The German government has announced the (modest) progress being made with grid expansions. Further delays are expected. Nonetheless, German electricity reliability remains at a high level. But what about those reports of grid operators frantically intervening to prevent blackouts? Craig Morris reports. At the beginning of October, the German government published an overview (PDF in German) of grid projects. Adopted in 2009, the law covers projects to be completed up to 2020. Halfway towards that deadline, only a quarter of the projects have been completed, and the new report speaks of “further clear delays” for additional projects. Some 1,800 kilometers of new power lines are to be built. By mid-2015, only 487 kilometers had been completed, equivalent to 26 percent. Keep in mind, however, that the first Grid Study published by Germany’s Energy Agency (Dena) in 2005 called for up to 7,400 kilometers of power lines – an estimate that has turned out to be grossly exaggerated. Bavaria in particular opposes new power lines. Recently, an agreement was reached to have these new lines built … Continue reading German power outage only once every four years