TenneT, Statnett and KfW have held a topping out ceremony for the German converter station for the 1.4GW NordLink interconnector between Norway and Germany.
The ceremony was held at the project site at Wilster in Schleswig-Holstein.
Nexans Norway will supply cables for the €2bn project, with ABB building two onshore converter stations.
The 623km HVDC link will run between Tonstad in Norway and Wilster and enable the exchange of German wind energy and Norwegian hydropower.
The project will feature some 516km of subsea cable and a 54km onshore line in Germany.
The laying of the first 134km of subsea cable was completed in August from Vollesfjord in south Norway to the edge of Danish territorial waters.
In Norway, construction is underway on the 53km-long overhead line from the Vollesfjord landing point through to Tonstad.
The converter buildings in Tonstad are largely complete, TenneT said.
According to the TSO, the project will be completed in 2019, with full commissioning in 2020.
NordLink is a 50:50 joint venture between Norwegian TSO Statnett and DC Nordseekabel.
German TSO TenneT and state-owned bank KfW each have a 50% stake in DC Nordseekabel, which is responsible for the construction of the German part of the project, including permits.
Image: TenneT
