GRITEC Contributes to Industry Recommendation on the Harmonisation of Local Distribution Substations

The expansion and modernisation of Germany’s distribution grids are among the major challenges of the coming years. According to a study cited by BDEW and ZVEI, almost 500,000 additional or replacement local distribution transformers will be required by 2045. At the same time, production and delivery capacities will need to grow accordingly.

From the industry’s perspective, greater harmonisation of local distribution substations is an important lever. More standardised technical requirements and interfaces can help simplify planning, procurement and production, shorten delivery times and make more efficient use of existing capacities.

This is precisely where the new industry recommendation “Harmonisation of Local Distribution Substations” comes in. It was developed by the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) and the German Electro and Digital Industry Association (ZVEI) together with grid operators and manufacturers. On behalf of GRITEC, Axel Hahn (Head of Product Management Energy Technology/Innovation), as Chair of the Working Group, contributed his technical expertise and many years of experience in national and international standardisation activities to the development of the recommendation. GRITEC is listed in the recommendation as one of the participating companies.

Less complexity, greater scalability

The recommendation examines seven specific areas of potential:
Engineering, substation enclosures, medium-voltage switchgear, transformers, low-voltage distribution, secondary systems and logistics.
One of the objectives is to reduce the number of variants, further harmonise technical interfaces and make industrial processes more predictable and scalable.

One example concerns logistics: wherever possible, local distribution substations should be manufactured at the factory as fully connection-ready and pre-configured units. This can reduce the amount of work required on site and accelerate overall project delivery.
In doing so, the recommendation addresses topics that are directly relevant to GRITEC as a manufacturer:
How can we work together with grid operators to reduce complexity, simplify processes and deliver more substations in less time – without compromising safety, security of supply, innovation or technological advancement?
Taking into account the applicable competition law framework, these requirements expressly remain fundamental to the recommendations.

Working together to advance energy infrastructure

The publication is not the end of the process. BDEW and ZVEI see the industry recommendation as the basis for an ongoing process involving other associations and organisations. Its implementation will be monitored, the identified potential will be further developed within expert committees, and progress will be reviewed.

For GRITEC, contributing to industry-wide solutions such as this is an important part of our commitment not only to support the energy infrastructure of tomorrow with our products, but also to actively shape its further development with our experience and expertise.
On 1 October 2026, the industry recommendation was officially presented to Klaus Müller, President of the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), by the chief executives of BDEW and ZVEI during the BDEW Treffpunkt Netze event.