
With a ceremonial groundbreaking on Thursday, the project “Secure Power Supply for the Central Upper Austria Region” by Austrian Power Grid (APG), Netz Oberösterreich, and Linz Netz has officially begun. The project aims to replace the outdated 110-kV grid in the central region with a 220-kV supply ring. This upgrade is intended to support the energy transition in the industrial sector, including green steel production at voestalpine.
A CO2-neutral power supply, as envisioned for the coming decades, requires not only clean energy but also grids capable of transporting it. The existing 110-kV grid, which has supplied power to central Upper Austria for over 70 years, can no longer meet future demands—especially in a region with a high concentration of industries requiring increasing amounts of electricity due to the shift away from fossil fuels toward green energy.
€800 Million Investment
APG, Netz OÖ, and Linz Netz are building a new 220-kV supply ring that will connect the substations at Ernsthofen, Pichling, Hütte Süd, Wegscheid, and Kronstorf. By switching to the next higher voltage level, more electrical energy can be transmitted in the future, which is essential for industries in the region. The supply ring will span approximately 42 kilometers and cost about €800 million. The project is divided into four construction phases, with the final phase scheduled for completion in 2030.
To minimize the impact on people and the environment, APG, Netz OÖ, and Linz Netz emphasize that existing routes will largely be used for the construction of the 220-kV supply ring. In some cases, old lines will be replaced with new ones, and where technically feasible, voltage will be upgraded from 110 to 220 kV. Additionally, expansion and renovation work will take place at a total of eight substations.
The supply ring is also intended to support voestalpine’s gradual transition to green steel production. Starting in 2027, the company plans to replace one blast furnace each at its Linz and Donawitz sites with electric arc furnaces, reducing its CO2 emissions by approximately 30% compared to 2019 levels by 2029, according to CFO Gerald Mayer during the groundbreaking ceremony.
Call for Faster Implementation of Energy Transition Projects
The project is “an important milestone” for supply security and industrial decarbonization, praised Regional Economic Councilor Markus Achleitner (ÖVP). However, he criticized delays caused by objections from a citizens’ initiative and called for faster procedures for energy transition projects. He suggested measures such as reversing the burden of proof, limiting participation rights to genuinely affected residents, and ensuring that complaints only have a suspensive effect in exceptional cases.