At the start of the Göttingen in northern German states called for faster expansion of the electricity grids on 11 November 2026. representatives from Lower Saxony, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein called for faster expansion of the electricity grid on 11 November 2026. The states called for faster planning and approval procedures and additional funding options to ease bottlenecks in the north’s ability to absorb wind power and offset delays to north–south transmission lines.
The state governments cite data from the Federal Network Agency and grid expansion monitoring as justification. According to these, the Federal Requirements Plan lists a total length of planned transmission projects measured in tens of thousands of kilometres. The major direct-current corridors A-Nord, Ultranet, SuedLink and SuedOstLink are well advanced in planning and construction, but their commissioning dates have slipped compared with earlier expectations. The states say that electricity generated in the North and Baltic Seas therefore cannot be fully transmitted, and that regional distribution grids are becoming a bottleneck.
Specifically, the northern German states are calling for better coordination between transmission and distribution grids, more staff in approval authorities, and federal contributions to investment costs for distribution grids so that municipal operators can continue to act. Lower Saxony, which chairs the Energy Ministers’ Conference in 2026, had already raised these issues in a federal-state dialogue in October.
Business associations and grid operators warn that connection restrictions and construction freezes could make location decisions more difficult and increase costs for industry and households. Federal authorities and ministries also stress that acceleration measures must be legally robust and environmentally balanced. Proposed transmission routes affect protected areas and require environmental assessments, which should not be compromised. The scope for simplifying procedures is therefore at the centre of ongoing talks between the federal and state governments.
The Energy Ministers’ Conference is discussing several proposals from northern Germany in Göttingen until 13 November 2026. Conference sources say the draft resolutions aim to urge the federal government to set concrete timetables, introduce funding instruments and make changes to federal grid planning. Official decisions are expected after the discussions conclude. The figures and assessments in this report are based on publications by the Energy Ministers’ Conference and the Federal Network Agency, as well as reporting by Norddeutscher Rundfunk, as of 11 November 2026.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).