Electricity consumers in western Lithuania to test NordBalt link

The power system restoration test is planned at night during the last weekend of November. It will include Priekule, Saugai, Silute, Rusne, Deguciai, Kintai, Vainutai, Sveksna, Veivirzenai, Judrenai and surrounding villages. The residents of these settlements will be informed about the test via an individual SMS sent by the Lithuanian distribution network operator Lesto. During the test, consumers can feel electricity supply disturbances. The test will have no impact to the electricity market.

The power system restoration is the restoration of power supply to consumers after the extensive loss of supplies in the grid. With this functionality NordBalt can serve as an efficient 700 MW power reserve, Litgrid said.

“The technology of high voltage direct current will allow not only to transmit the electricity and control the voltage but also to restore the reliable electricity transmission when needed. This would be relevant if the electricity supply is disturbed to the large group of consumers due to natural disasters or other reasons. Before the start of NordBalt operation we have to check the black start functionality in order to use it later at any time if necessary,” Daivis Virbickas, chairman of the Board and CEO at Litgrid, said.

The black start test is part of NordBalt system tests. The construction works of the first power connection between Lithuania and Sweden were completed in late October. The NordBalt cable consists of the 400 km undersea cable crossing the Baltic Sea, 13 km length underground cable stretching from the Klaipeda transformer substation to the sea and the 40 km length underground cable running from the Nybro substation to the sea in Sweden. The launch of the 700 MW NordBalt is planned in December 2015.