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. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Network with hundreds of businesses and public sector organisations taking bigger steps to net zero. 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. 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 IFA interconnector is currently out of service following a fire at our site in Sellindge. "Our investigation is ongoing and we will update the market with any changes as necessary," a National Grid spokesperson said via email. [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]. The IFA1 stands for "Interconnexion France-Angleterre". Day-ahead power prices hit record high, following highs in balancing market, Electric vehicles to increase electricity demand by 25% by 2040. Following record high power prices earlier this week, a fire at the IFA1 interconnector in Kent could cause power prices to rise further. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. 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." We will provide a further update in due course. 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 will bring 500MW back to service from October 2022 through to May 2023.. 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. 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 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. This is in addition to the 1000MW that is unavailable until Friday 17 September due to a planned outage. We are on-site assessing the damage and investigating the cause of the fire. 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. read more. Rowe, B.A., Goodrich, F.G., Herbert, I.R., Commissioning the Cross Channel h.v.d.c. 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. 1 GW of capacity to remain offline until March 2022, Day-ahead British power prices jump almost 19%. 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. 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. The IFA connector was the first cross-Channel link, completed in 1961 with an initial 160MW capacity. 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. This compares with an average in August of 106.83, and an average across 2020 of 35.26. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. All maintenance activities will be incorporated into return to service program. To maintain grid frequency and power, the National Grid has a variety of frequency response assets, of which market batteries are the first to respond. until 13 October as a result. On Wednesday, National Grid said the fire. There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindgeand emergency services are in attendance. tim petrovic career earnings ifa interconnector fire cause. Fire damage at the National Grid's Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA) site at Sellindge in Kent. 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. The connector had been importing electricity from France in recent days as the UKs wholesale prices continued to rise. 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. The Sellindge converter station was built by GEC[7] and the Les Mandarins converter station was built by CGE Alstom. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. This was eventually decommissioned in 1984 and replaced by a second link capable of carrying 2GW in 1986. According to local media reports, the IFA1 interconnector is expected to be offline until 13 October. National Grid confirmed it will bring 500MW back to service from . 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. 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. June 22, 2022; Posted by . 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. Suite 115, Cuffley Place 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. 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. 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. 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 . 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. 15.99MW would result in 15 MWs after the curtailment). 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. 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 are completely focused on getting. (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. In common with the 1961 scheme, there is no provision to permit neutral current to flow through the sea. 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. We wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. This HVDC-link is 73km (45 miles) long in route, with 70km (43 miles) between the two ends. Our IFA2 interconnector is operating as normal at full capacity. Please visit the BMRS website for the latest market updates via theREMIT report. "The site has been evacuated and the safety of our staff, emergency teams and local residents is our . We will keep you updated on any major changes and if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us. The cable had a length of 65km (40 miles) and was operated symmetrically at a voltage of 100kV and a maximum current of 800amperes. Tomorrow a forecast tight market will become really tight; expect even higher prices in the spot markets going forward. 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. This is in addition to the 1000MW that is unavailable until Friday 17 September due to a planned outage. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Sopers Road, EN6 4SG, Registered as a business in England & Wales Which countries have embraced a 4-day workweek and hows it going. 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 has four operational interconnectors two to France (IFA and IFA2), one to the Netherlands (BritNed) and one to Belgium (Nemo Link). The EU Commission and the UK Government continue to negotiate the terms of a free trade deal. 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. According to local media reports, the IFA1 interconnector is expected to be offline until 13 October. 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. "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. The subsea electricity . Book your FREE ticket to the Big Zero Show 2023 now. We have notified the market that 1000MW. 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. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. ifa interconnector fire cause. 10 czerwca 2022 The remaining 1000MW is unavailable until 27 March 2022 and our investigation into the fire at our site in Sellindge is ongoing. Following an initial review, we have updated the market that 1000MW is unavailable until 27 March 2022. The site has been evacuated and the safety of our staff, emergency teams and local residents is our highest priority. Curtailment is Pro Rata and therefore where curtailment is required, customers capacity will be reduced in line with the curtailment required. As of 2005[update], imports of electricity from France have historically accounted for about 5% of electricity available in the UK. 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. 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 wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. We have extended the outage on the other 1000MW, which was offline due to a planned outage, until 25 September. 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. By; June 14, 2022 ; carnival cruise cancellations 2022 . 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. 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 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 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. The fire-damaged power link between the UK and France, known as the IFA interconnector will not be fully restored for another two years. 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. Future auctions will be adjusted where necessary. 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. Following the incident, it was forced to notify the wholesale electricity market that 1000MW would be unavailable until 27 March 2022 as a result. Lost capacity will compound UKs energy woes while extensive work is carried out on French connection. A fire occurred in the early hours of Wednesday 15th September 2021 at our UK Sellindge site resulting in the cables capacity being redu. 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. Our IFA2, BritNed and Nemo Link interconnectors are operating at full capacity. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. The IFA interconnector is currently out of service following a fire at our site in Sellindge. 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. BritNed and Nemo Link interconnectors are also operating at full capacity, the grid said. It forced the shutdown of one of the most important power cables, which brings electricity from France to the UK. The IFA2 interconnector, a second link between Britain and France commissioned in 2020, is operating and not affected. 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. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. IFA2 Interconnector Commissioned in 2020, IFA2 is the second link to France that National Grid has developed with RTE. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); SJP Business Media. We have notified the market that 1000MW is unavailable until 13 October as a result. The IFA2 interconnector, a second link between Britain and France commissioned in 2020, is operating at full capacity. 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. 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. 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. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo. 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. A National Grid spokesman said it expects to continue supplying electricity safely and securely despite the incident. And what capacity will I now have? On the other side, France has now got a net extra 2GW of available supply so this should help prices on the continent.. 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. We will bring 500MW back to service from October 2022 through to May 2023. 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. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. Writes about those markets as well as climate change, climate science, the energy transition and renewable energy and investment. 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. National Grid has four operational interconnectors - two to France (IFA and IFA2), one to the Netherlands (BritNed) and one to Belgium (Nemo Link). 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. The shock shutdown of the subsea cable sparked concern among industry experts over Britains energy supplies during record high market prices across Europe. read more. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. 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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. 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.. [2] The 204-kilometre (127 mi) high voltage DC (HVDC) cable operates at +/-320kV with the capacity to transmit 1,000 MW of power. Following an initial review, we have updated the market that 1000MW is unavailable until 27 March 2022. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. VAT No: 988 8336 42. [6] Given that the cable was laid on the surface of the seabed it was prone to being fouled by fishing nets, causing damage. The cable was built by ABB. 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 . National Grid said late on Wednesday the fire would mean 1 GW, or half of capacity, would remain offline until 27 March 2022. [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. Indeed, by 1984 the circuit was disconnected from the Main Transmission System. Critics say it's not enough. 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. Cables are laid in pairs in four trenches so that the magnetic fields generated by the two conductors are largely cancelled. Our priority has been to ensure we safely maximise IFA capacity to support Winter security of supply. On Wednesday, National Grid said the fire. Commissioned in 2020, IFA2 is the second link to France that National Grid has developed with RTE. 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 Institution of Engineering and Technology is registered as a Charity in England & Wales (no 211014) and Scotland (no SC038698). Thankfully no one was injured and the emergency services got the fire under . 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. A key substation at Kent was left damaged by a fire in September. To learn more about what cookies we use and how to change your preferences please check our cookie policy. However, France imports energy as needed during the winter to meet demand, or when there is low availability of hydroelectric power. 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. In 2006, 97.5% of the energy transfers were made from France to UK, supplying the equivalent of 3million English homes. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. National Grid had a projected derated margin of 4.3GW in its early winter outlook report; this looks like it may have just almost halved. National Grid expects that the French IFA interconnector will restart full operations by December next year. National Grid has four operational interconnectors - two to France (IFA and IFA2), one to the Netherlands (BritNed) and one to Belgium (Nemo Link). "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. 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 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 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.