The NordBalt link was handed over to the customers Svenska Kraftnät and LitGrid in June 2016. It’s an HVDC 700 MW subsea interconnection between Sweden and Lithuania that has increased the trading capacity between the Baltic States and the Nordic electricity markets.
The link helps to strengthen the security of the power supply in the three Baltic countries and in southern Sweden and integrates an emerging joint Baltic electricity market with the Nordic and European markets. HVDC Light® transmission also increases capacity, facilitate power exchange, enhance grid reliability and improve the security of electricity supply at either end.
The system incorporates special features such as active AC voltage support providing greater network stability and black-start capability providing faster grid restoration after a blackout. It is designed for integration into a future pan-European grid with the evolution of the DC grid concept, under discussion around the world.
Hitachi Energy has designed, engineered, supplied and commissioned two 700 MW, ±300 kV (kilovolt) converter stations using Hitachi Energy HVDC Light® technology, one in Nybro, Sweden, the other in Klaipeda, Lithuania. The order also included the supply and installation of two 300 kV underwater cables, each 400 km long, and land cable routes comprising 40 km on the Swedish side, and 10 km on the Lithuanian side.
| Main data | |
|---|---|
| Commissioning year: | 2015 |
| Configuration: | Symmetrical monopole |
| Power rating: | 700 MW |
| Direct voltage: | ±300 kV |
| Application: | Interconnecting grids |