50Hertz

50Hertz Transmission GmbH is a German transmission system operator that runs the extra‑high‑voltage electricity grid in the north and east of Germany and expands it in line with the requirements of the energy transition. Its control area covers the federal states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg‑Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony‑Anhalt and Thuringia, plus the city states of Berlin and Hamburg. The company operates a 220 kV and 380 kV transmission network with an electrical circuit length of more than 10,000 kilometres, providing the infrastructure that supplies around 18 million people with electricity around the clock. Headquartered in the “Netzquartier” building in Berlin’s Europacity, 50Hertz employs more than 2,300 people and uses regional centres, control centres and offshore hubs to manage and maintain its network. 50Hertz is part of the Belgian‑German Elia Group; its shares are held via Eurogrid, with Elia Group owning 80% and the German state‑owned KfW banking group 20%. As a European TSO and member of ENTSO‑E, 50Hertz operates cross‑border interconnections with Poland, the Czech Republic and Denmark and develops new links such as the HansaPowerBridge to Sweden. Its roles encompass grid owner, system controller, market facilitator and trustee for German levy systems promoting renewable energy and cogeneration. The company is a forerunner in integrating variable renewables and aims to securely integrate 100% renewable energy into its grid and system by 2032, including via major onshore projects such as the South‑West Interconnector and SuedOstLink, and offshore grid connections in the Baltic Sea (Ostwind 1–3 and the Rostock Offshore Quartier operating base). In 2024, 50Hertz reported revenue of €7.7 billion and capital expenditure of €3.6 billion, and it pursues extensive ecological compensation and corridor‑management measures as part of its grid expansion programme.