Vetrino–Isaccea–Yuzhnoukrainsk powerline

The Vetrino–Isaccea–Yuzhnoukrainsk powerline is the third 750 kilovolts powerline running from Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

to the European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

History

Construction of a 750 kV powerline from Ukraine through Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

to Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

was agreed together with construction of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant

South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant

The South Ukraine Nuclear Power Station , is a nuclear power station in Ukraine.It is located near the city of Yuzhnoukrainsk in Mykolaiv province, approximately south of Kiev. The nuclear power station has three VVER-1000 reactors and a net generation capacity of 2,850 megawatts...

. The agreement was signed in Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

in 1982 by the electrical industry ministers of the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

, Romania and Bulgaria. The powerline started operating in 1986 and it was completed in 1988.

Route

The powerline starts in Bulgaria at Vetrino

Vetrino

Vetrino is a village in northeastern Bulgaria, part of Varna Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Vetrino Municipality, which lies in the western part of the Province. The village is located about 45 kilometres from the provincial capital of Varna and nearly the same...

(Suvorovo

Suvorovo

Suvorovo is a town in northeastern Bulgaria, part of Varna Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Suvorovo Municipality, which lies in the northwestern part of the Province...

) substation near Varna

Varna

Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...

and runs northward. In Dobrudja it crosses the border between Romania and Bulgaria and terminates at Isaccea

Isaccea

Isaccea is a small town in Tulcea County, in Dobruja, Romania, on the right bank of the Danube, 35 km north-west of Tulcea. According to the 2002 census, it has a population 5,374....

substation in Romania. From there the line crosses Danube River, which forms the border between Ukraine and Romania in a 938 metres long span on two 118 metres tall delta pylons situated east of Isaccea and runs than to Yuzhnoukrainsk substation situated just north of South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant.

Hereby it crosses at least four times the border between Moldova and Ukraine. However, there is and was no branch to the power grid in Moldova, although it passes Vulcăneşti

Vulcăneşti

Vulcăneşti is a town in Gagauzia, Moldova. One village is administered by the town, Vulcăneşti station.It was the site of an archaeological investigation, which found a Neolithic sculpture that echoes Rodin's The Thinker.-References:...

substation.

Description

The used towers are designed for carrying a single circuit in a single level. As conductors bundle conductors of 4 ropes are used. Nearly all suspension towers are poertal pylons, most of them guyed, but also several free-standing. The free-standing portal pylons carry the conductor in the middle on a V-shaped insulator, while the outmost conductors are as at the guyed suspension towers carried by a normal suspension insulator. As strainers triple towers are used whereby a fourth tower is required for strainers without or with less direction change for keeping the required distance of the outmost conductor to the tower. Also transposing towers are implemented as monopolar towers whereby two additional towers are required.

Current state

The section between Vetrino and Isaccea is since the synchronisation of the Romanian power grid with that of Western Europe, which took after 6 years of trial operation finally take place in 2003 http://www.uea.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.104664!ccp08-11.pdf, operated with 400 kV.
The section between Isaccea and Yuzhnoukrainsk is since the synchronisation of the Romanian power grid with that of Western Europe not in use and scrapped in most parts.

According Google Maps the line ends actually short after Danube Crossing on a strainer. In the further section the conductors are except few exceptions missings and even some towers are demolished. As more one follows the line northward, the number of missing pylons increases and north of 46°33′7.6"N 29°38′20.9"E it is impossible to follow the relicts of the line on Google Maps, as no visible traces are left.

The first section starting from Yuzhnoukrainsk substation until a point situated at 47°46′37.08"N 31°11′13.31"E is still existing with pylons carrying conductors, then there are some further pylons without conductors until a strainer at 47°45′47.6"N 31°8′12.94"E after which there are no visible traces of the line on Google Maps.

However there are still some further pylons mostly strainers, but also suspension towers in the area between the Northern and Southern visible end of the powerline, but it is not possible to track it on Google Maps.

Between Krasnoye and Kuchurhan just before the last crossing of border between Moldova and Ukraine, there is still a section of the line with conductors.

Sites

! Name >

Coordinates
Vetrino substation	43°18′52"N 27°30′25"E
Bulgaria–Romania border crossing	44°0′23.9"N 27°55′7.4"E
Transposing tower	44°35′56.8"N 28°12′16.2"E
Transposing tower	45°12′17.7"N 28°27′43.97"E
Isaccea substation	45°15′16"N 28°27′51.75"E
Danube crossing, Tower South	45°16′5.56"N 28°30′1.37"E
Danube crossing, Tower North	45°16′30.9"N 28°30′25.16"E
Southern End of conductors	45°16′32.4"N 28°31′16.47"E
First crossing of border between Ukraine and Moldova	45°41′5.2"N 28°30′28.02"E
Second crossing of border between Ukraine and Moldova	45°54′42.94"N 28°45′19.3"E
Third crossing of border between Ukraine and Moldova	45°59′4.25"N 28°52′7.71"E
Fourth crossing of border between Ukraine and Moldova	46°5′44.91"N 28°57′17.63"E
Fifth crossing of border between Ukraine and Moldova	45°41′5.2"N 28°30′28.02"E
Sixth crossing of border between Ukraine and Moldova	45°54′42.94"N 28°45′19.3"E
Seventh crossing of border between Ukraine and Moldova	45°59′4.25"N 28°52′7.71"E
Eight crossing of border between Ukraine and Moldova	46°5′44.91"N 28°57′17.63"E
Ninth crossing of border between Ukraine and Moldova	46°26′25.6"N 29°21′49.93"E
Tenth crossing of border between Ukraine and Moldova	46°27′28.14"N 29°25′30.82"E
Eleventh crossing of border between Ukraine and Moldova	46°28′52.2"N 29°30′26.99"E
Southern visible end of line	46°33′7.6"N 29°38′20.9"E
Start of intact section	46°38′55"N 29°45′8.46"E
End of intact section	46°45′21.35"N 29°57′39.77"E
Twelfth crossing of border between Ukraine and Moldova	46°45′34.71"N 29°57′59.55"E
Northern visible end of line	47°45′47.6"N 31°8′12.94"E
Northern End of conductors	47°46′37.08"N 31°11′13.31"E
Yuzhnoukrainsk substation	47°49′12"N 31°13′43"E

Waypoints Vetrino-Isaccea

! Number >

Coordinates
1	45.2526022°N 28.4670031°E
2	45.2406446°N 28.4687519°E
3	45.1900901°N 28.4593964°E
4	45.1742018°N 28.466692°E
5	45.1561679°N 28.462851°E
6	45.0989575°N 28.4644389°E
7	45.0231361°N 28.363502°E
8	44.8963158°N 28.2690883°E
9	44.8098676°N 28.2498407°E
10	44.8072568°N 28.251493°E
11	44.8009157°N 28.247931°E
12	44.7306225°N 28.2329106°E
13	44.2846442°N 28.1247103°E
14	44.2726921°N 28.1241632°E
15	44.2619361°N 28.1189919°E
16	44.1784338°N 28.0969548°E
17	44.1393639°N 28.0764413°E
18	44.1380396°N 28.0728149°E
19	44.0965082°N 28.0480099°E
20	44.0440131°N 28.0011892°E
21	44.0060582°N 27.9177618°E
22	43.9917648°N 27.9099083°E
23	43.9886154°N 27.904501°E
24	43.9092558°N 27.864418°E
25	43.8506221°N 27.8529811°E
26	43.7012646°N 27.7751756°E
27	43.4877701°N 27.6283407°E
28	43.459601°N 27.6115716°E
29	43.455345°N 27.5998825°E
30	43.4288866°N 27.578398°E
31	43.4127169°N 27.5864339°E
32	43.3853277°N 27.5624764°E
33	43.366128°N 27.5574607°E
34	43.3355417°N 27.5303221°E
35	43.3162716°N 27.5166214°E
36	43.3151788°N 27.5117183°E

Waypoints Isaccea–Yuzhnoukrainsk