The
new
legislation
will
concentrate
the
planning
of
so-called
electricity
highways
in
the
hands
of
the
federal
government,
away
from
Germany’s
Länder
(states).
“The
foundation
for
an
accelerated
grid
extension
has
been
laid,”
economics
minister
Philipp
Rösler
told
reporters.
The
change
will
shorten
the
period
for
planning
and
construction
of
new
power
lines
to
four
years
from
a
current
ten,
Rösler
claims.
The
government
plans
a
new
major
power
line
linking
the
North
Sea
coast
via
the
industrialised
Ruhr
region
to
the
Frankfurt
area,
another
from
Hamburg
to
Stuttgart,
and
a
third
from
Thuringia…
