Repairs of Fenno-Skan submarine cable to begin in a few weeks

The repairs of the Fenno-Skan submarine cable between Finland and Sweden have been launched by the outfitting of the repair vessel. The vessel will arrive outside Rauma on the west coast of Finland in mid-January, and the actual repair work from the vessel will begin immediately after this. According to the preliminary schedule, the cable will be brought back to operation at the end of January. However, the duration of repair work is crucially influenced by the wind and ice conditions in the area.The Fenno-Skan submarine cable was damaged in early December, and the location of the fault was pinpointed three days after the damage was detected. More detailed examinations at sea were delayed considerably by the heavy wind.

An earth fault which occurred in the Fenno-Skan direct current cable having a transmission power of 550 megawatts tripped the cable connection off the grid on 2 December 2006. The fault location was found by cable radar scanning soon after this, but weather conditions have complicated more detailed studies. At the end of December, the fault location was surveyed by means of a ROV. No external reason for the cable damage could be detected in the survey.

The cable damage is located on the deep-water fairway of Rauma, approx. 8 kilometres from the Rihtniemi cable terminal. The depth of the sea in the area is approx. 30 metres. Preparations have been made for cutting the cable and for transferring it partly in a new route. This will be carried out as soon as the wind conditions allow it. Further information: 
Reima Päivinen +358 (0)30 395 5160, +358 (0)40 556 2662