(BERLIN) - The German power group RWE said on Thursday it would invest 3.2 billion euros (five billion dollars) in its electric grid, a move expected to be followed by competitors under pressure to extend high-power lines.

The second biggest German energy company said it would plough 2.2 billion euros into the construction of new lines by 2010 and invest another 1.0 billion in the renovation of existing networks.

Its project has been submitted to German authorities that control the national power grid, a statement added.

According to the business daily Handelsblatt, rival power groups were likely to follow RWE's lead.

The newspaper said that Vattenfall, a Swedish company present in the German market, foresaw investments of 2.5 billion euros, and that number one EON was expected to announce similar figures.

Calls have multiplied in Germany for an extension of the electricity network to tie in wind turbines in the north of the country and help avoid growing risks of overloads.

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