380-kV-Ems-Freileitungskreuzung IMGP0026

The 380 kV Ems Overhead Powerline Crossing is a power line crossing for two circuits on the

Ems River The Ems (german: Ems; nl, Eems) is a river in northwestern Germany. It runs through the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, and discharges into the Dollart Bay which is part of the Wadden Sea. Its total length is . The stat ...

South of

Weener Weener () is a town in the district of Leer, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Ems. The towns population is at 15,654, making it the largest town of the region Rheiderland. It has a railw ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It is mounted on two 110 m tall pylons with two crossbars. The length of the span is 405 m. The crossing was an obstacle for ships built by

Meyer Werft Meyer Werft is one of the major German shipyards, headquartered in Papenburg at the river Ems. Founded in 1795 and starting with small wooden vessels, today Meyer Werft is a builder of luxury passenger ships. 700 ships of different types have be ...

in Papenburg. Although the ships could pass beneath the line, the clearance was often so close that the line had to be switched off.European Blackout: German Power Firm to Risk Another Switch-off - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News
/ref> When this procedure was followed on November 4, 2006, in order to let the vessel

Norwegian Pearl ''Norwegian Pearl'' is a of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), launched in 2006, sailing itineraries primarily around Alaska and the Caribbean. Vessel class ''Norwegian Pearl'' is the third of NCL's four ''Jewel''-class ships. She was preceded by i ...

pass, a large blackout occurred in many parts of Europe. According to official reports, this was caused because of the switching off of this line. In summer 2007, the towers were rebuilt to be 26 metres (85 feet) higher.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ems Powerline Crossing Powerline river crossings Electric power transmission systems in Germany