To advance the energy transition and pave the way for a climate-friendly energy system, transmission system operator Amprion is expanding the German power grid.
The extra-high voltage grid transports electricity in an area from Lower Saxony to the Alps and supports industry in decarbonization. With the large-scale A-Nord project, Amprion will transport wind power from northern Lower Saxony to North Rhine-Westphalia, covering the needs of two million people with a transmission capacity of two gigawatts. For this project, involving approximately 300 km of underground cable, Amprion expects a construction period of about three years.
Dr. Jörn Koch, Head of DC Grid Projects, explains in an interview how Amprion is shaping the energy transition.
The required north-south power lines are reaching a new dimension in terms of civil engineering and pipeline construction capacity. Do you believe the implementation will proceed as planned from 2024?
We are quite optimistic, but a certain degree of uncertainty remains regarding the course of the approval procedures. The outcome of the public participation process can also affect the schedule. However, Amprion has fundamentally created all the prerequisites for a construction start in 2024 and has also secured the necessary resources for civil engineering and planning early on. The procurement of materials such as cable protection pipes can be initiated at short notice, and the acquisition of the necessary private rights has also begun. Thus, we will have sufficient site availability for the start of construction. We are trying to rule out delays in the approval process in advance, for example, through permanent and intensive exchange with the approval authority. Our technically and environmentally sound planning documents, which are prepared together with our service providers, also make us confident that there will only be minor plan changes after the participation phase, and delays can thus be averted. As you can see: Amprion has done its homework.
Was the procurement of HDD capacities given special consideration?
Naturally, the availability of HDD capacities plays an important role in the realization of HVDC (High-Voltage Direct Current) projects. That is why, for example, in the A-Nord project, we made sure to secure the necessary HDD capacities early on. However, we do not consider the drilling process separately, but are generally striving to secure the necessary resources early.
Amprion opted for Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) early on. What were the reasons?
The starting point for this decision was a comprehensive situation assessment that highlighted various problems and challenges for us. A-Nord, like any major construction project, is executed through separate project phases, from approval to planning, procurement, and construction, up to commissioning. Only rarely do the interests of all parties involved completely align. While proactive early problem-solving may be desirable for Party A, Party B might rely on amendments to increase profits.
Classic problems also include schedule delays due to a lack of coordination among stakeholders, a fundamental tendency to shy away from responsibility, or disputes among the parties involved. We aim to address all these specific risks and challenges constructively and goal-orientedly, and we expect the introduction of the IPD process to foster a new culture of collaboration between client and contractor. Specifically, we hope for a better, more intensive, and more creative exchange and improved networking among all stakeholders in all project phases. So much for the theory. Whether and to what extent these advantages can be realized in practical implementation remains to be seen. From our perspective, however, the opportunities are in any case greater than the risks – at least if the right partners are brought together.
Can you briefly explain the IPD process for our readers?
Broadly speaking, Integrated Project Delivery aims to achieve equal, and thus more efficient and closer, collaboration among all stakeholders through fair and transparent values. Specifically, this is achieved through open communication and transparent processes and mechanisms. This allows for the establishment of a collaborative, ‘no blame, no dispute’ culture, within which all project partners – i.e., the client, Design Engineers, and contractors – jointly assume responsibility as a team and, if necessary, find flexible solutions for emerging complications. Integrated Project Delivery only works with the right partners. Therefore, the selection process is complex and quite time-consuming. However, the intensive preparation and selection phase ensures that the competencies and interests of the applicants align precisely with those of Amprion, and that Integrated Project Delivery can be successfully implemented together.
