GICON® Group provides services for SuedLink route
NWgeoVerm Engineering GmbH, which has been part of the GICON® Group since 2022, has been awarded the contract for right of way services in the context of the SuedLink grid expansion project. The client is the transmission system operator TenneT, which is expanding the German power grid with the SuedLink route and upgrading it for the transport of wind power generated in northern Germany to southern Germany. With a length of around 700 kilometers and four gigawatts of transmission capacity, equivalent to four nuclear power plants, SuedLink is the largest infrastructure project of the energy transition in Germany. After commissioning, which is planned for 2028, it will be possible to supply around 10 million households with electricity.
NWgeoVerm Engineering GmbH was able to convince the bidder above all with its special knowledge in the fields of line surveying, plant surveying and land management, which has been built up over 30 years. In addition, the company has extensive references in the field of right of way services and has carried out projects for well-known clients such as Wintershall and RWE.
Framework agreement for right of way services signed
Part of the agreement will be the securing of access rights as part of all preliminary surveys, followed by the obtaining of rights of way and right of way support for the construction work. In accordance with legal requirements, SuedLink is planned as an underground cable project. In detail, the agreed services relate to a 70-kilometer construction section in the Hannover district involving around 700 property owners. The subdivision into several manageable construction sections facilitates communication between all parties directly on site. The planning approval documents are to be submitted by fall 2023.
Sandra Neumann, Managing Director of NWgeoVerm Engineering GmbH, based in Erkelenz in North Rhine-Westphalia, is delighted about the major contract: "Our task will be to provide TenneT with very practical support in the implementation, organization and execution of the right of way sub-project. We are pleased to be able to contribute to the success of the energy turnaround with our many years of know-how. By taking over the extensive right of way services, we are laying the foundation for the smooth progress of the subsequent construction work."
Specifically, NWgeoVerm Engineering GmbH will take on the following tasks, among others:
- Familiarization with the data situation including owner and manager research
- Contacting the owners according to the parcel lists and land registers
- Conducting negotiations for the lifting of prohibitions to enter and for obtaining the freedom to build and securing the access roads
- Obtaining consents and agreements for pre-vegetation, reclamation and/or avoidance measures
- Settlement of consequential damage in the case of construction work carried out
- Data collection in compliance with data protection regulations by means of IT-supported right-of-way databases
"We are proud that the youngest member of the GICON® Group has been directly awarded a prestigious major contract. The award of this contract shows that we have chosen exactly the right partner in NWgeoVerm Engineering GmbH to strengthen the entire GICON® Group," says GICON® founder Prof. Jochen Großmann. "In addition, the project fits perfectly with our focus areas of energy and infrastructure. We have several hundred engineers working on sustainable services in the fields of wind power, bioenergy, photovoltaics, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas neutrality, as well as on accelerating approval procedures for infrastructure and construction projects such as battery plants."
SuedLink ensures stable power supply with sustainable energy
Green electricity is mainly generated decentrally in the windy north and sunny south. In order for Germany to achieve its goal of being climate-neutral by 2045, power grids must be adapted to the changed generation structure. According to TenneT, high-performance direct-current lines such as SuedLink play a crucial role in ensuring a stable and secure power supply in the future.