[citation needed] It was built on the site of the Etzenricht substation, a 380 kV/220 kV/110 kV-substation, which went into service in 1970 and expanded afterwards several times.

The facility was used between 1993 and 1995 for the exchange of power between Germany and the Czech Republic, operated by Bayernwerk AG (now part of TenneT).

In 1997, after inauguration of the second 380 kV-powerline to Czechia, which ends at Prestice substation, most external components of GKK Etzenricht were dismantled and stored on the area of the facility.

GKK Etzenricht had a maximum transmission power of 600 megawatts (MW) and worked with a DC voltage of 160 kV.

Parallel to each thyristor a series combination of a resistor and a capacitor is switched, which limits the speed of current grow.

It is connected to the main control electronic on ground potential by fiber-optic cables, which allow a bidirectional data transmission.

At both ends of the hall there are three bays for the accommodation of the static inverter transformers, which are built as single-phase units.

The single-circuit 380kV power transmission link runs from the (Ex) GKK Etzenricht to the Czech substations at Hradec u Kadaně.

For overvoltage protection the whole powerline is equipped with two ground conductors, which are installed on a separate crossbar on the top of the pylons.

The link from Etzenricht to Hradec has a maximum power transmission capacity of 1639 MW at an operating voltage of 380 kV.

One of these pylons was built after the shutdown of the GKK, in order to run the line directly - past the static inverter hall - into the switchyard of the Etzenricht substation.

In Vohenstrauss the 110 kV-circuits run to the local substation, which is situated close to the right of way of the powerline to the Czech Republic.