2 GW hybrid offshore interconnector in the plans to hook up Lithuania, Latvia and Germany

Lithuania, Latvia and Germany are planning to jointly develop a hybrid offshore electricity interconnector between the two Baltic States and Germany, which would be 600 kilometers long and with a capacity of 2 GW.

Lithuanian transmission system operator (TSO) Litgrid and its Latvian and German counterparts Augstsprieguma tīkls and 50Hertz have agreed, with the support of their respective ministries, on the concept of the hybrid offshore electricity interconnector project and the first step – a socio-economic assessment, to include the project in the European power grid development plans. 

The TSOs plan to submit a joint application next month for the project to be included in the Ten Year Network Development Plan 2026 (TYNDP) of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), which will then carry out a detailed socio-economic analysis and assess its potential benefits.

The project concept includes a hybrid offshore interconnector with a length of about 600 kilometers and a capacity of 2 GW. The connection point in the Baltic States could be located on the Lithuanian or Latvian border, with the exact location to be determined after detailed technical studies.

The project could be completed by 2035–2037. 

According to Lithuania’s Ministry of Energy, the interconnector would increase the reliability of electricity supply in the three countries, and open up new opportunities for the Baltic States to develop renewable energy projects off- and onshore. It is also one of the priorities of the 19th Government Program and one of the key factors in ensuring an ambitious and consistent development of renewable energy in Lithuania. 

“I would like to thank my Latvian and German colleagues, both at ministerial and TSO level, for their work and excellent cooperation so far. Lithuania sees this offshore electricity interconnector as one of the key projects to expand the integration of our markets and to promote the development of renewable energy sources, and we will therefore devote our full attention to this project and its preparatory work,” said Lithuanian Minister of Energy Žygimantas Vaičiūnas. 

“I am pleased that we have agreed to submit the project application for the TYNDP process, which will put this initiative on the European map as a concrete energy infrastructure project, while the TYNDP process will help find a technically and economically optimal regional solution.”