2026-08-13
Litgrid launches one of the largest electricity infrastructure procurements in Lithuania: Gižai transformer substation to be built
Lithuania's electricity transmission system operator Litgrid has launched a public procurement for the implementation of the strategic Harmony Link electricity interconnection project with Poland. The successful contractor will be responsible for preparing the detailed technical design and carrying out the construction works for the Gižai transformer substation. Planned in the Vilkaviškis district, the substation will become the largest transformer substation operated by Litgrid in Lithuania and will play a key role in integrating the new interconnection with Poland into Lithuania's electricity transmission network.
"We are launching one of the largest electricity infrastructure procurements in Lithuania. The Gižai transformer substation will not only be the largest substation in the country, but also the main hub through which Harmony Link will connect the electricity systems of Lithuania and Poland. The ability to complete the entire project by the end of 2030 depends directly on the pace and quality of the implementation of this facility. We expect strong interest from market participants and aim to select an experienced and reliable contractor. The procurement is open to both Lithuanian and international contractors with proven experience in delivering similar electricity infrastructure projects," says Andrius Šemeškevičius, CEO of Litgrid.
The procurement covers a component of the Harmony Link onshore interconnection project, namely the construction of the Gižai 330/220/110/10 kV transformer substation. Conceptual design proposals prepared by the Energy Institute of Design are provided together with the procurement documents. Based on these solutions, the selected contractor will be required to prepare the detailed technical design, which will be reviewed and approved by Litgrid and independent experts engaged by the company. Once all required approvals have been obtained, the contractor will proceed with construction works.
The planned contract duration is 54 months. The contract is expected to be signed in the third quarter of 2027.
The procurement has been structured so that, following contract signature and receipt of the necessary permits, the contractor can immediately begin preparatory, and construction works while design and construction activities are carried out in parallel as far as possible. This approach is important to ensure that the implementation of the Gižai substation remains aligned with the overall Harmony Link commissioning schedule by the end of 2030.
Largest transformer substation in Lithuania
The Gižai transformer substation, planned in the Vilkaviškis district, will become the largest transformer substation operated by Litgrid in Lithuania. The strategic electricity system hub will occupy an area of approximately 35 hectares and will serve as the point where the new Harmony Link interconnection is integrated into Lithuania's electricity transmission network.
Survey works are currently underway at the future substation site to identify and remove any unexploded wartime ordnance.
The Gižai substation will also be distinctive from a technical perspective. For the first time in Lithuania's electricity transmission system, 220 kV voltage will be introduced. The 220 kV electricity arriving from Poland will be transformed into the 330 kV and 110 kV voltage levels used in Lithuania's transmission network.
A strategic project for the entire region
Harmony Link is a joint project being developed by the Lithuanian and Polish transmission system operators, Litgrid and PSE, and is the final infrastructure project of the Baltic electricity system synchronisation programme currently under implementation. In 2025, the transmission system operators of both countries agreed on an updated project concept under which Harmony Link will be developed as a 700 MW, 220 kV alternating current onshore interconnection.
This summer, the Government of the Republic of Lithuania approved the engineering infrastructure development plan for the Harmony Link onshore interconnection.
The new interconnection will increase opportunities for cross-border electricity trading, contribute to a more competitive electricity market, and create better conditions for efficiently integrating growing renewable energy capacities across the region.
The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2030.
Once Harmony Link is completed, the combined electricity transmission capacity between Lithuania and Poland, taking into account both the Harmony Link and LitPol Link interconnections, will reach up to 1,200 MW. This will strengthen the integration of the Baltic States into the European electricity market, improve power system reliability, and contribute to enhancing the region's energy resilience.