Bundesnetzagentur Consults on Infrastructure Area Designation Methodology for Electricity Grid Expansion

Bun­desnet­za­gen­tur presents method­ol­o­gy for des­ig­na­tion of infrastructure ar­eas

Year of issue 2026
Date of issue 2026.03.31

The Bundesnetzagentur is today launching a public consultation on its draft methodology for the designation of infrastructure areas for new electricity lines.

"The expansion of the grid will continue to be a mainstay of the energy transition and is crucial for a secure energy supply. We will again accelerate the planning approval procedure considerably using infrastructure areas," said Klaus Müller, President of the Bundesnetzagentur.

Infrastructure areas to replace federal sectoral planning

Infrastructure areas can be designated for new expansion projects in the electricity transmission system instead of the previous federal sectoral planning procedure. The infrastructure areas define possible areas for the subsequent planning approval at the upstream level and "from a bird’s eye view". The planning approval procedure for projects in infrastructure areas will then omit the species protection assessment, the environmental impact assessment and the Natura 2000 impact assessment.

The Bundesnetzagentur has developed a methodology for the designation of infrastructure areas. The methodology is to ensure that processing is swift while also taking account of a number of concerns such as Natura 2000 areas and settlements. It is intended to identify areas for the future expansion of the network that have as little conflict as possible.

Even before the formal procedure for identifying the infrastructure areas actually starts, the Bundesnetzagentur wants to give affected project promoters, authorities and interested members of the public the opportunity to comment on the draft methodology for identifying infrastructure areas.

Background and purpose of the publication

The Act transposing the EU Renewable Energy Directive in the areas of offshore wind energy and electricity networks was adopted at the end of 2025, amending the provisions of German energy industry law. The legal amendment is intended to accelerate significantly the approval procedures in the field of electricity network expansion in order to meet climate targets as quickly as possible.

The draft methodology has been published on the Bundesnetzagentur website. Comments on it may be submitted until 28 April 2026. www.netzausbau.de/1099720

Once the consultation has closed, the Bundesnetzagentur will assess the comments received and determine the final methodology.