News & events

2013-03-07

Government Gives Go-Ahead for NordBalt Construction in Coastal Area

The strategic electric energy project – NordBalt electricity interconnection between Lithuania and Sweden – moves ahead without obstacles. The building of NordBalt cable in the coastline and an exclusive economic zone of the country was approved at the meeting of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. This decision is necessary for obtaining a permit for the construction of the electricity interconnection.
 
The electricity interconnection with Scandinavia, which is vital for the energy independence of Lithuania, will be built across the coastline in Klaipėda and the Curonian Spit as well as territorial waters of Lithuania and the exclusive economic zone. The project’s technical solution – a 300 kV direct current power cable – will enable avoiding negative impact on the nature and landscape.
 
“The approval of the Government is a major step towards the preliminary works of the project. Upon receipt of the construction permit from the State Territory Planning and Construction Inspectorate, the preliminary work of laying the cable will take place in 2013 and work on the submarine section of the cable will commence in spring of 2014,” said Virgilijus Poderys, CEO of Litgrid.
 
Preparation for the implementation of the NordBalt interconnection project involved its coordination with the State Service for Protected Areas, the Directorate of Kuršių Nerija National Park, and society.
 
NordBalt will be the third longest submarine electricity interconnection in the world. It will be up to 450 kilometer long. The interconnection will consist of two cables laid side by side, thus 900 kilometers of cable will be manufactured in total. The cable is manufactured in Sweden by ABB – a global leader in power and automation technologies. The company has already manufactured over 100 km of high-voltage direct current cable.
 
The project’s works are carried out according to schedule. A permit for building one of the interconnection’s key elements – a direct current converter – was received from Klaipėda District Administration in January. It will be built at a transformer substation in Klaipėda and its construction will commence in 2014. The purpose of the direct current converter is to convert the direct current, transmitted via the cable across the Baltic Sea, to the alternating current and the other way round.
 
The NordBalt intersystem electricity interconnection will enable technical integration of the Lithuanian electricity market into the common market of the Baltic Sea Region states. The launch of the interconnection at the end of 2015 will ensure the possibility for Lithuania to trade in electricity with Northern Europe.