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The energy transition can only succeed with a good transmission network

The Western Advisory Board invites you to an excursion to an Amprion converter station

For interested members of our cooperative, the Western Advisory Board for North Rhine-Westphalia has organised an excursion on 20 September 2025 to the newly constructed converter station in the Meerbusch district of Osterath, in coordination with the transmission system operator Amprion. The event's guiding theme is: "Experiencing Community – Understanding the Energy Transition."

Our member magazine has already reported that several major "electricity motorways" are currently under construction, with some scheduled to go into operation in 2027. Since electrical energy can be transmitted over long distances with lower losses using direct current compared to alternating current, converters are required at transition points to convert alternating current to direct current and vice versa.

The converter station in Meerbusch-Osterath is part of one of several planned new high-voltage transmission corridors, designated "A-Nord & Ultranet". The northern section between Emden and Osterath will be constructed as a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) underground cable. The southern section between Osterath and Philippsburg in Baden-Württemberg will be implemented as an overhead power line.

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The planned schedule for the excursion is as follows:  

  • Participants will travel to the site by car on their own (the site is located outside the town).  

  • The guided tour of the converter will begin at 1:00 PM and will last approximately 2 hours.  

  • Afterwards, we have reserved seats for the participants in a nearby café to provide an opportunity for exchange.  

  • At the same time, the advisory board would like to share the latest information from our cooperative with the participants.  

  • The timeframe is approximately from 3:00 PM to no later than 6:00 PM.

Amprion Converter

If you would like to participate, please register with the Beirat West by 31 August via email (west@prokon-beirat.net) or by phone (0175 7064 659).

Please include the following information when registering:  

  • Number of participants  

  • Participation in the excursion only  

  • Participation only in the café part  

  • Or participation in both parts  

Note: The number of participants is limited to roughly the size of a school class (i.e. approx. 25–30 people). At the beginning of September, we will send all participants more detailed information about travel arrangements and the schedule.

For spatial orientation: the construction site is near the Kaarst motorway interchange (A57/A52) and is roughly halfway between Düsseldorf and Mönchengladbach on the left-hand side of the Rhine.