Lithuania’s electricity transmission system operator, Litgrid, is launching the preparation and construction works for the reconstruction of two 110 kV overhead transmission lines — Panevėžys–Ekranas II and Panevėžys–Velžys I. One of these overhead lines will be replaced with an underground cable line. The project will reduce visual pollution and ensure a reliable electricity supply for residents and businesses in the city and district of Panevėžys.
“While strengthening the reliability of the electricity transmission system, we also aim to reduce the environmental impact of overhead lines — in urbanised areas and cultural heritage sites, we are replacing them with underground cable lines. This ensures a more reliable power supply, lowers maintenance costs, significantly narrows protection zones and improves the visual appearance of the landscape. The works being carried out in Panevėžys represent another step towards this goal,” Karolis Sabaliauskas, Head of the Strategic Infrastructure Department at Litgrid told The Voice of Renewables.
Litgrid has signed a contract with UAB Tetas, which submitted the most economically advantageous offer in a public procurement process, for the preparation of the working design and construction works to reconstruct the 110 kV overhead lines Panevėžys–Ekranas II and Panevėžys–Velžys I. The contract is valued at €6.229 million (excluding VAT).
As part of the project, the contractor that won the tender will prepare the working design for the reconstruction of the electricity lines located in Panevėžys city and district, and will modernise the transmission lines that have been in operation since the last century.
The 12-kilometre-long Panevėžys–Velžys I overhead transmission line, which has been operating since 1965 in the northern and south-eastern parts of Panevėžys, will undergo a complete upgrade. All worn-out poles and conductors will be replaced along a 7 km section from the Panevėžys transformer substation to the Ekranas substation, while the 5 km section from the Ekranas substation to the Velžys substation will be converted into an underground cable line. During reconstruction, the existing line’s protection zone will be significantly reduced, taking into account land plot layouts and boundaries, in order to minimise inconvenience for landowners.
Another line — the 8-kilometre Panevėžys–Ekranas II line, built in 1968 around the city of Panevėžys — will also be completely modernised, with all aged poles and conductors replaced. In this case, the existing protection zone will remain unchanged.
Construction works are scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2026 and be completed by the third quarter of 2028.
