NordLink
Cross BorderOperational
DENO
1,400 MW525 kV623 km2020Also known as:P0037, Project 37 (Norway–Germany), PCI label 1.8, NORD.LINK (stylised form), Viking Cable
Status:Operational
Capacity:1,400 MW
Project Company:
DC Nordseekabel GmbH & Co. KG
Type:cross border
Expected Life:40 years
Website:www.tennet.eu
NordLink is a point-to-point high-voltage direct current (HVDC) interconnector between southern Norway and northern Germany that enables bi-directional trade in renewable generation. Its strategic purpose is to integrate Norwegian flexible hydropower with German wind and solar generation to support system balancing, security of supply and wider European market integration. The...
Supply Chain (4)
Project Timeline (18)
27 May 2021Operations Other
On 27 May 2021, German chancellor Angela Merkel and Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg ceremonially commissioned NordLink by jointly pressing a digital button, officially inaugurating the "green cable" that exchanges German wind power with Norwegian hydropower and connects the German and Norwegian AC grids via converter stations at Wilster and Tonstad.
12 Apr 2021Commercial Operations Full Power
In April 2021, NordLink entered full commercial operation when TenneT, Statnett and KfW formally took over the 1.4 GW HVDC interconnector from converter supplier Hitachi ABB Power Grids, marking the end of the trial period and the transition to regular service. The 623 km "green cable" between Norway and Germany is now fully operational, reliably integrated into the electricity market and expected to supply around 3.6 million households with climate-neutral energy by exchanging Norwegian hydropower with German wind power.
31 Mar 2021Onss Commissioned
On 31 March 2021, trial operations of the NordLink HVDC interconnector were successfully completed and the project consortium (Statnett, TenneT and KfW) formally took over the system, including the onshore converter stations in Norway and Germany, from Hitachi ABB Power Grids and cable suppliers Nexans and NKT, marking the end of commissioning and the transition of NordLink into the operational phase.
9 Dec 2020First Power
NordLink achieved first power on 9 December 2020, when trial operation began and the 623 km HVDC cable between Tonstad in Norway and Wilster in Germany was made available to the electricity market for the first time. The consortium partners Statnett, TenneT and KfW, together with suppliers Hitachi ABB Power Grids, Nexans and NKT, used this trial phase to test that facilities and systems in both countries operated correctly while starting commercial power exchanges of Norwegian hydropower and German wind energy.
Jun 2020Cable Supplier Selected
In June 2020, NKT was awarded a contract for the German section of the NordLink interconnector to supply and install 154 km of 525 kV submarine DC cable and 54 km of underground DC cable, along with a five-year service agreement tailored to the project’s requirements.
8 May 2019Cable Installation StartStale
On 8 May 2019, construction of the NordLink land cable route in Germany commenced, starting with the first approximately 6.5 km section of the 54 km underground HVDC cable from the land protection dyke near Büsum to Warwerort, as part of the 623 km Tonstad–Wilster interconnector.
2019Cable Supplier SelectedStale
Under its €500 million contract to design, manufacture and install two 525 kV HVDC subsea cable subsystems for NordLink, Nexans planned to complete installation of approximately 700 km of mass-impregnated cables by 2019, with the last two of six cables scheduled for installation that year.
2017Capital Support Awarded
In 2017, the European Investment Bank (EIB) signed a €300 million loan agreement with Norwegian TSO Statnett to finance its share of the NordLink interconnector, a 1,400 MW, ~624 km HVDC link between Norway and Germany that supports renewable integration and security of supply.
€300M (debt)
16 Sept 2016Onshore Construction Start
On 16 September 2016, project partners TenneT, Statnett and KfW (via KfW IPEX-Bank) held a groundbreaking ceremony and symbolic cable pulling at Wilster, Germany, to mark the start of construction of the German converter station and associated works for the NordLink subsea HVDC interconnector between Norway and Germany.
10 Feb 2015Fid Financial Close
On 10 February 2015, the project partners Statnett, TenneT and KfW took the investment decision for the NordLink HVDC interconnector between Norway and Germany, enabling the start of construction on the 623 km, 1,400 MW link with an estimated total cost of €1.5–2 billion.