Great Belt Power Link
OperationalDomestic ReinforcementDK600 MW400 kV58 km2010
Basic information
7 fieldsAlso Known As
Storebælt HVDC · Storebælt power link · Storebaelt HVDC · Storebelt HVDC · Great Belt electricity link · Storebælt-forbindelsen
Status
operational
Capacity
600 MW
Owners
Project Company
Type
domestic reinforcement
Website
Supply Chain (2)
Project Timeline (16)
Aug 2010Commercial Operations Full Power
After being commissioned in July 2010, the Great Belt Power Link started commercial operations in August 2010, enabling continuous HVDC power exchange across the Great Belt between western and eastern Denmark under Energinet.dk’s operation.
Jul 2010First Power
The Great Belt Power Link (Storebælt HVDC) between Fraugde on Funen and Herslev on Zealand was commissioned in July 2010, bringing the 600 MW, 400 kV HVDC interconnector into operational readiness to link Denmark’s western and eastern transmission systems for Energinet.dk.
Jul 2009Cable Installation Start
In July 2009, JD-Contractor A/S commenced installation of the Great Belt Power Link’s 32 km submarine HVDC cables across the Great Belt, using the cable‑laying barge C/B Henry P. Lading to plough the cables about 50 cm into the seabed along the pre‑trenched route.
Jul 2009Cable Installation Complete
By July 2009, the submarine power cable for the Great Belt Power Link had been fully laid across the Great Belt by JD-Contractor A/S using the cable‑laying barge C/B Henry P. Lading, with the laying operation completed over a few days as the HVDC cables were ploughed into the seabed.
Jun 2009Offshore Site Preparation
Offshore site preparation for the Great Belt Power Link began in June 2009, when contractor works used the remotely operated vehicle Subtrench Two to pre-trench a narrow, up to 1.15 m deep seabed trench along parts of the Great Belt route to receive the HVDC submarine cables, while minimising environmental disturbance.
~Apr 2008Onshore Construction Start
Onshore construction for the Great Belt (Storebælt) HVDC power link between Eastern Denmark (Zealand) and Western Denmark (Funen) started in spring 2008, with works including the 600 MW, 400 kV connection to the transmission grid at Herslev on Zealand and Fraugde on Funen proceeding on both sides. The construction period was planned to run through to 2010, with station works and land cable installation reported as underway and progressing as planned.
24 May 2007Converter Supplier Selected
Energinet.dk selected Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution to supply and install the two HVDC converter stations for the Great Belt Power Link (Storebælt HVDC), one at Fraugde on Funen and one at Herslev on Zealand, under a contract announced on 24 May 2007. These line-commutated converter stations form the terminal substations of the 400 kV, 600 MW HVDC interconnector linking western and eastern Denmark across the Great Belt.
3 Apr 2007Planning Consent Awarded
Authority: Transport- og Energiministeriet (Danish Ministry of Transport and Energy) · Licence: Project approval / planning consent for establishment of 600 MW Great Belt (Storebælt) HVDC interconnector
The Danish Ministry of Transport and Energy (Transport- og Energiministeriet) approved the establishment of the 600 MW Great Belt (Storebælt) HVDC power link between Fraugde near Odense on Funen and Herslev north of Høng in western Zealand, to be built and operated by Energinet.dk. This national-level project approval in April 2007 authorised development of the interconnector, with local authority approvals still pending at that time and the link expected to enter operation in 2010.
2005Regulatory Other
Authority: Danish Government · Licence: Approval of long-term energy infrastructure plan including the Great Belt interconnector
Following government instruction after high‑profile electricity failures, Energinet.dk developed a long‑term energy infrastructure plan that was published and approved in 2005, formally proposing construction of a Great Belt interconnector to connect the asynchronous western and eastern Danish grids; the plan then awaited final approval by the Minister of Transport and Energy.
2005Early Development Other
In 2005 Energinet.dk completed a pivotal feasibility study (pre‑project report) assessing the establishment of an HVDC Great Belt connection as a roughly 56–58 km submarine cable between Fraugde on Funen and Herslev on Zealand, analysing technical options, costs, and socio‑economic benefits for 2010 and 2015 scenarios and forming the analytical basis for the project.