Secure Power Supply for the Central Region of Upper Austria: EIA hearing has taken place

The EIA is the most comprehensive review and approval procedure for infrastructure and construction projects in Austria. An open and transparent procedure is of great concern to APG and the project partners. On November 29, 2021, the grid operators submitted all project documents (environmental impact statement) in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (UVP-G 2000) to the responsible EIA authorities of the provinces of Upper and Lower Austria. In the next step, the project documents were made available for public inspection by the EIA authorities at the beginning of May 2022. 

After that, an environmental impact report was prepared by the authority's experts, taking into account any statements received by the authorities within the inspection period. 

EIA hearing in Linz

The environmental impact report prepared by the authorities was made available for public inspection on October 27, 2022 for a period of four weeks. From November 29 to December 2, 2022, an oral hearing was held by the EIA authority (Province of Upper Austria) at the Design Center in Linz. 

At the beginning of the hearing, the project was presented by APG and the project partners. Subsequently, as well as during the following days, all of the 22 topics relevant to the project - including nature conservation, forestry, human medicine, water, soil and agriculture - were discussed in public, and all of the parties involved had the opportunity to comment comprehensively on the project and to put questions to the experts and the project applicants. The decision on the permission application (and the outcome of the negotiations) will be communicated by official notification. 

220-kV supply ring for a secure electricity supply

Currently, the central region of Upper Austria is supplied with electricity via a 110 kV grid whose oldest line sections date back to the 1940s and are simply not designed to cope with future challenges in the region. To replace the old line the construction of a 220 kV supply ring is planned. 

"Together with the project partners, we are thus ensuring a secure power supply for the next generations. In the industrial province of Upper Austria, we are thus facilitating the electrification of businesses, industry and society. The project also makes an important contribution to achieving Austria's climate and energy targets and to the success of the energy transition," says Mario Golger, project manager at APG.

In the future, the 220 kV supply ring will connect the APG substations Ernsthofen, Pichling, Hütte Süd, Wegscheid and Kronstorf. In line with the important sub-grid formation in the central region, some substations of the project partners - e.g. Franzosenhausweg, Kleinmünchen, Tillysburg and Kronstorf West - will also be integrated into the ring. The construction measures required for this include the replacement of existing lines, voltage conversions from 110 kV to 220 kV on line sections already designed for this purpose, and expansion and modernization of a total of eight substations. For the construction of the new lines, existing line routes of APG, Netz OÖ and LINZ NETZ will be used in order to keep the impact on people and nature as small as possible. The construction is scheduled to start in 2024. The start of operation will then take place step by step from 2026 to 2030.

APG and the project partners are investing approximately 570 million euros in a secure power supply for the region and for the success of the energy transition. This is the current estimated figure, which may be subject to changes due to price developments on the world market, which can be exaggerated by events such as the Corona pandemic and the Ukraine war, and particularly due to the long implementation period until 2030.

Requirements in the region increase

The current geopolitical and economic situation as well as the increasing prices for gas and electricity that accompany it are a very loud wake-up call to implement the energy transition in a supply-secure manner and without delay. "A high-capacity electricity infrastructure is the key to a sustainable transformation, as well as a basic prerequisite for making low-cost electricity available in the region and throughout Austria. In addition to the secure supply of electricity, the sustainable protection and maintenance of the economic and industrial location in the central region of Upper Austria is a top priority. Therefore, all projects that serve this goal must be implemented without delay," says Christoph Schuh, company spokesperson for APG. 
Electricity consumption in the central region of Upper Austria will also continue to increase significantly in the coming years. The reasons for this are dynamic developments in the region: growth of the economic area, such as the Enns-Steyr region, increasing electrification and thus also process conversions in the industry (keywords: decarbonization, electricity-based steel production) as well as an increasing number of consumers. In the city triangle Linz - Wels - Steyr alone, the state of Upper Austria forecasts a growth to approximately 350,000 inhabitants by 2040. 

About Austrian Power Grid (APG)

Austrian Power Grid (APG) is Austria’s independent transmission system operator in charge of monitoring and managing the nationwide transmission network. Its infrastructure ensures the electricity supply in Austria and is thus the lifeline of the country, its population and its businesses. The APG network totals a length of about 3,400 km and is operated, maintained and continuously adapted to the increasing challenges of economy and society by a team of more than 700 specialists. The capacities of the APG grid and the use of state-of-the-art technologies are the precondition for a sustainable and secure power supply in Austria, for reaching the climate and energy targets and for the increasing electrification of our society, businesses and industry. With our digital platforms we make their flexibilities available for the electricity management. APG’s staff develop suitable market products, have an excellent knowledge of physics and ensure the security and efficiency of supply for Austria. With an investment volume of 370 million euros in 2022 for the expansion and modernization of the grid infrastructure, APG provides an important impulse for the domestic economy. Until 2032 APG will invest a total of approximately 3.5 billion euros in grid expansion and renovation projects, which amounts to approximately 19 percent of the total of 18 billion euros which the energy industry will invest in the grid infrastructure over the next ten years. In the Sustainable Brand Rating 2022 APG has been voted number one in the category ‘public utility infrastructure’ for the third consecutive time.

About Netz Oberösterreich GmbH

Netz Oberösterreich GmbH is the electricity grid operator for large parts of Upper Austria and for parts of the neighboring provinces of Salzburg, Styria and Lower Austria. Approximately 650 employees ensure the safe operation of the power grids 24/7. The grid covers more than 33,000 kilometers at all voltage levels. 61 substations and switching stations ensure a secure supply of electricity, and more than 517,000 customer installations are supplied via 9,200 transformer stations. More than 750,000 smart meters and switching devices are installed in these customer installations. Netz Oberösterreich GmbH is a 100-percent subsidiary of Energie AG Oberösterreich. 

About LINZ NETZ GmbH

LINZ NETZ GmbH operates the electricity grid and natural gas network for the Linz area and parts of the Mühlviertel region. With a team of about 280 specialists, the company supports the expansion in the electricity sector to facilitate the energy transition and the safe operation and maintenance of the 8,355-kilometer distribution network. 28 substations and around 3,300 transformer stations ensure a sustainable supply of electricity. The smart meter roll-out is well advanced. More than 240,000 smart meters in the supply area already form the basis for a new energy system. The electricity grid for Linz and the 82 surrounding communities reliably covers the regional electricity demand of more than 400,000 customers and facilitates the positive development of this vibrant resident and economic area. LINZ NETZ GmbH is a 100-percent subsidiary of LINZ AG.