In theory, the four German regional TSO E.ON, RWE, EnBW and Vattenfall Europe are free to decide which technology they prefer. So far, they have mostly decided in favour of overhead lines since these require lower investment costs. “We estimate that underground cabling would be four to ten times more expensive than overhead lines, depending on local parameters,” says a spokesman of the German Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft (BDEW) who is also representing the TSO. However, they are facing increasing resistance in the population. In several places where new overhead lines are to be built citizens’ initiatives try to prevent new electrical towers in their backyard.
The protests prolong the planning and approval process for overhead lines which takes about eight to ten years.