Decades-Long Project Reaches Completion: Salzburg Transmission Line Project Comes to a Close
With the successful completion of the dismantling work, one of Austria’s most significant electricity infrastructure projects has now reached its final milestone. Following the commissioning of the new 380-kV Salzburg transmission line in 2025, the existing lines and towers replaced by the new, high-capacity infrastructure have now been removed. This marks the conclusion of a major project spanning several decades.
A total of 678 old 220-kV and 110-kV transmission towers were dismantled along a 193-kilometre stretch in Salzburg. By comparison, only 449 new towers were erected along a total route length of 128 kilometres. As a result, Salzburg now has 229 fewer transmission towers and 65 fewer kilometres of power lines than before the project. “We promised to remove the old 220-kV and 110-kV lines, and we have delivered. Vast areas of both natural landscapes and urban environments have now been cleared of overhead power lines,” says Gerhard Christiner, Spokesperson for the Executive Board of Austrian Power Grid (APG).
The last remaining towers in the Hagen Mountains were removed by helicopter in early September. In the weeks that followed, the final foundations in this high-alpine area were also dismantled.
Tangible benefits for people, the region, and the energy transition
“The completion of the dismantling work not only marks the end of a major infrastructure project, but also makes the long-term benefits of the Salzburg transmission line tangible. The new infrastructure strengthens security of supply, supports the energy transition and, at the same time, reduces the impact on the landscape through the removal of numerous existing installations,” says Gerhard Christiner.
Greater Security of Supply
The Salzburg transmission line closes the western gap in Austria’s 380-kV ring, the backbone of the country’s electricity supply. With the line completed and commissioned in 2025, grid stability has been significantly strengthened, creating the conditions for more efficient integration of renewable energy into the electricity system.
In particular, the Salzburg transmission line enables surplus electricity generated by wind and solar power plants in eastern Austria to be transported to the high-capacity pumped-storage power plants in the west of the country. This helps strengthen security of supply and reduce dependence on electricity imports. With an investment volume of approximately one billion euros, the new high-capacity Salzburg transmission line became fully operational in April 2025, following a 77-month permitting process and five years of construction.
Key components of the project include the new substations in Pongau (St. Johann im Pongau) and Wagenham (Pischelsdorf am Engelbach, Upper Austria). The existing substations in Salzburg (Elixhausen), Kaprun, Tauern (Kaprun) and St. Peter (St. Peter am Hart, Upper Austria) were also expanded and upgraded. These new interconnections between APG’s transmission grid and the distribution networks operated by regional energy utilities in Salzburg and Upper Austria will further strengthen security of supply at both regional and supraregional levels.
About Austrian Power Grid (APG)
As an independent transmission system operator, Austrian Power Grid (APG) is in charge of ensuring the security of the electricity supply in Austria. With our high-performance and digital electricity infrastructure and the use of state-of-the-art technologies, we integrate renewable energies and reduce the dependency on electricity imports, we are the platform for the electricity market, and we provide access to reasonably priced electricity and thus create the basis for Austria as supply-secure and future-oriented industrial and business location and place to live. The APG grid totals a length of about 3,500 km and is operated, maintained, and continuously adapted to the increasing challenges of the electrification of businesses, industry, and society by a team of approximately 1,000 specialists. 67 substations are distributed all over Austria, and the majority are operated remotely from the control center in Vienna. Thanks to our committed employees, Austria had a security of supply of 99.99 percent also in 2025 and thus ranks among the top countries worldwide. Our investments of 680 million euros in 2026 (2025: 595 million euros, 2024: 440 million euros, 2023: 490 million euros) are a motor for the Austrian economy and a crucial factor for achieving Austria’s energy goals. Overall, APG will invest around 9 billion euros in grid expansion and modernization measures by 2035.
