely changed grid structure. At the same time, electricity will no longer be produced by base-load power plants largely in line with existing electricity demand, but will be produced in the amount that the wind blows. If this capacity is to be sufficient to meet demand even in periods of low wind, there will be massive overcapacity in periods of high wind. This volatility of energy sources therefore requires a powerful grid to balance supply and consumption across regions.
Only with an expansion of the grids can the regeneratively generated electricity be transported from the particularly energy-rich regions (wind power in the north, solar power in the south) to the centres of consumption and fluctuations in the feed-in of these volatile forms of energy be balanced out. Without an acceleration of the expansion, the entire timetable for the switch to renewable energies will be called into question.
At the same time, statements by the Federal Network Agency and a wide variety of press releases tell us that grid expansion is still not progressing at the required speed. Taking into account that the relevant regulations for accelerated grid expansion, such as the Grid Expansion Acceleration Act (Netzausbaubeschleunigungsgesetz), date back to the summer of 2011, the question remains as to what is lacking that the acceleration has so far failed to materialize.

Squaring the circle - conflicting goals in grid expansion

With the energy turnaround agreed, it became clear in the short term that the expansion of the electricity grid could become the Achilles' heel of this project if the expansion and conversion could not keep pace in terms of time with the shutdown of the nuclear power plants and the establishment of new, predominantly decentralised feed-in of renewable energies. This meant that the planning and construction process had to be accelerated considerably. Initial estimates assumed a requirement for approx. 600 km of new extra-high voltage lines (380 kV) within a decade for Schleswig-Holstein alone. In addition, there may be a greater need for new construction and upgrading at the high-voltage level (110 kV). The scale of the acceleration requirement is illustrated by the fact that it has only been possible to build around 40 km of new high-voltage and extra-high-voltage lines in the past decade.
Parallel to the need for acceleration, however, came the realization that major projects are difficult to implement without significantly expanded citizen participation. It was completely unclear how such additional participation steps could be reconciled with a streamlining and acceleration of the procedures.
Not least of all, increased legal certainty was also called for in order to avoid delays in approved projects by way of legal action. How such a legally secure weighing decision can be realized in the area of conflict between extended public participation and successively tightened species protection requirements was another question that had to be clarified in the project development of the "Grid Expansion Schleswig-Holstein" project.
Since there were no ready-made solutions to the above-mentioned problems, the entire process was "learning by doing". In the meantime, the close cooperation between TenneT and BHF Landscape Architects has resulted in extensive experience that can serve as model projects for further procedures.

Acceleration

The acceleration of the grid expansion can mainly be achieved at three points. These are the determination of the expansion requirement, the project planning of the specific individual projects and the final construction.
In order to accelerate the determination of the expansion requirement, the legislator created the network development plan and the federal requirement plan with the NABEG. With these instruments, an expansion requirement is reviewed by the Federal Network Agency on the basis of needs assessments by the transmission system operators and adopted by the Bundestag as the Federal Requirements Plan Act. Public participation in this process is internet-based and had a very low response given the scope of the projects. It is foreseeable that many of the expected contradictions will only arise at the subsequent, more concrete levels. The schedule for the determination of need for the major lines was met so that the justification of need is available in time for the subsequent proceedings.
In the implementation of the concrete project plans, accelerations are possible by optimizing the acquisition periods as much as possible, optimizing documents, early participation of as many stakeholders as possible to avoid changes in the approval process. With the participation of BHF Landscape Architects, it could be shown that considerable potential for acceleration can be exploited here.
The construction process can be accelerated through optimised construction implementation in several phases with increased use of personnel and equipment. In addition, differentiated and optimised solutions for a variety of nature conservation and species protection requirements are necessary to enable a year-round construction process. Here, too, BHF Landschaftsarchitekten was able to prepare sample documents that show a clear potential for acceleration.

Citizen participation

Since 2009, Stuttgart 21 has been synonymous with the consequences of insufficient citizen participation. The legally approved project hit the national headlines due to mass protests when construction began and could only be continued after an elaborate moderation process and a referendum. Such consequences must be avoided in major projects.
For the grid expansion in Schleswig-Holstein, this is especially true since this project is under considerable time pressure. In cooperation with BHF Landschaftsarchitekten, a preparatory communication management was carried out for a first major project (expansion of the Audorf - Hamburg/Nord line to 380 kV over a length of approx. 70 km). In the course of this, all relevant stakeholders (municipalities, authorities, farmers' association, environmental associations) as well as the affected landowners were informed in writing and in a large number of face-to-face meetings about the requirement and the main features of the planned project as well as the course of the approval procedure prior to the start of planning. This information was repeated several times as the planning progressed before the planning approval documents were completed. In this context, it was also made clear that the relevant opportunities for participation are prior to the formal plan approval procedure, since changes can only be implemented in the procedure in a time-consuming manner and are therefore avoided as far as possible.
Furthermore, an overall concept for the communication accompanying the procedure was developed, which guarantees the broadest possible communication and a permanent exchange with all interested citizens with preparatory spatial analysis, regional conferences, information markets and project office on site.
These steps made it possible to get to know a large number of individual interests before the detailed planning of the project and to take them into account appropriately in the implementation. As a result, the number of objections in the zoning procedure can be significantly reduced. The risk of extensive changes can also be reduced thanks to the solutions communicated at an early stage and the balanced detailed planning.

Species and landscape protection

The adequate consideration of nature conservation regulations has now become the sword of Damocles for many large-scale projects. Deficiencies in the recording and assessment of project impacts on a large number of species protected under European law have already led to the judicially imposed halt of various procedures.
In order to largely exclude such consequences, BHF Landscape Architects developed detailed solutions for all banned species potentially arising from construction and operation for the entire spectrum of species to be considered. In a subsequent broad-based discussion process with the nature conservation authorities as well as the technical planners and construction companies, these solutions were tested for their effectiveness and their ability to be integrated into the construction process. As a result, model solutions were prepared that can be used in adapted form in future projects. The solutions enable the construction of overhead line projects to be carried out all year round without any significant time interruptions.
In addition to the fauna-dominated measures described above, solutions to protect the landscape, recreational use and the settlement environment were also prepared in a large number of cases. Thus, in relevant areas, settlement edges could be relieved. In the vicinity of forests with a significant recreational function, it was possible to avoid the formation of aisles by routing the route with higher ground clearances.

legally sound consideration

The existence of a planning approval decision in the event of a judicial review is determined by a proper decision on weighing. This must be prepared by the developer and submitted by the planning approval authority with the decision. Only with a legally secure decision is a delay-free implementation of the project guaranteed.
In order to prepare the application documents for this decision accordingly, it is necessary to know the often conflicting public and private interests in good time. For example, private parties regularly demand that pipelines be routed as far away from settlements as possible. However, this may be opposed by obstacles under nature conservation law, such as species protection or European site protection. On an affected agricultural area, particular difficulties in cultivation can arise if a mast location is unfavourably placed. These examples could be continued at will. In order to weigh these interests properly, to weigh them against each other and to take the result into account in the planning, it is imperative that these interests are known before the planning approval document is drawn up. Otherwise, a large number of changes in the zoning process cannot be ruled out.
BHF landscape architects therefore establish contact with the relevant public and private stakeholders prior to the initiation of the procedure, accompanying the processing of the application documents, evaluate their interests and design solution proposals. In doing so, it is essential that a fair weighting of the interests is carried out and that individual interests are not given excessive consideration. Ultimately, the solution developed must be comprehensible to the planning approval authority and the final weighing decision must be left to the authority.

Spatial analysis

Finding the right route and discussing the right solution first require a technically sound, transparent and comprehensible explanation of the reasons for the decision. Environmental and spatial planning criteria play an important role here. The decisive steps in this regard are the spatial analysis and the spatial resistance assessment.
BHF Landscape Architects develop these analyses and evaluations on as large a scale as possible in order to be able to present the interconnected effects with other projects. In this process, the extensive data stock in the country is reviewed and selected for its relevance to pipeline construction projects, collected in a GIS database and graphically processed. In the following step, these data are evaluated and weighted with regard to their relevance. This evaluation is presented as a colour map and enables a comprehensible derivation of the spatial resistances even for the layman. The map material created serves as a basis for discussion for early communication on new and expansion projects and enables open discussion on variants to be considered. Furthermore, the material is used for the discussion of variants within the planning approval documents.

Regional Conference

Regional conferences are a means of reaching large sections of the public. In particular in critically accompanied route sections with a higher population density, with already existing citizens' initiatives as well as with political support, a high number of participants of often well over one hundred and also participation of television and press can be expected.
BHF prepares the presentation documents for these events and accompanies the following discussions. Important here is a proper simplification of the often complex contexts and a presentation in generally understandable language. Building on the regional conferences and with further events in smaller circles, it is possible through regular contacts to build up a personal relationship of trust and also to discuss critical points in an uninhibited and open manner. The aim is to convey that the ultimate solution is the best possible balance of all interests, which does not predominantly and unilaterally take into account the profit interests of the developer. However, it must always be made clear that in the case of major construction projects, individuals will be more adversely affected than the general public and that this alone cannot serve as a sufficient reason for a change in planning.

Infomarket

In addition to addressing opinion leaders as completely as possible, personal contact with all those affected is crucial for successful communication. Since this cannot be achieved with the frontal event of a regional conference and not every citizen is willing or able to visit a project office, information markets are a useful additional medium of communication. Here, contact can be established between citizens and planners without any major inhibition thresholds. Since small groups usually form at each planner's office at these events, complex topics can be discussed without the individual losing personal contact. In order to ensure that the information markets have sufficient reach, it is necessary to get as close as possible to the citizens concerned. To this end, the information markets in the Audorf - HH/North project were held at a distance of no more than 15 - 20 km from each other, thus keeping the journey times for the citizens short. Furthermore, a sufficient time spectrum was chosen so that working people could also participate.
BHF landscape architects organise and supervise these information markets and are available as discussion partners with several employees. In this way, continuity can be ensured with the contact persons and a loss of information can be avoided. The knowledge of the individual sensitivities that has grown as a consequence of the information markets enables targeted consideration and promotes the development of consensual solutions in close coordination with the project sponsor and the route planning.

Stakeholder engagement

In addition to the open exchange of information on the overall project, it is also necessary to specifically address individual stakeholders on detailed technical issues or spatial sub-aspects. To this end, contact must be established with all affected municipalities and the relevant authorities and associations. They must be regularly informed about the process and involved in decisions that affect their interests. Due to the extensive stakeholder list, this requires a frequent presence in the planning area and is associated with a high level of personnel commitment.
Good local knowledge and familiarity with as many stakeholders as possible in the affected region is very helpful. In this process, BHF Landscape Architects organise the identification of stakeholders, arrange appointments, prepare documents tailored to the interlocutors and supervise the appointments. This ensures that important bases for decision-making are already known at the start of detailed planning and that individual questions can be coordinated at short notice and in a targeted manner at the appropriate time. The risk of changes being required in the planning approval process can thus be significantly reduced.

Project Office

A decisive factor for successful project communication is the permanent availability of competent and informative discussion partners. These must be available for a personal conversation with sufficient time also for the repeated answering of questions.
BHF landscape architects operate a TenneT project office in Kaltenkirchen for this purpose. This point represents a central connection area in the line network of Schleswig-Holstein. At the same time, the Audorf - HH/North line enters the densely populated area north of Hamburg, where resistance to the construction of the line can be expected to increase. This area is therefore easy to reach for citizens with information needs both on the above-mentioned project and on further grid expansion. As the office is open until the evening three days a week, all enquiries and requests to inspect the documents can be dealt with at short notice. Trained staff with an extensive knowledge of the specific project and other grid expansion issues can usually answer enquiries immediately. If this is not possible in special individual cases, detailed inquiry management ensures that questions are answered within a few days.
In addition to improving communication throughout the entire process, the provision of information and the opportunity to inspect the procedural documents during the consultation process helps to reduce the number of objections in the participation process and thus the time required to process them. The project office is thus a further building block in the acceleration of the procedure.

back to overview to the time shades

1. Electricity expansion - why the shutdown of nuclear power plants needs a new power grid
2. Squaring the circle - conflicting goals in grid expansion
3. Acceleration
4. Citizen participation
5. Species and landscape protection
6. legally sound consideration
7. Spatial analysis
8. Regional Conference
9. Infomarket
10. Stakeholder engagement
11. Project Office