See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Britain's National Grid said on Wednesday there has been a fire at its IFA1 interconnector site in Sellindge in Kent and it has been evacuated. In common with the 1961 scheme, there is no provision to permit neutral current to flow through the sea. The site has been evacuated and the safety of our staff, emergency teams and local residents is our highest priority. Thats because Britain is currently facing an energy crunch with limited supplies, low margins and soaring power prices. We are on-site assessing the damage and investigating the cause of the fire. 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.. A key substation at Kent was left damaged by a fire. Please visit the BMRS website for the latest market updates via theREMIT report. On Wednesday, National Grid said the fire. The shock shutdown of the subsea cable sparked concern among industry experts over Britains energy supplies during record high market prices across Europe. 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 are completely focused on getting. Sept 16 (Reuters) - Britain's National Grid said a fire at its IFA interconnector site in Sellindge in Kent, part of the connector that links the French and British power grids, was extinguished on Thursday. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. The subsea electricity . 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. 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. Fire at French interconnector sends electricity prices soaring, UK seen as toxic for satellite launches, industry tells MPs, Industry calls for urgent publication of strategy to bolster hydrogen transport, British-based renewables produced more electricity than gas this winter, AI tool helps pick the perfect organs for transplant, No long-term plan for decarbonising UK power sector risks 2035 goal, warns NAO, Net-zero flying would require using half of the UKs agricultural land, Brexit agreement good news for UK membership of Horizon Europe, UK and US hail commitment to delivering energy independence for Britain, UK drivers at risk of losing 9bn from electric vehicle savings, 60 miles of electrification is no regrets way to get diesel trains off key freight routes, AI could detect Alzheimer's disease from brain scans, Polluted seawater worsens inland air quality, study finds, Hands-on review: Proscenic A9 air purifier, US presents national cyber-security strategy, Satellites used to track global greening to understand climate change impact, Concerns over driverless car safety rose significantly in 2022, Money & Markets: The economic prospects are not as bad as they seem, Escalating boreal forest fires point to carbon time bomb, scientists warn, 117 zero-emission buses to take to English roads. The system was built with solid-state semiconductor thyristor valves from the outset. The fire-damaged power link between the UK and France, known as the IFA interconnector will not be fully restored for another two years. National Grid said: Following a detailed assessment on the 1,000MW 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 IFA2 interconnector, a second link between Britain and France commissioned in 2020, is operating and not affected. ifa interconnector fire cause. The EU Commission and the UK Government continue to negotiate the terms of a free trade deal. A fire in September 2021 caused the link to be removed from service. 1000MW (Bipole 2) has been operating since last month. "We are in discussions with the UK electricity system operator (ESO) and our European partners to ensure we optimise upcoming planned pre-winter outages of our other interconnectors to support UK security of supply," it said. 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. Cables are laid in pairs in four trenches so that the magnetic fields generated by the two conductors are largely cancelled. 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. Sopers Road, EN6 4SG, Registered as a business in England & Wales "The site has been evacuated and the safety of our staff, emergency teams and local residents is our . 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. 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. By; June 14, 2022 ; carnival cruise cancellations 2022 . 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. All maintenance activities will be incorporated into return to service program. According to local media reports, the IFA1 interconnector is expected to be offline until 13 October. 1 GW of capacity to remain offline until March 2022, Day-ahead British power prices jump almost 19%. 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. There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindge and emergency services are in attendance, a National Grid spokesperson said. 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. Suite 115, Cuffley Place National Grid has four operational interconnectors - two to France (IFA and IFA2), one to the Netherlands (BritNed) and one to Belgium (Nemo Link). 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. Book your FREE ticket to the Big Zero Show 2023 now. Today the tight market will be affected. The cable was built by ABB. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. "There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindge and emergency services are in attendance," the National Grid stated. 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. Following the incident, it was forced to notify the wholesale electricity market that 1000MW would be unavailable until 27 March 2022 as a result. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We have notified the market that 1000MW is unavailable until 13 October as a result. The IFA1 interconnector is expected to be offline until Oct. 13, Elexon data shows. IFA-2 ( Interconnexion France-Angleterre 2) is a subsea electrical interconnector, running beneath the English Channel between France and the United Kingdom. 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. 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 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," the grid added. Oversees and coordinates EMEA coverage of power, gas, LNG, coal and carbon markets and has 20 years' experience in journalism. 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. Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester, Ipswich and Ilchester. LONDON Britains National Grid on Wednesday reported a fire at its IFA1 interconnector site in Sellindge in Kent and it has been evacuated. 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. Following the incident, it was forced to notify the wholesale electricity market that 1000MW would be unavailable until 27 March 2022 as a result. 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. Whilst repairs were undertaken there was considerable down time on the circuit resulting in a loss of trading. ifa interconnector fire cause. 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. In order to keep the disturbances of the magnetic compasses of passing ships as small as possible, a bipolar cable was used. A fire occurred in the early hours of Wednesday 15th September 2021 at our UK Sellindge site resulting in the cables capacity being redu. read more. The company added that will result in 1,500 of available capacity going into next winter. The IFA interconnector is currently out of service following a fire at our site in Sellindge. 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. A spokesperson for National Grids electricity system operator (ESO) said Britain would have sufficient electricity supplies on Wednesday despite the incident. June 22, 2022; Posted by . Imports through the interconnector have generally been around the highest possible level, given the capacity of the link. We wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. It was completed in 1986, and replaced the first cross-Channel link which was a 160MW link completed in 1961 and decommissioned in 1984. 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. why is marram grass important. The site has been evacuated and the safety of our staff, emergency teams and local residents is our highest priority. 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 IFA interconnectoris currently out of service following a fire at our site in Sellindge. 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. 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 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. 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 connector had been importing electricity from France in recent days as the UKs wholesale prices continued to rise. 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. The planned October outage has been dismissed. 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. We expect the full 2000MW of IFA capacity to be available for Winter 22/23. [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. Customers will be compensated at Initial Price Paid. 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. The IFA2 interconnector, a second link between Britain and France commissioned in 2020, is operating and not affected. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Lab leak theory: 3 years on, will we ever know where COVID came from? A major fire impacted the GB side of the interconnector, with 12 fire engines on-site to deal with the blaze. Thankfully no one was injured and the emergency services got the fire under . Network with hundreds of businesses and public sector organisations taking bigger steps to net zero. 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. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. 10 czerwca 2022 "There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindge and emergency services are in attendance," the National Grid stated. We will provide a further update in due course. Writes about those markets as well as climate change, climate science, the energy transition and renewable energy and investment. Lost capacity will compound UKs energy woes while extensive work is carried out on French connection. 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. This compares with an average in August of 106.83, and an average across 2020 of 35.26. 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. Curtailment is Pro Rata and therefore where curtailment is required, customers capacity will be reduced in line with the curtailment required. 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. Indeed, by 1984 the circuit was disconnected from the Main Transmission System. On the other side, France has now got a net extra 2GW of available supply so this should help prices on the continent.. It forced the shutdown of one of the most important power cables, which brings electricity from France to the UK. Our IFA2, BritNed and Nemo Link interconnectors are operating at full capacity. And what capacity will I now have? ifa interconnector fire cause. IFA2, National Grid's second electricity interconnector linking the UK and France, is now able to flow . We will provide a further update in due course, the spokesperson said. Which countries have banned TikTok, and why? The fire-damaged power link between the UK and France, known as the IFA interconnector will not be fully restored for another two years. 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.. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. The outage comes at a time when UK baseload power prices are at record highs due to soaring gas prices, high. IFA Availabilty Update. This HVDC-link is 73km (45 miles) long in route, with 70km (43 miles) between the two ends. The fire-damaged power link between the UK and France, known as the IFA interconnector will not be fully restored for another two years. 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. 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). A fire at National Grid's IFA power interconnector site in Sellindge has caused the site to be evacuated while emergency services deal with the incident, the UK transmission system operator said Sept. 15. We will then undertake further work in order to bring the full 2000MW back by October 2023. Our interconnectors deliver secure and affordable electricity and play a critical role in tomorrows cleaner and smarter energy systems. 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. A key substation at Kent was left damaged by a fire in September. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. 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. Dear Customers, We wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. To give you the best experience, we ask that you enable cookies. The IFA connector was the first cross-Channel link, completed in 1961 with an initial 160MW capacity. [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. 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. According to local media reports, the IFA1 interconnector is expected to be offline until 13 October. Fire damage at the National Grid's Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA) site at Sellindge in Kent. 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. Smart navigation app uses 3D sound to guide blind people. [3] 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. The maximum transmission power of this cable was 160megawatts (MW). [9], This system remains the world's largest-capacity submarine cable HVDC system. We wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. 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. Auction timetables are available on JAO and the IFA website. The cable had a length of 65km (40 miles) and was operated symmetrically at a voltage of 100kV and a maximum current of 800amperes. 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. January 25, 2021, by Adis Ajdin. 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. This is in addition to the 1000MW that is unavailable until Friday 17 September due to a planned outage. BritNed and Nemo Link interconnectors are also operating at full capacity, the grid said. Phil Hewitt, director of EnAppSys, commented, This fire at IFA1 is a major event; we could be looking at an extended outage. [10], In November 2016, during Storm Angus, a ship dragging an anchor cut four of the eight cable components, reducing capacity by 50%. It will then be able to undertake further work to bring the full 2,000MW back by October 2023. However, France imports energy as needed during the winter to meet demand, or when there is low availability of hydroelectric power. until 13 October as a result. 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. 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 . Following the incident, many analysts warned that the loss of 2GW of import to . Critics say it's not enough. 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. 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. This was eventually decommissioned in 1984 and replaced by a second link capable of carrying 2GW in 1986. 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. Capacity Rights Reduced By Approximately: When will I see my revised capacity rights on JAO? We have extended the outage on the other 1000MW, which was offline due to a planned outage, until 25 September. 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. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. [2] The 204-kilometre (127 mi) high voltage DC (HVDC) cable operates at +/-320kV with the capacity to transmit 1,000 MW of power. Our IFA2 interconnector is operating as normal at full capacity. 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. 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 . The IFA interconnector has two Bipoles, each with a capacity of 1,000MW. VAT No: 988 8336 42. 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]. A National Grid spokesman said it expects to continue supplying electricity safely and securely despite the incident. National Grid said the fire prompted the evacuation of its IFA1 interconnector site in Sellindge in Kent. Big Zero Report 2022. Customers total rights are added together and then the reduction is applied. Not registered? All Rights Reserved. This is in addition to the 1000MW that is unavailable until Friday 17 September due to a planned outage. 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. IFA2 Interconnector Commissioned in 2020, IFA2 is the second link to France that National Grid has developed with RTE. This table details the curtailment required for each month, this is in accordance with REMIT, should the availability change this table would change accordingly. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. [12], In September 2021, a major fire at the Sellindge converter station led to the shutdown of the link. National Grid confirmed it will bring 500MW back to service from . For all media enquiries, please contact our press team on 01926 656536, The IFA interconnectoris currently out of service following a fire at our site in Sellindge. We have notified the market that 1000MW. The equipment occasionally faults, causing capacity to drop: in a bad year, this might happen several times. "The outage is going to lift the potential for price volatility as long as its offline. and of course demand will get higher as we move further into winter, said Glenn Rickson, head of European power analysis at S&P Global Platts Analytics. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); SJP Business Media. 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. I have LT capacity rights, will I be curtailed? REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Wholesale electricity prices have soared after a fire at an interconnector linking the French and British power networks, the National Grid has reported. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide 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. Following an initial review, we have updated the market that 1000MW is unavailable until 27 March 2022.