Fire damage at the National Grid's Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA) site at Sellindge in Kent. A National Grid spokesman said it expects to continue supplying electricity safely and securely despite the incident. 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. Although each station includes an earth electrode, this is used only to provide a neutral reference, and only one of the two electrodes is connected at a given time so that there can be no current flow between them. The outage comes at a time when UK baseload power prices are at record highs due to soaring gas prices, high. 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. 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. It forced the shutdown, Aldi pays back customers for recycled plastic bottles, Ofgem to unveil new energy price cap next week, Drax to exit gas sales on customers SME business. 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. The planned October outage has been dismissed. The IFA interconnector is currently out of service following a fire at our site in Sellindge. A fire in September 2021 caused the link to be removed from service. It forced the shutdown of one of the most important power cables, which brings electricity from France to the UK. Energy Live News Ltd 1 GW of capacity to remain offline until March 2022, Day-ahead British power prices jump almost 19%. It will then be able to undertake further work to bring the full 2,000MW back by October 2023. We will bring 500MW back to service from October 2022 through to May 2023.. 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]. Image: National Grid - IFA Interconnector, e are completely focused on getting IFA safely returned to service as soon as possible and. The FTSE 100 energy company hopes to bring another 500MW of capacity back to service between October 2022 and May 2023, meaning the cable will be running at three-quarters of its capacity through that winter. [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]. Big Zero Report 2022. Big Zero Report 2022. The fire-damaged power link between the UK and France, known as the IFA interconnector will not be fully restored for another two years. Register Now ifa interconnector fire cause. National Grid confirmed it will bring 500MW back to service from . 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? Wholesale electricity prices have soared after a fire at an interconnector linking the French and British power networks, the National Grid has reported. VAT No: 988 8336 42. Tomorrow a forecast tight market will become really tight; expect even higher prices in the spot markets going forward. We have extended the outage on the other 1000MW, which was offline due to a planned outage, until 25 September. 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 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. Customers total rights are added together and then the reduction is applied. A major fire impacted the GB side of the interconnector, with 12 fire engines on-site to deal with the blaze. The site has been evacuated and the safety of our staff, emergency teams and local residents is our highest priority. Following an initial review, we have updated the market that 1000MW is unavailable until 27 March 2022. The IFA2 interconnector, a second link between Britain and France commissioned in 2020, is operating at full capacity. The fire-damaged power link between the UK and France, known as the IFA interconnector will not be fully restored for another two years. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. 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.. Following an initial review, we have updated the market that 1000MW is unavailable until 27 March 2022. The EU Commission and the UK Government continue to negotiate the terms of a free trade deal. All Rights Reserved. Following record high power prices earlier this week, a fire at the IFA1 interconnector in Kent could cause power prices to rise further. The operators annual winter outlook report said the UK had enough capacity to avoid blackouts affecting households and factories but tight supplies were likely to keep market prices at near record levels throughout the winter. IFA Availabilty Update. 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. And what capacity will I now have? Oversees and coordinates EMEA coverage of power, gas, LNG, coal and carbon markets and has 20 years' experience in journalism. [11] Repairs were completed by the end of February 2017. 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 cable was built by ABB. Enabling cookies permits us to gather information about which categories and articles are the most interesting to our readers. National Grid said it has to carry out extensive work before it returns to service. There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindgeand emergency services are in attendance. 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 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. Prices of electricity on the day-ahead market peaked at 2,500.01 per MWh for delivery between 7pm and 8pm on the N2EX exchange, with an average daily price of 424.61. The other 1 GW capacity of the IFA1 link is currently offline due to planned maintenance which will be extended until Sept. 25, the spokesperson said. Book your FREE ticket to the Big Zero Show 2023 now. A fire at National Grid's IFA1 interconnector site in Sellindge is to see power prices once again spike in the UK as 1GW of capacity drops off the system. Network with hundreds of businesses and public sector organisations taking bigger steps to net zero. The outage comes at a time when UK baseload power prices are at record highs due to soaring gas prices, high carbon prices, tight supply and other maintenance outages. According to local media reports, the IFA1 interconnector is expected to be offline until 13 October. Our priority has been to ensure we safely maximise IFA capacity to support Winter security of supply. 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. It was completed in 1986, and replaced the first cross-Channel link which was a 160MW link completed in 1961 and decommissioned in 1984. The equipment occasionally faults, causing capacity to drop: in a bad year, this might happen several times. Get the latest from Electrical Review direct to your inbox Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution, September 14, day-ahead pricing reached a record high, New Welsh Government Green Skills Action Plan highlights ECA, Local authorities in the South East failing to consult on EV strategy, Megger confirms sponsorship of Powered On Live event, New European research project hopes to give new life to old EV batteries. 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. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. 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. The IFA interconnector is currently out of service following a fire at our site in Sellindge. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. "There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindge and emergency services are in attendance," the National Grid stated. National Grid recently erected the worlds first T-pylon, which is shorter than traditional high-voltage pylons and has a smaller footprint on the ground. 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. 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. IFA2 is 240 kilometres long subsea power cable, which stretches along the sea floor between Fareham, Hampshire in the UK and near . We will keep you updated on any major changes and if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us. In accordance with the IFA Access Rules (Part 3 Long Term Allocation Rules, Chapter 9, Curtailment P139) holders of curtailed Long Term Transmission Rights shall be entitled to receive reimbursement per hour equal to: a) the Marginal Price of the initial auction; multiplied by; b) the volume in MW per hour corresponding to the difference between the Long Term Transmission rights held by the Registered Participant before and after the curtailment. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. The connector had been importing electricity from France in recent days as the UKs wholesale prices continued to rise. 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. IFA-2 ( Interconnexion France-Angleterre 2) is a subsea electrical interconnector, running beneath the English Channel between France and the United Kingdom. We will provide a further update in due course. In addition, we will no longer need to take Bipole 1 out of service from May 2023 to October 2023, as communicated in our previous REMIT notification. 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. This is in addition to the 1000MW that is unavailable until Friday 17 September due to a planned outage. The IFA interconnector has two Bipoles, each with a capacity of 1,000MW. This is in addition to another planned 1000MW outage until 25 September that has caused electricity prices to soar. National Grid, which owns the 2,000 megawatt cable, expects half of its capacity to return to service on Wednesday but said extensive work would be needed to bring the power link back to full 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. 1000MW (Bipole 2) has been operating since last month. read more. (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. 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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." A spokesperson for National Grids electricity system operator (ESO) said Britain would have sufficient electricity supplies on Wednesday despite the incident. 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. 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. I have LT capacity rights, will I be curtailed? Prices on September 15 cleared lower but still at an extreme price of 1860 per MWh for the evening peak, but prices on the remaining interconnectors for capacity were extreme, with the Britned cable clearing at 2131 per MW/h. 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. This is combined with the fact that some generators that were mothballed over summer have yet to restart, making wholesale electricity prices surpass their highest-ever level even prior to the interconnector fire. Following the incident, many analysts warned that the loss of 2GW of import to . 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. 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. "The site has been evacuated and the safety of our staff, emergency teams and local residents is our . 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. 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. 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. Curtailment is Pro Rata and therefore where curtailment is required, customers capacity will be reduced in line with the curtailment required. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. We are on-site assessing the damage and investigating the cause of the fire. Interconnexion France-Angleterre 2 (IFA2), electricity interconnector linking the UK and France, is now able to flow low carbon electricity between the two countries at full capacity. To give you the best experience, we ask that you enable cookies. Unlike most HVDC schemes, where the two converter stations are built by the same manufacturer, the two converter stations of the 2,000MW scheme were built by different manufacturers (although both have subsequently become part of the same parent company, Alstom). We can confirm the fire has been put out and Kent Fire & Rescue Service has left the IFA converter station site at 9.05 this morning. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. Phil Hewitt, director of EnAppSys, commented, This fire at IFA1 is a major event; we could be looking at an extended outage. There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindge and emergency services are in attendance, a National Grid spokesperson said. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. The IFA interconnectoris currently out of service following a fire at our site in Sellindge. Writes about those markets as well as climate change, climate science, the energy transition and renewable energy and investment. We expect the full 2000MW of IFA capacity to be available for Winter 22/23. "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. "There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindge and emergency services are in attendance," the National Grid stated. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. January 25, 2021, by Adis Ajdin. Lost capacity will compound UKs energy woes while extensive work is carried out on French connection. 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. We have notified the market that 1000MW is unavailable until 13 October as a result. It added: Our investigation is ongoing and we will update the market with any changes as necessary.. AFCIs are designed to detect arcing electrical faults within your electrical system that may otherwise go unnoticed, until they potentially result in a fire. 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. 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. Please visit the BMRS website for the latest market updates via theREMIT report. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. 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. The National Grid has just reported a fire at the IFA1 interconnector site in Kent. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. The fire-damaged power link between the UK and France, known as the IFA interconnector will not be fully restored for another two years. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. The subsea electricity . Thankfully no one was injured and the emergency services got the fire under control and extinguished .The overall damage the fire caused is still be evaluated and we wish to take this opportunity to update you on how this has impacted on customers who currently hold LT capacity rights. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. A key substation at Kent was left damaged by a fire in September. 10 czerwca 2022 Today the tight market will be affected. Capacity Rights Reduced By Approximately: When will I see my revised capacity rights on JAO? 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. 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. Which countries have embraced a 4-day workweek and hows it going. One of Britains most important electricity import cables will not return to full service for another two years after a fire forced it to shut, compounding the UKs energy woes ahead of a looming winter crunch. National Grid has four operational interconnectors two to France (IFA and IFA2), one to the Netherlands (BritNed) and one to Belgium (Nemo Link). In recent months, the soaring cost of natural gas and a warm, dry and windless start to autumn 2021 caused record prices on the market. Thats because Britain is currently facing an energy crunch with limited supplies, low margins and soaring power prices. We wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. No: 07209102 Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA) is a joint venture between the French transmission operator RTE and National Grid, operating a 2 gigawatt subsea electricity link between Britain and France. until 13 October as a result. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. This will result in 1500MW of available capacity going into next Winter. On Wednesday, National Grid said the fire. Critics say it's not enough. Sign up to the E&T News e-mail to get great stories like this delivered to your inbox every day. [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. Arc-faults can be caused by things as innocent as putting a nail in the wall to hang a picture or plugging in an appliance with a defective electrical cord. 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. Our IFA2 interconnector is operating as normal at full capacity. 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. 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. Customers who hold LT capacity rights can view there post curtailment allocation rights at D-2 on the JAO Platform. 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.. ifa interconnector fire cause. Our IFA2 interconnector continues to operate as normal at full capacity. [2] The 204-kilometre (127 mi) high voltage DC (HVDC) cable operates at +/-320kV with the capacity to transmit 1,000 MW of power. We will bring 500MW back to service from October 2022 through to May 2023. 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. 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 . The Institution of Engineering and Technology is registered as a Charity in England & Wales (no 211014) and Scotland (no SC038698). As of 2005[update], imports of electricity from France have historically accounted for about 5% of electricity available in the UK. June 22, 2022; Posted by . The IFA1 stands for "Interconnexion France-Angleterre". However, France imports energy as needed during the winter to meet demand, or when there is low availability of hydroelectric power. 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. This table details the curtailment required for each month, this is in accordance with REMIT, should the availability change this table would change accordingly. On Wednesday, National Grid said the fire would mean 1 gigawatts, or half of capacity, would remain offline until 27 March 2022. read more. Customers will be compensated at Initial Price Paid. Day-ahead power prices hit record high, following highs in balancing market, Electric vehicles to increase electricity demand by 25% by 2040. In 2006, 97.5% of the energy transfers were made from France to UK, supplying the equivalent of 3million English homes. 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, the company said in a statement. 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. Please visit the BMRS website for the latest market updates via theREMIT report.