Testing of the Nordbalt electricity link in Lithuania will begin for 24,000 customers at the end of the month. 

Litgrid will carry out a half hour test of the submarine connector from Sweden to residents in the Klaipeda and Silute regions. As the residents will experience disturbances during the test, it is being held in the middle of the night to avoid disruption.

The Nordbalt electricity cable is a 400 km cable under the Baltic Sea between Klaipeda and a substation in Nybro, Sweden.

The aim of the cable is to increase the reliability of electricity in Lithuania when large amounts of power is needed, but also to provide an extra supply in the event of a natural disaster or other disturbances. It is hoped the cable will facilitate the trading of electricity between the two regions, helping competition and hopefully lowering prices.

Total cost of the project is in the region of €550 million, with nearly one third of this coming from the European Commission.

The eventual launch of the cable is set to be in December 2015.