No EU funding for new electricity transmission connection to Sweden – project continues
Fingrid and Swedish TSO Svenska kraftnät have applied for Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding for a third cross-border connection between Finland and Sweden. The Member States decided on the funding recipients on 1 October 2020. No support was granted for the project in this application round.
The preparations for the project will continue as usual in collaboration with Svenska kraftnät. Fingrid and Svenska kraftnät are assessing the possibility of reapplying for CEF support in subsequent application rounds, possibly already in 2021.
The European Commission granted the link PCI status (Projects of Common Interest) in 2017, meaning that building the connection is considered to be in the Union’s public interest. The EU granted funds for the connection’s technical evaluation in January 2019, and in April 2020, the Finnish and Swedish energy authorities agreed on the cost allocation for building the connection.
The European Commission's press release on the latest CEF grants is available at: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1803
Further information:
Mikko Heikkilä, Manager, Strategic Grid Planning
firstname.lastname@fingrid.fi or tel. +358 30 3955 113
Fingrid is preparing a new transmission line in cooperation with in cooperation with Svenska kraftnät. The line will run from Pyhänselkä in Muhos via Keminmaa to Messaure on the Swedish side of the border. A third 400 kV cross-border connection is needed due to the electricity market’s demand for increased electricity transmission between Sweden and Finland. The cross-border capacity between the countries has been inadequate at times, leading to inefficiencies on the electricity market and a gap in electricity prices between the countries. This has resulted in price increases in Finland when electricity has been imported from Sweden. The new transmission connection, which will be completed in 2025, will also enable the construction of new renewable electricity production capacity.