Energinet finds contractor for replacement of cables connecting Denmark and Sweden

Danish national transmission system operator (TSO) Energinet has selected a contractor to undertake the replacement of an outdated submarine cable that passes across Øresund connecting Denmark and Sweden.

Together with Swedish TSO Kraftnät, Energinet owns and operates four Øresund links that connect Zealand and southern Sweden via two 400 kV connections and two 132 kV connections. The first 400 kV system, owned by Svenska Kraftnät, was renewed in 2020, with the other, owned by Energinet, close to having exhausted its technical life as the cables were laid almost 40 years ago.

For this, Energinet concluded a contract worth over €14 million on September 11 with JD Contractor A/S for the installation of 400 kV cable for Øresund 2, connecting the transition stations of Skibstrupgaard in Denmark and Kristinelund in Sweden. The estimated duration of the contract is two years.

According to the Danish TSO, the new cables are planned to be laid in approximately the same place where the current ones are located. The project is said to be absolutely central to the function and operation of the Eastern Danish electricity system in particular and ensures that Zealand can be run synchronously with the rest of the Nordic region.

The System 2 connection was most recently damaged in 2019, and, as Energinet reports, a breakdown reduces the capacity of the connection and implies socio-economic loss.

Energinet started the feasibility studies in the summer of 2022. An application for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) permit has been submitted to the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, with the decision expected during 2025. The same is the case with the Swedish authorities for the Swedish part of the project.

Construction work is set to start after the spring of 2026. If everything goes according to schedule, the new connection can be put into operation in November 2026 and the project is expected to be completed in June 2027.

Last year, Greece’s cable manufacturer Hellenic Cables secured a contract with Energinet for the delivery of high-voltage cables for the interconnection between Denmark and Sweden.