APG advances eastern Lower Austria power grid expansion

Plans for a large expansion of the electricity grid in eastern Lower Austria are becoming more concrete, ORF reported. The project will mainly affect municipalities in the Baden and Bruck an der Leitha districts. Construction is planned to start in 2030, while an information tour begins in September.

The project, known as East Grid Reinforcement, is described by transmission grid operator Austrian Power Grid as one of the largest planned electricity infrastructure projects in Lower Austria and Burgenland. Existing lines will be upgraded or removed, new 380 kilovolt high voltage lines will be built, and substations will be expanded or newly constructed.

APG said about 75 kilometres of new lines are planned, including 45 kilometres in Lower Austria. Around 70 kilometres of existing lines are to be dismantled, including 40 kilometres in Lower Austria. More powerful conductors will also be installed on about 16 kilometres of existing lines.

About 140 new electricity pylons are planned in Lower Austria. The standard 380 kilovolt pylons will be 68.5 metres high, compared with 42 metres for the existing 220 kilovolt pylons.

A central part of the project is the connection between the Vienna Southeast substation and the areas around Sarasdorf in the Bruck an der Leitha district, Trumau in the Baden district and the route towards Burgenland. Some existing 220 kilovolt lines will be removed and replaced with higher-capacity 380 kilovolt connections.

APG said the expansion would allow more electricity from wind power and photovoltaics to enter the wider grid. It is also intended to prepare the network for higher future consumption by households, businesses and industry, while improving grid stability in eastern Austria. A new grid hub is planned near Trumau, and a new substation is planned in Parndorf in Burgenland.

The municipalities currently included in the plans are Bruck an der Leitha, Höflein, Rohrau, Himberg, Ebergassing, Göttlesbrunn-Arbesthal, Moosbrunn, Trautmannsdorf, Götzendorf, Enzersdorf, Gramatneusiedl, Münchendorf and Trumau. The precise impact on municipalities and landowners will depend on the final route and pylon locations.

APG plans 12 information events in Lower Austria and Burgenland between September 14 and October 1. About 38,000 households have been notified by post. Events in Lower Austria will be held, among other places, in Münchendorf, Trumau, Bruck an der Leitha, Himberg, Moosbrunn, Ebergassing, Trautmannsdorf, Götzendorf an der Leitha and Gramatneusiedl.

Project managers and experts in technology, environmental matters and law will answer questions at the events. In several municipalities, Netz Niederösterreich will also present its own expansion projects.

The project remains in the planning phase. APG plans to submit it for an environmental impact assessment by the end of 2027, with construction starting no earlier than 2030. APG said the new routes had been designed to maintain as much distance from settlements as possible. In individual cases, the smallest currently planned distance between a new pylon and a settlement is about 250 metres.