Litgrid, PSE wrap up Harmony Link seabed survey

Litgrid and PSE have completed a seabed survey in the route of the future Harmony Link submarine power cable in the Baltic Sea.

The survey kicked off at the beginning of the year and covered a 290 kilometres long and 300 metres wide route.

A consortium of contractors led by the Polish company MEWO carried out geophysical and geotechnical seabed surveys using eight vessels with more than 160 specialists.

Rokas Masiulis, CEO of Litgrid, said that the survey was essential in order to foresee technical specifications for the cable, evaluate risks for laying down the cable and other important aspects to ascertain successful completion of the Harmony Link project.

In addition to anchors, shipwrecks and other exhibits of maritime history of the Baltic Sea, a 16th-century wooden vessel was found, which after preliminary inspection, appears to have shipped books, Litgrid said.

Harmony Link, the second electricity interconnection between Lithuania and Poland, is said to be one of the largest investments in transmission infrastructure in this part of Europe.

The total cost of the project is approximately €680 million, of which €493 million will come from EU support under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).

In May this year, Litgrid and PSE approved the final investment decisions on the implementation phase of the Harmony Link interconnector.

Once completed, the project will comprise a submarine cable power line of approximately 330 kilometres, of which approximately 290 kilometre will be offshore.

The interconnector will be based on HVDC technology and will provide transmission capacity of 700 MW. It is expected to be completed in 2025.