TenneT is responsible for the northern section of the route and TransnetBW will oversee the southern section of the cable route. The production of the cable system has been started at the NKT plant in Karlskrona, Sweden.
May 7, 2022
NKT A/S has started the production of the 525 kV XLPE underground high-voltage cable system with a route length of approximately 750 km for the German SuedLink corridor. The production of the world’s longest cable system started at the NKT plant in Karlskrona, Sweden. For the SuedLink, TenneT and TransnetBW are transmission system operators.
NKT is responsible for the cables connecting Brunsbuttel to Leingarten in Baden-Württemberg and the Italian cable manufacturer Prysmian for the cables connecting Wilster to Bergrheinfeld in Bavaria.
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A total of about 2500 km of cables will be installed for the planned 4GW transmission link between Schleswig-Holstein, Bavaria, and Baden-Wurttemberg. The NKT cables are being produced at its Karlskrona plant in Sweden and will be transported to Germany by ship.
About the production, Mr. Tim Meyerjürgens, Chief Operating Officer, TenneT, said, “With the start of production, SuedLink is taking a big step towards the start of construction. We are happy about the news from Karlskrona – things are progressing.”
Dr. Werner Götz, Chief Executive, TransnetBW, said, “The award to the two experienced producers was a good decision. The fact that NKT is now starting production is a good signal for SuedLink and for the energy transition in Germany.”
The total cost for the SuedLink underground cable project from TransnetBW and TenneT is around EUR 2 billion.
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In the words of Mr. Thies Helbig, Project Coordinator, NKT, “Our two high-voltage production sites in Karlskrona and Cologne are operated with 100 percent green electricity. In this way, we guarantee low CO2 emissions in the manufacture of the cable systems and the project logistics.”
Besides the production, and delivery, the cable manufacturers will also install the wires in the prepared trenches and crossings, as well as the assembly of connecting sleeves and terminations and the final high-voltage test of the cable system.
While TenneT is responsible for the northern section of the route and the converters in Schleswig-Holstein and Bavaria, TransnetBW will oversee the southern section of the route and the converter in Baden-Wurttemberg.
