The Baltic Cable Asset
The Baltic Cable connects the transmission systems of Germany and Sweden through a submarine cable, with a converter station located in each connecting country.
The Submarine HVDC Cable
The Baltic Cable is a High-voltage Direct Current (HVDC) submarine power cable. The cable was designed and manufactured by ABB High Voltage Cables, now NKT. The cable was laid in four sections, one land cable on the Swedish side, one river cable section in Germany and only two sections in the Baltic Sea with one single sea joint.
615 MW
Usable interconnector capacity (sending end) between Germany and Sweden
250 km
Total Cable length between the two converter stations
450 kV
High electrical voltage, minimising losses and maximising efficiency
The Converter Stations
The converter stations are located outside Lübeck, Germany, and Trelleborg, Sweden and were delivered by ABB, now Hitachi Energy. The converter technology used is the Line Commutated Converter (LCC), equipped with water-cooled and air-insulated thyristor valves and state-of-the-art control systems. The switchyard incorporates alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) filters to minimise harmonics and improve efficiency.
The Overhead Line
From the Swedish converter station, a 12 km long overhead line runs and connects to a land cable, which further connects to the submarine cable outside of Trelleborg. The overhead line has a total of 40 towers.
Security of Supply
The HVDC and LCC technology/ies used in the Baltic Cable assets are proven, reliable and minimise energy loss. The total transmission losses are approximately 2.4 percent from the cable and converter stations combined. In addition to reliable and efficient power transmission, Baltic Cable can quickly support the Swedish or German grid with Emergency Power Control (EPC) if needed to help the electricity grids in a crisis.
To keep unplanned outages to a minimum, the whole asset system is constantly monitored.
By prioritizing preventative maintenance and employing advanced diagnostic techniques during the operational lifetime of HVDC LCC systems, Baltic Cable can ensure reliable and efficient power transmission for decades to come.
Jonas Brink
Head of Technical at Baltic Cable