SuedLink - ElbX

Fire protection recommendations on the fire protection certificate for the building system

The SuedLink is Germany's central project for the energy transition. With a total length of 700 kilometers and planned investments of ten billion euros, SuedLink will transport electricity from renewable energies from northern Germany to the south.

The Elbe crossing (ElbX) is one of SuedLink's largest special structures. Between Wewelsfleth in Schleswig-Holstein and Wischhafen in Lower Saxony, SuedLink has to cross the Elbe for around five kilometers using a tunnel structure. The so-called segmental construction method will be used, in which a specially manufactured tunnel boring machine digs its way under the Elbe like a mole. Six 525 kV power cables will then be pulled in and connected to the SuedLink underground cables on both sides of the Elbe. Rails in the tunnel will allow tunnel vehicles to drive through, so that the tunnel will also be accessible for maintenance and repair work after the construction phase has been completed. Construction is expected to take four and a half years.

As part of the planning work for the overall SuedLink project, the ElbX planning consortium (WTM Engineers and BabEng) prepared a fire protection certificate for the construction of the ElbX tunnel under the Elbe. The

STUVAtec was asked by TenneT to provide a second opinion on the fire protection certificate from a fire protection perspective.