http://www.newenergyworldnetwork.com/renewable-energy-news/by-technology/energy-efficiency/german-government-proposes-expedited-green-transmission-planning.html

Germany’s Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle has reportedly proposed to accelerate the planning process for transmission projects to bring more green power online.

Bruederle has called for an overhaul and expansion of the country’s power infrastructure in a new government paper, according to Reuters.
In the paper, he is said to have made the case for an expedited planning process for the construction of new power lines and called for a grid infrastructure suitable for the conversion of the country’s electricity supply.
His plea follows Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel’s call to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy after putting the country’s nuclear plans on hold after the world witnessed devastation at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant caused by recent natural disasters.
New transmission networks are required in Germany to deliver wind power from the north of the county to the populated southern region.
Bruederle compared the grid expansion to the reconstruction of former East Germany’s power infrastructure following the collapse of the Berlin wall, which cost close to €1.3tn.
Merkel recently put a three-month moratorium on plans that were formed late last year to extend nuclear power generation in the country, demanding the temporary closure of seven nuclear reactors.