Sweden decides not to pursue interconnection project with Germany

The Swedish government has decided not to pursue the project for the 700-MW Hansa PowerBridge interconnector that was planned to link the Scandinavian country's power grid with Germany.

The project for a 300-km high voltage direct current (HVDC) power connection running through the Baltic Sea is being developed by German transmission system operator (TSO) 50Hertz and its Swedish peer Svenska Kraftnät.

"50Hertz regrets the Swedish government's decision not to pursue the Hansa PowerBridge project," the German company said on Tuesday.

On the German side, all requirements for the planning and technical implementation of this cross-border project have been fulfilled. In November 2023, the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania granted planning approval for the land route and coastal sea up to the 12 nautical mile zone.

The Swedish government's decision has no impact on the future security of supply and system stability in the 50Hertz network area, the TSO noted.

The Hansa PowerBridge was intended to connect the power grids of Germany and Sweden from 2025 or 2026 to increase the security of electricity supply in both countries and enable the integration of more renewable energy. The investment costs for the infrastructure project were estimated at about EUR 600 million (USD 644.9m).

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