The winner will be responsible for preparing the technical working project of the Gižai transformer substation and construction works, Litgrid announced on Thursday.
Read more Eurovision will ban warring countries from hosting the contest
According to the announcement, the planned substation on an area of about 35 hectares in Vilkaviškis district will become the largest transformer substation used by Litgrid in Lithuania and will play a key role in integrating the new connection with Poland into Lithuania’s electricity transmission network.
“We are announcing one of the largest electricity infrastructure procurements in Lithuania. The Gižai transformer substation will not only be the largest substation in Lithuania but also the main hub through which Harmony Link will connect the electricity systems of Lithuania and Poland,” said Litgrid CEO Andrius Šemeškevičius in the announcement.
“The possibility to complete the entire project by the end of 2030 directly depends on the pace and quality of this project’s implementation,” he added.
According to the Litgrid CEO, both Lithuanian and international contractors with experience in implementing similar electricity infrastructure projects can participate in the competition.
The contractor will have to prepare a technical working project, which will be coordinated and checked by Litgrid and independent experts. After obtaining all necessary approvals, the contractor will build the substation.
The contract is planned to be signed in the third quarter of 2027, construction work should begin at the end of 2027, and in 2029 it is planned to connect it to the 330 and 110 kilovolt (kV) lines on the Lithuanian side.
The procurement is organized so that after signing the contract and obtaining the necessary permits, the contractor can start preparatory and construction works, and the design and construction processes will be carried out as much in parallel as possible.
Read more Corgi record in Vilnius: 150 participants from nine countries, including the first Briton
As BNS wrote, the Gižai substation competition is the first of four Harmony Link project construction competitions.
One of the largest electricity grid synchronization projects with the West – Harmony Link in Lithuania will stretch through Vilkaviškis district, Kalvarija, and Marijampolė municipalities.
As BNS wrote, Litgrid together with the Polish operator PSE plans to start the construction of the Harmony Link, worth more than 900 million euros, in the second quarter of 2027, and it will be commissioned in 2030 – at that time, electricity trade volumes between the countries will reach up to 1.2 thousand megawatts (MW) in import and export directions.
Harmony Link will consist of a new double-circuit 220 kV alternating current line between Elko (Poland) and the Gižai substation, as well as new Norki and Vygrių substations and the reconstruction of the 220 kV Ostrolenka–Elkas line in Poland.
The maximum project budget in Lithuania will reach 220 million euros, of which 147.2 million euros is EU support. Meanwhile, investments in Poland are expected to reach about 703 million euros, of which European support is about 368 million euros.
The Harmony Link land connection project has been granted the status of a project of special national importance.
