Over 30 years experience in delivering secure, sustainable and affordable energy. The IFA1 interconnector is expected to be offline until Oct. 13, Elexon data shows. Another cable linking the two electricity systems, IFA-2, was also completed earlier this year, although yesterdays incident will not have any impact on it, the National Grid added. Our investigation is ongoing and we will update the market with any changes as necessary. We are also in the process of commissioning North Sea Link, our latest interconnector to Norway, to provide additional capacity next month - ahead of the winter period. Lab leak theory: 3 years on, will we ever know where COVID came from? The system was built with solid-state semiconductor thyristor valves from the outset. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. AFCIs are designed to detect arcing electrical faults within your electrical system that may otherwise go unnoticed, until they potentially result in a fire. Our IFA2 interconnector is operating as normal at full capacity. [6] Given that the cable was laid on the surface of the seabed it was prone to being fouled by fishing nets, causing damage. [13][14] National Grid initially announced that half of the link capacity would be restored within a fortnight, with full capacity being restored in March 2022. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Thats because Britain is currently facing an energy crunch with limited supplies, low margins and soaring power prices. Critics say it's not enough. This will result in 1500MW of available capacity going into next Winter. LONDON Britains National Grid on Wednesday reported a fire at its IFA1 interconnector site in Sellindge in Kent and it has been evacuated. IFA2 Interconnector Commissioned in 2020, IFA2 is the second link to France that National Grid has developed with RTE. IFA is currently at 0MW and here is a table detailing the capacity over the next 6 months in accordance with REMIT: Is the planned October outage still going ahead? sims 4 occult baby traits; 22 . Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. It was completed in 1986, and replaced the first cross-Channel link which was a 160MW link completed in 1961 and decommissioned in 1984. Fire cuts British power imports adding to supply squeeze, soaring prices, This sprinting robot could become your next beach lifeguard, Domino effect as more EU institutions ban TikTok on work devices, TikTok is setting time-limits for teens. Phil Hewitt, a director of the market consultancy EnAppSys, said at the time that the fire was a major event that would leave the UK in a risky position this winter especially if we suffer from periods of low wind and cold temperatures. The outage comes at a time when UK baseload power prices are at record highs due to soaring gas prices, high. In common with the 1961 scheme, there is no provision to permit neutral current to flow through the sea. National Grid announced that half of its capacity would be restored on 20 October 2021, with full capacity being restored by October 2023. LONDON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - A fire halted a power link between France and Britain on Wednesday, squeezing tight UK electricity supply further and sending prices to near record highs. VAT No: 988 8336 42. The equipment occasionally faults, causing capacity to drop: in a bad year, this might happen several times. We are completely focused on getting IFA safely returned to service as soon as possible and ensuring we are able to support security of supply. Day-ahead power prices hit record high, following highs in balancing market, Electric vehicles to increase electricity demand by 25% by 2040. There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindge and emergency services are in attendance, a National Grid spokesperson said. The IFA interconnector is currently out of service following a fire at our site in Sellindge. This is in addition to the 1000MW that is unavailable until Friday 17 September due to a planned outage. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Tomorrow a forecast tight market will become really tight; expect even higher prices in the spot markets going forward. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. The HVDC Cross-Channel (French: Interconnexion France Angleterre IFA 2000) is the 73 km long high-voltage direct current (HVDC) interconnector that operates since 1986 under the English Channel between the continental European grid at Bonningues-ls-Calais and the British electricity grid at Sellindge.The cable is also known as IFA, and should not be confused with the new IFA-2, another . Customers are able to return plastic or glass bottles and aluminium cansin exchange for vouchers wo Energy bills are set to increase as the level of the government's Energy Price Guarantee will rise, The company expects its gas retail portfolio will be "almost entirely gone" by end of 2024, a fire in September. The cable had a length of 65km (40 miles) and was operated symmetrically at a voltage of 100kV and a maximum current of 800amperes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. And what capacity will I now have? The Institution of Engineering and Technology is registered as a Charity in England & Wales (no 211014) and Scotland (no SC038698). Following a detailed assessment on the 1000MW of capacity that is offline due to damage caused by a fire at our site in Sellindge in September, we need to carry out extensive work to safely return it to service. The electricity system operator, which is also owned by National Grid, warned last week that the risk of power cuts to factories and homes this winter had increased after the cable outage combined with planned shutdowns at gas plants and the retirement of two nuclear reactors. [17], Sellindge Converter Station on the UK side of the interconnector, Cross-Channel ( old) - Echingen Converter Station, Cross-Channel ( old) - Lydd Converter Station, Cross-Channel ( new) - Les Mandarins Converter Station, Cross-Channel ( new) - Sellindge Converter Station. A National Grid spokesman said it expects to continue supplying electricity safely and securely despite the incident. We wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. National Grid UK revealed that a fire broke out at the Interconnexion France Angleterre (IFA) interconnector site in Sellindge, Kent at around 12:30am last night.A spokesperson for National Gird stated: "There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindge and emergency services are in attendance.The site has been evacuated and the safety of our staff, emergency teams and local . A spokesperson for National Grid confirmed the incident, stating: "The site has been evacuated and the safety of our staff, emergency teams and local residents is our highest priority." Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. National Grid said the fire prompted the evacuation of its IFA1 interconnector site in Sellindge in Kent. A fire occurred in the early hours of Wednesday 15th September 2021 atour UK Sellindge site resulting in the cables capacity being reduced to 0MW. Read More; IFA2 Go-Live. Following the incident, it was forced to notify the wholesale electricity market that 1000MW would be unavailable until 27 March 2022 as a result. Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester, Ipswich and Ilchester. IFA1 is a 2,000 MW interconnector that links Great Britain and France, and while it has recently been at half capacity, it was set to return to full capacity this weekend, before tragedy struck. We wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. We will provide a further update in due course, the spokesperson said. [1/2]Migrating starlings fly at dusk past electricity pylons silhouetted by the sunset of a clear autumn evening in the Kent countryside, in Graveney, Britain, October 26, 2015. We have extended the outage on the other 1000MW, which was offline due to a planned outage, until 25 September. Oversees and coordinates EMEA coverage of power, gas, LNG, coal and carbon markets and has 20 years' experience in journalism. In order to keep the disturbances of the magnetic compasses of passing ships as small as possible, a bipolar cable was used. Following an initial review, we have updated the market that 1000MW is unavailable until 27 March 2022. A fire occurred in the early hours of Wednesday 15th September 2021 at our UK Sellindge site resulting in the cables capacity being redu. Commissioned in 2020, IFA2 is the second link to France that National Grid has developed with RTE. We have been able to reduce the outage time of 1000MW of capacity at the IFA interconnector so that it will come back to service on 20th October, ahead of the 23rd October date we had previously published. Day-ahead British power prices jumped almost 19% on the news, nearing record highs hit this week exacerbated by low wind supply and soaring gas prices. 15.99MW would result in 15 MWs after the curtailment). A fire at a critical nodal point in the electrical grid has shut down a major cable transporting electricity from France, under the English Channel and to the UK. [3], The first HVDC Cross-Channel scheme was built by ASEA and went into service in 1961,[4] between converter stations at Lydd in England (next to Dungeness Nuclear Power Station) and Echinghen, near Boulogne-sur-Mer, in France. The current 2,000MW link is bi-directional and the countries can import or export depending upon market demands, mostly depending upon weather conditions and availability of renewable energy on the British Isles, and French surplus of nuclear generation or demand for electric heating. 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In the long run, we will lose 2GW of import to the GB markets whilst we are struggling at the moment with low margins. We wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. The undersea section consists of eight 46km (29 miles) long 270kV submarine cables, laid between Folkestone (UK) and Sangatte (France), arranged as two fully independent 1,000MW Bipoles, each operated at a DC voltage of 270kV. By; June 14, 2022 ; carnival cruise cancellations 2022 . Our IFA2, BritNed and Nemo Link interconnectors are operating at full capacity. Earlier this week, the GMB Union called for a new generation of nuclear power plants in order the help UK meet its 2050 net-zero carbon emissions pledge. In accordance with the IFA Access Rules (Part 3 Long Term Allocation Rules, Chapter 9 Curtailment P135) capacity will be curtailed in line with capacity available. We have notified the market that 1000MW is unavailable until 13 October as a result. We currently have a sufficient buffer of spare capacity to operate the electricity system securely over this evenings peak demand period, he said in an email. Gas and electricity prices surged yesterday, with month-ahead gas prices hitting all-time highs, after National Grid confirmed that the blaze at a site in Kent had caused the closure of the IFA . We expect the full 2000MW of IFA capacity to be available for Winter 22/23. If you enjoyed this story you can sign up to our weekly email forEnergy Live News and if youre interested in hearing more about the journey to net zero by 2050, you can also sign up to thefuture Net Zeronewsletter. 2023 The Institution of Engineering and Technology. This scheme was equipped with mercury-arc valves, each having four anodes in parallel.[5]. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. (Reuters) - Britain's National Grid on Monday said a planned outage of 1000 MW of capacity at IFA interconnector in Sellindge in Kent has been extended until Oct. 23. Since the commissioning of the 2,000MW DC link in the 1980s, the bulk of power flow through the link has been from France to Britain. why is marram grass important. The IFA2 interconnector, a second link between Britain and France commissioned in 2020, is operating at full capacity. With margins tight anyway for this winter, as exposed by National Grid ESOs early winter outlook publication this year, it puts the GB market in a risky position for the winter and especially if we suffer from periods of low wind and cold temperatures. The cable, known as the IFA Interconnector, will finally return to full service after further work, which National Grid hopes to complete by October 2023. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. The fire-damaged power link between the UK and France, known as the IFA interconnector will not be fully restored for another two years. A key substation at Kent was left damaged by a fire in September. ifa interconnector fire cause. January 25, 2021, by Adis Ajdin. The fire-damaged power link between the UK and France, known as the IFA interconnector will not be fully restored for another two years. June 22, 2022; Posted by . Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. [9], This system remains the world's largest-capacity submarine cable HVDC system. [10], In November 2016, during Storm Angus, a ship dragging an anchor cut four of the eight cable components, reducing capacity by 50%. Which countries in the EU are buying the most electric cars? [15][16] On 15 October 2021, National Grid announced that half of the link capacity would be restored within the next few days, that 75% capacity would be available between October 2022 and May 2023, and that they hoped to restore full capacity by October 2023.[3]. [2] The 204-kilometre (127 mi) high voltage DC (HVDC) cable operates at +/-320kV with the capacity to transmit 1,000 MW of power. Smart navigation app uses 3D sound to guide blind people. This is in addition to the 1000MW that is unavailable until Friday 17 September due to a planned outage. Following an initial review, we have updated the market that 1000MW is unavailable until 27 March 2022. We have notified the market that 1000MW. The IFA Interconnector that meets the UK in Sellindge can carry about 2GW between the two countries but the National Grid said a fire has forced a complete evacuation of the site. The cable is also known as IFA,[1][2] and should not be confused with the new IFA-2, another interconnect with France that is three times as long but only half as powerful. The continued size and duration of the flows are open to some doubt, given the growth in demand in continental Europe for clean electricity, and increasing electricity demand within France. On September 14, day-ahead pricing reached a record high, with a peak energy price of 2,500 per MWh, which is significantly higher than the 40 per MWh average baseload price during 2019-20. The site has been evacuated and the safety of our staff, emergency teams and local residents is our highest priority. "There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindge and emergency services are in attendance," the National Grid stated. We have notified the market via REMIT that we expect our IFA interconnector to return to full service on 16 December 2022 - 10 months ahead of our previous estimate. Please visit the BMRS website for the latest market updates via theREMIT report. The planned October outage has been dismissed. We will bring 500MW back to service from October 2022 through to May 2023. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. To give you the best experience, we ask that you enable cookies. Which countries have banned TikTok, and why? The blaze at the Sellindge converter station in Kent forced a shutdown of the high-voltage cable that brings electricity from France to the UK last month as energy markets rocketed to all-time highs amid global energy supply difficulties. A fire occurred in the early hours of Wednesday 15th September 2021 atour UK Sellindge site resulting in the cables capacity being redu Read More. The HVDC Cross-Channel (French: Interconnexion France Angleterre IFA 2000) is the 73 km long high-voltage direct current (HVDC) interconnector that operates since 1986 under the English Channel between the continental European grid at Bonningues-ls-Calais and the British electricity grid at Sellindge. Prior to the 2021 fire, the link availability was around 98%, which was among the best rates in the world. We are completely focused on getting IFA safely returned to service as soon as possible and we are in discussions with the UK ESO and our European partners to ensure we optimise upcoming planned pre-winter outages of our other interconnectors to support UK security of supply. FILE PHOTO: Migrating starlings fly at dusk past electricity pylons silhouetted by the sunset of a clear autumn evening in the Kent countryside, in Graveney, Britain. The impact is expected to plunge hundreds of thousands of homes into fuel poverty for the first time and has already forced a slowdown at factories to manage eye-watering energy costs. Data from energy market analyst EnAppSys shows that in the year to date, overall average power prices have been more than double the average price in 2019-2020 and in the last two weeks daily average prices have been eight times the average in 2019. Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA) is a joint venture between the French Transmission Operator RTE and National Grid, operating the subsea electricity link between Great Britain and France, commissioned in 1986. "We are completely focused on getting. UK homes and businesses face some of the highest energy bills on record because of the global dash for gas, which has led to soaring market prices. National Grid has four operational interconnectors - two to France (IFA and IFA2), one to the Netherlands (BritNed) and one to Belgium (Nemo Link). Our IFA2 interconnector continues to operate as normal at full capacity. Image: National Grid - IFA Interconnector, e are completely focused on getting IFA safely returned to service as soon as possible and. It permits us to understand how our readers consume content on our site, continually make improvements to both our layout and content as well as ensuring more targeted and relevant adverts can be delivered as users move between websites. A spokesperson for National Grids electricity system operator (ESO) said Britain would have sufficient electricity supplies on Wednesday despite the incident. Lost capacity will compound UKs energy woes while extensive work is carried out on French connection. However, National Grid said that it has been able to reduce the outage time of 1,000MW of capacity at the IFA interconnector so that it will come back to service three days ahead of its previously published plan: We are completely focused on getting IFA safely returned to service as soon as possible and ensuring we are able to support the security of supply.. Not registered? [12], In September 2021, a major fire at the Sellindge converter station led to the shutdown of the link. read more. Customers will be compensated at Initial Price Paid. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); SJP Business Media. To learn more about what cookies we use and how to change your preferences please check our cookie policy. IFA Availabilty Update. There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindgeand emergency services are in attendance. BritNed and Nemo Link interconnectors are also operating at full capacity, the grid said. link, Last edited on 27 November 2022, at 00:36, "Interconnector customer portal | National Grid Group", "Kent's burnt-out electricity cable will take two more years to get back to full service", "HVDC Submarine Power Cables in the World", "How a Loose Anchor Cut Up Britain's Power Link With France", "Batteries act as first responders when UK-France interconnector trips", "National Grid site fire shuts down power cable between France and UK", "Fire shuts one of UK's most important power cables in midst of supply crunch", "Fire-damaged power link will be out for six months, says National Grid", "The UK's Energy Price Surge Could be Just Getting Started", http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/tna/+/http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file11257.pdf/, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HVDC_Cross-Channel&oldid=1124032410, This page was last edited on 27 November 2022, at 00:36. All maintenance activities will be incorporated into return to service program. IFA2, National Grids second electricity interconnector linking the UK and France, is now able to flow low carbon electricity between the two countries at full capacity. Initially these were air-cooled and used analogue control systems, and in 2011 and 2012 respectively, the thyristor valves of Bipole 1 and Bipole 2 were replaced by modern water-cooled thyristor valves and digital control systems supplied by Alstom. The shutdown came at a time of high prices and supply shortage in the UK electricity market, caused by low wind speeds and high prices for natural gas. I have LT capacity rights, will I be curtailed? The National Grid has just reported a fire at the IFA1 interconnector site in Kent. The cable was built by ABB. Indeed, by 1984 the circuit was disconnected from the Main Transmission System. This is in addition to another planned 1000MW outage until 25 September that has caused electricity prices to soar. The EU Commission and the UK Government continue to negotiate the terms of a free trade deal. Following the incident, it was forced to notify the wholesale electricity market that 1000MW would be unavailable until 27 March 2022 as a result. The shock shutdown of the subsea cable sparked concern among industry experts over Britains energy supplies during record high market prices across Europe. The fire-damaged power link between the UK and France, known as the IFA interconnector will not be fully restored for another two years. The immediate effect is that since IFA1 was on half capacity anyway, we have only lost 1GW for this current period of extreme prices it was due to return to full import at the weekend. [11] Repairs were completed by the end of February 2017. The IFA2 interconnector, a second link between Britain and France commissioned in 2020, is operating and not affected. Our interconnectors deliver secure and affordable electricity and play a critical role in tomorrows cleaner and smarter energy systems. It added: Our investigation is ongoing and we will update the market with any changes as necessary.. Because the first installation did not meet increasing requirements, it was replaced in 19751986 by a new HVDC system with a maximum transmission rating of 2,000MW between France and the United Kingdom, for which two new converter stations were built in Sellindge, between Ashford and Folkestone in Kent, England and in Bonningues-ls-Calais (Les Mandarins station), near Calais, France. National Grid said it has to carry out extensive work before it returns to service. Finland will allow transgender people to change their legal gender at their own request and without undergoing sterilisation, new legislation signed by the Finnish President confirmed on Friday. Cables are laid in pairs in four trenches so that the magnetic fields generated by the two conductors are largely cancelled. The IFA2 interconnector, a second link between Britain and France commissioned in 2020, is operating and not affected. National Grid confirmed it will bring 500MW back to service from . 1000MW (Bipole 2) has been operating since last month. On Wednesday, National Grid said the fire. National Grid has four operational interconnectors - two to France (IFA and IFA2), one to the Netherlands (BritNed) and one to Belgium (Nemo Link). We will bring 500MW back to service from October 2022 through to May 2023.. Dear Customers, We wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. A major fire impacted the GB side of the interconnector, with 12 fire engines on-site to deal with the blaze. Please see the latest REMIT message here that details the Outage, please see the Outage Profile showing the phased return of capacity in line with the table above. The remaining 1000MW is unavailable until 27 March 2022 and our investigation into the fire at our site in Sellindge is ongoing. We have extended the outage on the other 1000MW, which was offline due to a planned outage, until 25 September. A fire in September 2021 caused the link to be removed from service. A fire occurred in the early hours of Wednesday 15th September 2021 at our UK Sellindge site resulting in the cables capacity being reduced to 0MW. National Grid expects that the French IFA interconnector will restart full operations by December next year. Register Now Finland will allow transgender people to change their legal gender at their own request and without undergoing sterilisation, new legislation signed by the Finnish President confirmed on Friday. Following record high power prices earlier this week, a fire at the IFA1 interconnector in Kent could cause power prices to rise further. Energy crisis reignites demand for oil, threatening climate targets, says IEA, Sign up to the daily Business Today email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Energy Live News Ltd The connector had been importing electricity from France in recent days as the UKs wholesale prices continued to rise. IFA-2 ( Interconnexion France-Angleterre 2) is a subsea electrical interconnector, running beneath the English Channel between France and the United Kingdom. The landside parts of the link consist of 8cables with lengths of 18.5km (11.5 miles) in England, and 6.35km (3.95 miles) in France.[8]. Fire damage at the National Grid's Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA) site at Sellindge in Kent. This compares with an average in August of 106.83, and an average across 2020 of 35.26. Our priority has been to ensure we safely maximise IFA capacity to support Winter security of supply. Phil Hewitt, director of EnAppSys, commented, This fire at IFA1 is a major event; we could be looking at an extended outage. Imports through the interconnector have generally been around the highest possible level, given the capacity of the link. Cory, B.J., Adamson, C., Ainsworth, J.D., Freris, L.L., Funke, B., Harris, L.A., Sykes, J.H.M., High-voltage direct current converters and systems, Macdonald & Co. (publishers) Ltd, 1965, p175218. Which countries have embraced a 4-day workweek and hows it going. We thank you for you co-operation during this challenging period and we can assure you that we are endeavouring to return the IFA to full availability in a safe and timely manner. A fire at National Grid's IFA interconnector has led to the site in Sellindge, Kent to be evacuated but it could now seriously affect energy costs. A key substation at Kent was left damaged by a fire in September.It forced the shutdown of one of the most important power cables, which brings electricity from France to the UK.. energy markets rocketed to all-time highs, the risk of power cuts to factories and homes this winter had increased, hundreds of thousands of homes into fuel poverty for the first time. We will keep you updated on any major changes and if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us. While the extent of the damage is yet to be fully realised, it is likely to delay IFA1s return to full capacity at a time where it is desperately needed. Wholesale electricity prices have soared after a fire at an interconnector linking the French and British power networks, the National Grid has reported. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. Customers total rights are added together and then the reduction is applied. The fire at the IFA site essentially means the loss of 2 gigawatts (GW) of interconnection capacity between the UK and France which further tightens the supply situation in the UK, said Roy Manuell, EU power and carbon analyst at ICIS Energy. Network with hundreds of businesses and public sector organisations taking bigger steps to net zero.