The IFA interconnector is currently out of service following a fire at our site in Sellindge. IFA Availabilty Update. All maintenance activities will be incorporated into return to service program. All Rights Reserved. 2023 The Institution of Engineering and Technology. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Thankfully no one was injured and the emergency services got the fire under . Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. 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. 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. A major fire impacted the GB side of the interconnector, with 12 fire engines on-site to deal with the blaze. Book your FREE ticket to the Big Zero Show 2023 now. National Grid confirmed it will bring 500MW back to service from . This table details the curtailment required for each month, this is in accordance with REMIT, should the availability change this table would change accordingly. According to local media reports, the IFA1 interconnector is expected to be offline until 13 October. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The company added that will result in 1,500 of available capacity going into next winter. 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. Please visit the BMRS website for the latest market updates via theREMIT report. Lab leak theory: 3 years on, will we ever know where COVID came from? "There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindge and emergency services are in attendance," the National Grid stated. 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. National Grid has four operational interconnectors - two to France (IFA and IFA2), one to the Netherlands (BritNed) and one to Belgium (Nemo Link). National Grid has four operational interconnectors two to France (IFA and IFA2), one to the Netherlands (BritNed) and one to Belgium (Nemo Link). Smart navigation app uses 3D sound to guide blind people. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. On Wednesday, National Grid said the fire. 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. The IFA1 interconnector is expected to be offline until Oct. 13, Elexon data shows. A major fire impacted the GB side of the interconnector, with 12 fire engines on-site to deal with the blaze. Not registered? [10], In November 2016, during Storm Angus, a ship dragging an anchor cut four of the eight cable components, reducing capacity by 50%. 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. This scheme was equipped with mercury-arc valves, each having four anodes in parallel.[5]. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. ifa interconnector fire cause. Which countries in the EU are buying the most electric cars? Customers total rights are added together and then the reduction is applied. VAT No: 988 8336 42. 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. 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. This compares with an average in August of 106.83, and an average across 2020 of 35.26. Writes about those markets as well as climate change, climate science, the energy transition and renewable energy and investment. 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. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. 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. IFA2 Interconnector Commissioned in 2020, IFA2 is the second link to France that National Grid has developed with RTE. 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 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. However, France imports energy as needed during the winter to meet demand, or when there is low availability of hydroelectric power. 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 . 1000MW (Bipole 2) has been operating since last month. [2] The 204-kilometre (127 mi) high voltage DC (HVDC) cable operates at +/-320kV with the capacity to transmit 1,000 MW of power. 15.99MW would result in 15 MWs after the curtailment). IFA-2 ( Interconnexion France-Angleterre 2) is a subsea electrical interconnector, running beneath the English Channel between France and the United Kingdom. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. In order to keep the disturbances of the magnetic compasses of passing ships as small as possible, a bipolar cable was used. 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. 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 fire-damaged power link between the UK and France, known as the IFA interconnector will not be fully restored for another two years. 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. "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. 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. The system was built with solid-state semiconductor thyristor valves from the outset. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); SJP Business Media. The Institution of Engineering and Technology is registered as a Charity in England & Wales (no 211014) and Scotland (no SC038698). Commissioned in 2020, IFA2 is the second link to France that National Grid has developed with RTE. 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. We have notified the market that 1000MW is unavailable until 13 October as a result. Tomorrow a forecast tight market will become really tight; expect even higher prices in the spot markets going forward. We wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. The IFA interconnector is currently out of service following a fire at our site in Sellindge. Following the incident, it was forced to notify the wholesale electricity market that 1000MW would be unavailable until 27 March 2022 as a result. 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. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. 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. [6] Given that the cable was laid on the surface of the seabed it was prone to being fouled by fishing nets, causing damage. To give you the best experience, we ask that you enable cookies. 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.. 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. In 2006, 97.5% of the energy transfers were made from France to UK, supplying the equivalent of 3million English homes. National Grid expects that the French IFA interconnector will restart full operations by December next year. 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 wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. I have LT capacity rights, will I be curtailed? 1 GW of capacity to remain offline until March 2022, Day-ahead British power prices jump almost 19%. 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. 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. 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. We will bring 500MW back to service from October 2022 through to May 2023.. "The site has been evacuated and the safety of our staff, emergency teams and local residents is our . LONDON Britains National Grid on Wednesday reported a fire at its IFA1 interconnector site in Sellindge in Kent and it has been evacuated. ifa interconnector fire cause. Our IFA2, BritNed and Nemo Link interconnectors are operating at full capacity. Our priority has been to ensure we safely maximise IFA capacity to support Winter security of supply. On Wednesday, National Grid said the fire would mean 1 gigawatts, or half of capacity, would remain offline until 27 March 2022. read more. read more. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Our IFA2 interconnector continues to operate as normal at full capacity. Following the incident, many analysts warned that the loss of 2GW of import to Britains grid could spark furtherenergy price rises. The IFA interconnectoris currently out of service following a fire at our site in Sellindge. We expect the full 2000MW of IFA capacity to be available for Winter 22/23. This is in addition to the 1000MW that is unavailable until Friday 17 September due to a planned outage. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. The maximum transmission power of this cable was 160megawatts (MW). We will provide a further update in due course. 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 . This will result in 1500MW of available capacity going into next Winter. 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]. The IFA1 interconnector is expected to be offline until Oct. 13, Elexon data shows. 10 czerwca 2022 To learn more about what cookies we use and how to change your preferences please check our cookie policy. Customers who hold LT capacity rights can view there post curtailment allocation rights at D-2 on the JAO Platform. 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.. 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). The cable had a length of 65km (40 miles) and was operated symmetrically at a voltage of 100kV and a maximum current of 800amperes. National Grid said the fire prompted the evacuation of its IFA1 interconnector site in Sellindge in Kent. 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. until 13 October as a result. 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. Future auctions will be adjusted where necessary. January 25, 2021, by Adis Ajdin. 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. Dear Customers, We wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. The outage comes at a time when UK baseload power prices are at record highs due to soaring gas prices, high. 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. Our IFA2 interconnector is operating as normal at full capacity. In the long run, we will lose 2GW of import to the GB markets whilst we are struggling at the moment with low margins. 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 connector had been importing electricity from France in recent days as the UKs wholesale prices continued to rise. Our investigation is ongoing and we will update the market with any changes as necessary. 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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. Thats because Britain is currently facing an energy crunch with limited supplies, low margins and soaring power prices. Register Now 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. "Our investigation is ongoing and we will update the market with any changes as necessary," a National Grid spokesperson said via email. 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. A key substation at Kent was left damaged by a fire. Please visit the BMRS website for the latest market updates via the REMIT report. 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. Customers will be compensated at Initial Price Paid. 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 IFA2 interconnector, a second link between Britain and France commissioned in 2020, is operating and not affected. 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. "There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindge and emergency services are in attendance," the National Grid stated. 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? 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. 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 shock shutdown of the subsea cable sparked concern among industry experts over Britains energy supplies during record high market prices across Europe. We will keep you updated on any major changes and if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us. 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. IFA2 is 240 kilometres long subsea power cable, which stretches along the sea floor between Fareham, Hampshire in the UK and near . In accordance with the IFA Access Rules capacity will be rounded down (e.g. Wholesale electricity prices have soared after a fire at an interconnector linking the French and British power networks, the National Grid has reported. 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 site has been evacuated and the safety of our staff, emergency teams and local residents is our highest priority. 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 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. Following the incident, many analysts warned that the loss of 2GW of import to . The IFA connector was the first cross-Channel link, completed in 1961 with an initial 160MW capacity. This HVDC-link is 73km (45 miles) long in route, with 70km (43 miles) between the two ends. 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. 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. Today the tight market will be affected. 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. 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. [9], This system remains the world's largest-capacity submarine cable HVDC system. We sell the capacity to energy traders and provide services to transmission system operators in the UK and France. 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. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. 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. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. 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. 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. We have extended the outage on the other 1000MW, which was offline due to a planned outage, until 25 September. 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. 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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. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Curtailment is Pro Rata and therefore where curtailment is required, customers capacity will be reduced in line with the curtailment required. Big Zero Report 2022. The National Grid has just reported a fire at the IFA1 interconnector site in Kent. Rowe, B.A., Goodrich, F.G., Herbert, I.R., Commissioning the Cross Channel h.v.d.c. [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.