TenneT and its Energinet.dk will start constructing the so-called COBRAcable towards the end of this year. The COBRAcable is a new 325-kilometres-long subsea DC connection (interconnector) that will create a direct link between the Dutch and Danish power grids in 2019. In order to exchange the necessary information about the COBRAcable, a fibre-optic data link will be installed alongside the interconnector itself.
The purpose of this data cable is to facilitate communications between the two converter stations in the Netherlands and Denmark. It can also be used for a number of technical purposes, such as possible failure location and possible vessel identification (in case of damage to the cable) and registering the temperature of the COBRAcable. In future, this fibre-optic link can also be used to connect offshore wind farms to the telecommunications network. The data cable’s remaining capacity will be made available to the market. The COBRAcable will have a capacity of 700MW and will run from Eemshaven (the Netherlands) via the German sector of the North Sea to Endrup (Denmark). Two converter stations, one in the Netherlands and one in Denmark, will be constructed onshore to connect the cable to the existing grids.
