Trakcja Group Involved in the NordBalt Energy Project
Work on the construction of the 450-kilometre subsea NordBalt transmission line, linking the energy systems of Lithuania and Sweden, has been under way since April this year. Kauno Tiltai, a company of the Trakcja Group, will deliver part of the project in Lithuania.
The scope of works in Lithuania includes, among other things, laying more than 11 km of land cable on the section from Kiskenai to Alksnyne near the Curonian Lagoon, as well as approx. 2 km on the lagoon bed. According to preliminary estimates, half of the length of the NordBalt cable will be laid by autumn this year.
The investors in the NordBalt project are the transmission system operators of Lithuania and Sweden – Litgrid and Svenska kraftnät. The investment is also co-financed with European Union funds. The general contractor of the NordBalt energy bridge is the Swedish group ABB. The creation of this energy link will significantly contribute to strengthening Lithuania’s energy security by reducing its dependence on electricity supplies from Russia and Belarus. It is assumed that, thanks to the commissioning of the subsea cable, the flow of energy to the Baltic countries will increase by as much as one third. This in turn means a fall in electricity prices in Lithuania and their alignment with the rates applicable in Scandinavia. The transmission capacity of the installation is to reach 700MW.
The subsea transmission line should be put into operation in spring 2015. The speed of the works will depend largely on external factors, such as sea swell and weather conditions. For this reason, the schedule of works has been drawn up so that most tasks are carried out in the period when storms occur least often.
The construction of the cross-border NordBalt transmission line is at the same time in line with the assumptions of the European Union’s energy policy, aimed at the integration of the national power systems of the Member States and the creation of a common EU energy market. The total cost of the investment will be approx. 1.9 billion litas (PLN 2.3 billion).
The Trakcja Group is among the leaders of infrastructure construction in Poland and Lithuania. Trakcja PRKiI S.A. is the largest railway construction company in Poland, also operating in the road, power engineering and urban rail transport sectors. Kauno Tiltai is a leader of infrastructure construction in Lithuania.
