Subsea interconnector between Norway and Germany now in operation
Norway, Tonstad: NordLink, the subsea interconnector between Norway and Germany, is now in operation.
Image source: T&D World
Norway, Tonstad: NordLink, the subsea interconnector between Norway and Germany, is now in operation.
Partners Statnett, TenneT, and KfW formally took over NordLink on 31 March 2021.
Nexans and NKT produced and delivered the cables in the project. Hitachi ABB Power Grids was responsible for the HVDC technology in the converter stations in Norway and Germany. The technology will ensure an efficient exchange of power between the countries for the next 40 years.
NordLink has a capacity of up to 1400 MW and it is 623 km long. It runs between Sirdal municipality in Norway and Wilster in Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. Construction began in 2016.
“The trial period has now been completed. This means that we have formally taken over the NordLink project from Hitachi ABB Power Grids as well as Nexans and NKT. Together with suppliers and our partners on the German side, we have tested that the facilities and systems in both countries work as they should. The availability for the market during the trial period has been fully according to expectations,” said Stein Håvard Auno, project director at Statnett. “NordLink will play an important role in facilitating a climate-friendly power system. We look forward to the opening event at the end of May.”
“NordLink is now in the operation phase — this is good news for the European energy transition,” said Markus Scheer, member of the management board of KfW IPEX-Bank. “By connecting the Norwegian and the German energy markets, we can achieve supply security and stable energy prices while increasing the share of renewables in the energy mix.”
The total cost for NordLink is estimated to be between $2.03 B and $2.15 B (€1.7 B and €1.8 B). Statnett’s share is half of these costs.
With the exchange of Norwegian hydropower and German wind energy, the two systems complement each other in an optimal way. NordLink facilitates a climate-friendly power system and value creation in both countries and is important in the work of achieving climate goals.
Source: T&D World