Energy, EU – Baltic States, Lithuania

According to the company, NordBalt was operating at a capacity of 30 megawatts (MW) and electricity was transmitted in both directions.   

"Only after being completely assured that other parts of the interconnection and their equipment were working flawlessly, we could proceed to one of the last stages of testing – power transmission. These tests and their outcome will define the reliability of the interconnection for the coming 30 years," Litgrid CEO Daivis Virbickas said in a press release.

Various parameters and functionality of the HVDC converters in Klaipeda and Nybro will be tested at least for a week. The load will be gradually increased during these tests until the maximum load capacity is reached, the company said.  

The testing of NordBalt was suspended due to a minor fire that broke out near the converter station in Nybro, on the Swedish side, in December and was resumed early in January. The interconnection is expected to start operating in a regular mode in the spring.

The 550-million-euro, 453-kilometer NordBalt is Lithuania's first electricity link to Sweden. The link will operate at a capacity of up to 700 MW, which is sufficient to meet the needs of about a half of Lithuanian consumers on a moderate winter day.