A game-changer for the energy transition

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The scope of services of M&P

Preliminary design for the 5.2-km tunnel of the 525-kV power line (in collaboration with WTM Engineers and BabEng)
Building services groups 1–6 and 8
Key design areas: ventilation, operational safety, temperature management
Additionally: site supervision

SuedLink, a project by TenneT and TransnetBW, will transmit green wind power from Schleswig-Holstein to Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg from 2028. Near Glückstadt, the 525-kV power line runs through a 5.2-kilometre-long tunnel beneath the River Elbe. The M&P experts are finalising the design plans.

Visionary energy infrastructure made in Germany

700 kilometres in length. 525 kilovolts. Electricity for 10 million households. From 2028, SuedLink is set to connect wind farms in the north, hydroelectric power stations in Scandinavia and solar parks in southern Germany. Specifically: in future, eight gigawatts of power from renewable sources are to be fed into the Bavarian electricity grids via high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission from the wind-rich north of Germany.

By way of comparison: a large coal-fired power station typically has a capacity of around one gigawatt. The underground cable route interconnects renewable energy sources and ensures a stable, secure electricity supply.

The largest infrastructure project of the energy transition is currently being implemented by TenneT and TransnetBW – with active, expert support from M&P.

SuedLink Elbe Crossing – a tunnel for the electricity superhighway

A five-kilometre-long tunnel is being built near Glückstadt in Schleswig-Holstein as part of the German electricity superhighway. Once completed, it will have an internal diameter of around four metres and will be accessible via two maintenance shafts.

The official launch took place on 4 December 2024: the tunnel’s naming ceremony was celebrated in the presence of, amongst others, Jette Waldinger-Thiering, Vice-President of the Schleswig-Holstein State Parliament and the namesake of the ‘Jette Tunnel’, as well as Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister for Energy Transition, Climate Protection, Environment and Nature, Tobias Goldschmidt.

This symbolic act marked the start of drilling work beneath the River Elbe. The tunnel-boring machine ‘Elsa’ will now create the link between Wewelsfleth (Schleswig-Holstein) and Wischhafen (Lower Saxony) at a depth of 20 metres over the course of 1.5 years.

From left to right: Julia Andresen (project officer, Buckstay), Tobias Goldschmidt (Minister for Energy of Schleswig-Holstein), Dr Stefan Mirschel (SuedLink Programme Director, TenneT), Dr Thorsten Weiner (Head of the Tunnel Construction Department, Porr), Jens Siebmann (chaplain), Jette Waldinger-Thiering (Vice-President of the Schleswig-Holstein State Parliament), Annika Stopp (project officer, Wayss und Freytag), Ulrich Bork (chaplain), Michael Roth (Head of Communications for DC Projects)
© TenneT TSO GmbH

M&P: Planning expertise for the wind power tunnel

As part of a planning consortium with WTM Engineers (building construction) and BabEng (tunnel construction), M&P is responsible for finalising the design plans.

The building services (TGA) comprise plant groups 1 to 6 and 8. Particular challenges include tunnel ventilation and operational safety. Due to the waste heat generated by the HVDC cables, stricter requirements apply to ensure that temperature limits within the tunnel are not exceeded. Given the high social and political significance of this project, the requirements for operational safety were also taken into account with particular care during the planning phase. In addition, M&P is responsible for site supervision.

In parallel, M&P is planning the building services for the ElbB route corridor on behalf of Amprion, one of Germany’s four largest transmission system operators.

The two tunnel axes run approximately 50 metres apart. Each tunnel, constructed using the segmental lining method and with a diameter of around four metres, houses the HVDC cable pairs that will in future supply climate-friendly electricity to the Ruhr region and Baden-Württemberg – one of Germany’s economically strongest and most energy-intensive regions.

SuedLink is thus set to be a game-changer for Germany’s energy transition. The experts at M&P are making a decisive contribution to this.