Two double-circuit, 400 kilovolt (kV) power lines with an estimated total length of 377.86 km will be constructed between Gdańsk Przyjaźń and Żydowo Kierzkowo and between Żydowo Kierzkowo and Słupsk in northern and north-western Poland. The project also entails the building of two 400/110 kV substations at Gdańsk Przyjaźń and Żydowo Kierzkowo.
- 20 February 2020
The Gdańsk Przyjaźń substation will be located in the town of Przyjaźń, part of the municipality of Żukowo in the Pomorskie region. The Żydowo Kierzkowo substation will be in the municipality of Polanów, in the Zachodniopomorskie region.
Preparation and construction
Preparatory activities included obtaining expert opinions and legal and financial advice, and compilation of documentation for securing administrative decisions and permits to allow for the development and use of the infrastructure. Designs were also formulated and submitted, and real estate was acquired.The main works started in 2015. Site preparation involved building access roads and manoeuvring space, cutting down trees and bushes and disconnecting existing utility infrastructure. The construction phase – during which numerous jobs have been created – comprises laying foundations, erecting poles and suspending cables.
Assets such as transformers and spare parts are being purchased and installed, and work on other substations is needed to connect the new infrastructure to the grid. The readiness of the lines for use will be tested before they are activated. The project construction is well advanced, with around 95 % of works already completed.
Low emissions and secure supply
Following completion of the project, the intention is to supply the power lines and substations with renewable energy from the planned offshore Baltica and Central Baltic Sea wind farms and the onshore Biały Bór wind park. This will add an estimated 885 megawatts of renewable energy generation capacity to the network. In turn, this will lower pollutant emissions from fossil-fuel based power generation, and encourage further investment in wind farms, which could have positive effects on regional economic development.
The project will contribute to security of energy supply in Pomorskie and Zachodniopomorskie by boosting transmission and distribution efficiency and reliability and preventing losses from the grid. The increased efficiency of the new lines will help cut operating and maintenance costs. Furthermore, the new lines will continue to transmit power while 220 kV lines in the area are shut down for essential modernisation work.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Construction of the Gdańsk Przyjaźń-Żydowo Kierzkowo-Słupsk power lines together with the construction of substations on these lines” is EUR 237 663 726, with the EU’s Cohesion Fund contributing EUR 54 106 523 through the “Infrastructure and Environment” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Reducing emissions from the economy”.