The construction of the cross-border transmission line between Slovenia and Hungary 2×400 kV Cirkovce-Heviz is in the final stage. However, due to some materialized risks related to the COVID19 pandemic situation and unfavorable weather conditions, the start of the test run has been postponed for three months, i.e. to June 2022.
The project has made significant progress: the final construction permit has been acquired, the construction of the Cirkovce substation is 100 % finished and ready for the connection, civil works are finalized to 96 % and the installation of the steel constructions up to 71 %.
The delay is primarily caused by the pandemic situation hitting also Slovenia. In the past two months, many quarantine decrees were issued for the onsite construction laborers, with the most critical period in December 2021 when three complete teams were quarantined for 14 days. Adverse weather conditions were the second cause of the delay. A strong wind prevented lifting the towers, which consequently accumulated the delay in installing the electro equipment.
According to the updated project plan, in June 2022, Slovenian and Hungarian electricity transmission system operators ELES and MAVIR
anticipate the inclusion of the SI-HU border into the European projects for forming an integrated electricity market and also the commercial granting of cross-border transmission capacities.
