RWE Transportnetz Strom and Dutch outfit TenneT TSO have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly create a new 380kV high-voltage line between Doetinchem in the Netherlands and Wesel in Germany.
The new interconnecting line, which will be 60 kilometers long, will increase the transmission capacity between the transmission grids of RWE and TenneT by around 25% to 50% and will make a major contribution towards better market coupling, RWE states.
Together, the two companies will invest approximately E70 million in the new interconnection. It is forecast that the new line will be operational by 2013 at the earliest.
At the moment, the transmission capacity between the two countries amounts to around 3,800MW, but, with the new line, this capacity will increase by approximately 1,000MW – 2,000MW.
This new interconnection brings the integration of the international electricity market another step closer, says Dr Klaus Kleinekorte, director of RWE Transportnetz Strom.