Secure Power Supply on Track in Central Upper Austria

The three grid operators are jointly constructing a 220 kV supply ring to replace the current 110 kV feed-in. In total, around 800 million euros will be invested to sustainably strengthen Upper Austria as a business and industrial location. At a media event marking one year of construction, APG CTO Gerhard Christiner and Upper Austria’s Provincial Councilor for the Environment and Climate, Stefan Kaineder, reviewed the project’s progress and highlighted its importance for the region and for Austria’s energy transition.

“This project lays the foundation for further developing the regional distribution grids and is essential for the electrification and decarbonization of the local industry, particularly steel production. Beyond securing supply, it will significantly reduce CO₂ emissions both regionally and nationwide. We are fully on schedule. The project is part of our nine-billion-euro grid development plan through 2034. Together with our partners, we are investing around 800 million euros to secure the electricity supply and strengthen Upper Austria as a business and industrial location,” said Gerhard Christiner, CTO of APG.

Provincial Councilor Stefan Kaineder underscored the project’s importance for achieving Austria’s climate targets: “The energy transition can only succeed with an efficient infrastructure. The 220 kV supply ring is a key project for transforming our energy system and a prerequisite for decarbonizing industrial processes — making a substantial contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions. The project is therefore of great importance for a sustainable and climate-friendly future in Upper Austria and shows how climate protection and the construction of infrastructure can go hand in hand."

Construction progress on schedule

Since construction began in summer 2024, work has advanced as planned. Two of four line construction sections are already underway and scheduled for completion at the end of 2026. Construction is also progressing at six of the project’s eight substations.

• Construction phase 1: Extension of an existing cable section of around two kilometers between the Pichling substation and the Traun–Danube floodplains by two 220 kV double systems and one 110 kV system.
• Construction phase 2: Replacement of a 4-core overhead line from the Ernsthofen substation via Asten and Pichling, including section-by-section voltage conversion from 110 kV to 220 kV and dismantling of old structures.

“In construction phase 1, around 75% of the underground cable ducts are completed. Finalization of the empty conduit route is planned for March 2026, followed by construction of sleeve and cable-pulling pits, with cable installation by the end of 2026. 40 of 63 pylons have been erected in construction phase 2. Conductor cables have been installed on six sections, totaling approximately 3.6 km. Preparations are currently underway for cable installation between the Traun–Donau floodplains and the Linz Süd district heating power plant, as well as for swivelling two existing 380 kV systems at the Kronstorf substation, which is currently being refurbished. Both sections are scheduled for completion by the end of 2026,” explains Christiner. 

Parallel to the line work, construction at the substations involved in the project is also progressing rapidly. In Wegscheid, work on the temporary structures is in full swing and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025; the transformer foundations are already under construction. In Kronstorf, the new 380 kV switchgear has been expanded, and work is underway to integrate and relocate the existing 380 kV supply as well as to construct the new switchgear. In Pichling, construction of the transformer foundations has begun, and interior work on the operations building and switchgear is advancing. At Kronstorf West, the foundations for the line portals have been completed, and installation of the temporary structures is in progress. At the Linz Süd district heating power plant, conversion and new construction work on the 110 kV system components are ongoing. The conversion work in Tillysburg has already been completed.

Next steps

After completion of the first two line construction sections at the end of 2026, construction section 3 (Kronstorf via Asten to Wegscheid) will start in 2027 and construction section 4 (Wegscheid to Hütte Süd) in 2029. Work on the remaining two of the eight substations — Franzosenhausweg and Kleinmünchen — will begin at a later stage. Parts of the "Secure Electricity Supply Central Upper Austria" project will be commissioned step by step from 2025 onward, with full commissioning planned for 2030.

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, thus reducing Austria’s dependence on electricity imports, we are the platform for the electricity market, and we provide access to reasonably priced electricity for Austria’s consumers, thus creating the basis for Austria as a 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 APG’s control center in Vienna. Thanks to our committed employees, Austria had a security of supply of 99.99 percent also in 2024 and thus ranks among the top countries worldwide. Our investments of 630 million euros in 2025 (2024: 440 million euros, 2023: 490 million euros) are a motor for the Austrian economy and a crucial factor in reaching Austria’s climate and energy targets. Until 2034, APG will invest a total of approximately 9 billion euros in grid expansion and modernization projects.