NKT Delivers 5km+ HVDC Cables for SuedLink Elbe Tunnel Crossing
COPENHAGEN – November 12, 2026 -- NKT has delivered 525 kV HVDC power cable sections, each longer than five kilometres in continuous length, to TenneT Germany for the tunnel beneath the River Elbe. The cables are part of the SuedLink project.
NKT developed the cable specifically for this section of the route. The company describes it as one of the most demanding cable deliveries in the northern part of SuedLink, which TenneT Germany is executing as transmission system operator.
Five-kilometre sections ruled out conventional cable drums
The sections are far longer than typical onshore power cable lengths, so NKT could not use standard drums. The company built a dedicated logistics chain to move the cable from its high-voltage factory in Karlskrona, Sweden, to the installation site in Germany.
The operation combined cable baskets, marine transport, floating-crane lifts and specialised heavy-load transport on German roads.