🇸🇪 🇫🇮 Clearance for the Aurora Line
LULEÃ… It is now clear that the new electricity line between Sweden and Finland will be built.
Article by North Sweden Business
The Swedish government’s decision to grant the Aurora Line project a concession means that the Swedish part of a 380-kilometre-long 400 kV line can begin construction this October. It will be put into operation in 2025.
“It feels good that we can now press the start button for the construction. Aurora Line is important for electricity supply and for the green transition in Sweden, the Nordic region and Europe,” says Ida Wallentin, main project manager at Svenska Kraftnät (Swedish Power Grid).
Aurora Line will run from Messaure in Jokkmokk municipality in Norrbotten to Pyhänselkä in Finland and is being built in cooperation with Fingrid, the Finnish national grid operator. The Swedish part is 180 km of the total 380 km long route. The total cost is estimated at EUR 270 million.
“The new line will increase electricity trading capacity by 40 to 45 percent. It is about 2000 MW in both directions. It will help to equalize electricity prices between Finland and the rest of the Nordic countries. It will also reduce dependence on fossil fuel electricity production,” says Ida Wallentin.
The line is part of the Fossil Free Upper Norrland investment program and is part of the green industrial transition in the north.
The Aurora Line is classified by the EU as a Project of Common Interest (PCI). In 2018, the project was granted EUR 4.7 million in funding for planning and design. In 2022, the project was also granted funds to cover construction costs. Svenska Kraftnät together with Fingrid received EUR 127 million from the European Union fund.
Svenska Kraftnät is a state-owned enterprise tasked with managing Sweden’s national electricity grid, which includes approximately 16,000 kilometers of 400 kV and 220 kV lines with stations and international connections.
