The cathode is situated in the Baltic Sea north of Elmenhorst at . It consists of a bare copper ring with a 2-kilometre diameter. It is connected to the static inverter plant in Lübeck-Herrenwyk with a 32-kilometre-long XLPE-insulated cable. The first 20 kilometres of this cable have a cross section of 1400 mm2 and the last of 800 mm2. This cable is laid in the tunnel under Trave River close to the high voltage cable and from then until a point situated at in a distance of 2.5 metres to the high voltage cable. By this, the magnetic field, which may affect compasses of vessels in this highly frequented area, is reduced.