For the study of switching transients in Extra High Voltage (EHV) networks it is common practice to model a relatively small part of the EHV network. The downstream network is either disregarded or modeled as a parallel RC or RL circuit, based on the powerflow, directly at the secondary side of the transmission transformer. In this paper an investigation for the extent and model type of the downstream network (below 380 kV) is performed. A detailed model for an example downstream network is developed. Different simplifications and equivalent models are compared in frequency domain and in time domain, during cable energization. The impact of the lower voltage network on both the maximum overvoltage and the harmonic content during energization is assessed. Moreover, components that are of major importance are identified and proper equivalent models for the downstream network are proposed. Simulation results show that in particular the type of the 150 kV network (underground cable or overhead line) affects greatly both the maximum overvoltage and the harmonic content during energization. On the other hand, the parameters of end customer loads have only minor effect.