Aerial view of Sylt island.
Aerial view of Sylt island.
Aerial view of Sylt island.
Aerial view of Sylt island.
Aerial view of Sylt island.

E.ON Lays Submarine Cable for German Island Sylt

Aug. 14, 2019
E.ON network operator to dismantle the disused 60,000-V overhead line after the submarine cable has been laid, making Sylt free of overhead lines.

The E.ON network operator Schleswig-Holstein Netz (SH Netz) has begun laying a submarine cable from the mainland to Sylt, to make power supply on the island safer. The last remaining overhead line on the island will be replaced by a cable, which is about 15-km long and weighs 800 tons. The entire project involves an investment of 16.5 million euros.

The installation will be carried out with the help of Nessi, a caterpillar vehicle over 10-m long, weighing 91 tons and with a 1214-hp engine. Equipped with a vibration plough blade, Nessi will shake the cable deep into the water. Because of the corresponding buoyancy in the water and the extremely wide drive chains, the soil load of the Wadden Sea per square centimeter will be less than 230 g.

The work is being carried out in close cooperation with the authorities responsible for the Wadden Sea nature reserve.

SH Netz currently operates three high-voltage cables to supply the island of Sylt. The new submarine cable will replace two old cables; another has already been laid by SH Netz. This will ensure the batteries of residents and holidaymakers can be recharged at any time, not only in the figurative sense.

Once the submarine cable has been laid, SH Netz will begin dismantling the disused 60,000-V overhead line, making the North Sea island even more beautiful for future holidays with the view of the sea undisturbed by a power pole.

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