"There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindge and emergency services are in attendance," the National Grid stated. Following the incident, many analysts warned that the loss of 2GW of import to Britains grid could spark furtherenergy price rises. 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. 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 wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. A major fire impacted the GB side of the interconnector, with 12 fire engines on-site to deal with the blaze. The planned outage of 1000MW of capacity at the IFA interconnector has been extended until 23 October. The Institution of Engineering and Technology is registered as a Charity in England & Wales (no 211014) and Scotland (no SC038698). We wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. VAT No: 988 8336 42. 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. This is in addition to the 1000MW that is unavailable until Friday 17 September due to a planned outage. We sell the capacity to energy traders and provide services to transmission system operators in the UK and France. 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. 2023 The Institution of Engineering and Technology. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); SJP Business Media. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. We are on-site assessing the damage and investigating the cause of the fire. 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. This is in addition to the 1000MW that is unavailable until Friday 17 September due to a planned outage. 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. [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. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. Rowe, B.A., Goodrich, F.G., Herbert, I.R., Commissioning the Cross Channel h.v.d.c. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. 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. The cable had a length of 65km (40 miles) and was operated symmetrically at a voltage of 100kV and a maximum current of 800amperes. "Our investigation is ongoing and we will update the market with any changes as necessary," a National Grid spokesperson said via email. 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. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. [11] Repairs were completed by the end of February 2017. 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Indeed, by 1984 the circuit was disconnected from the Main Transmission System. 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. There has been a fire at our IFA interconnector site in Sellindgeand emergency services are in attendance. 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. 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. Following record high power prices earlier this week, a fire at the IFA1 interconnector in Kent could cause power prices to rise further. Commissioned in 2020, IFA2 is the second link to France that National Grid has developed with RTE. [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. This compares with an average in August of 106.83, and an average across 2020 of 35.26. We will bring 500MW back to service from October 2022 through to May 2023.. Not registered? 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. It added: Our investigation is ongoing and we will update the market with any changes as necessary.. All maintenance activities will be incorporated into return to service program. Our IFA2 interconnector is operating as normal at full capacity. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. In order to keep the disturbances of the magnetic compasses of passing ships as small as possible, a bipolar cable was used. 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 IFA2 interconnector, a second link between Britain and France commissioned in 2020, is operating and not affected. Wednesday's almost 19% price jump took British day-ahead electricity prices to 475.00 pounds per megawatt hour (MWh), close to a record high of 540 pounds MWh hit this week. And what capacity will I now have? 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. Gas and electricity prices surged yesterday, with month-ahead gas prices hitting all-time highs, after National Grid confirmed that the blaze at a site in Kent had caused the closure of the IFA . We have extended the outage on the other 1000MW, which was offline due to a planned outage, until 25 September. On Wednesday, National Grid said the fire would mean 1 gigawatts, or half of capacity, would remain offline until 27 March 2022. read more. 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. 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. AFCIs are designed to detect arcing electrical faults within your electrical system that may otherwise go unnoticed, until they potentially result in a fire. On Wednesday, National Grid said the fire. We will provide a further update in due course, the spokesperson said. Future auctions will be adjusted where necessary. 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. Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester, Ipswich and Ilchester. 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. Wholesale electricity prices have soared after a fire at an interconnector linking the French and British power networks, the National Grid has reported. The Sellindge converter station was built by GEC[7] and the Les Mandarins converter station was built by CGE Alstom. ifa interconnector fire cause. 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. 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. 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We have extended the outage on the other 1000MW, which was offline due to a planned outage, until 25 September. 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 IFA2 interconnector, a second link between Britain and France commissioned in 2020, is operating at full capacity. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. 15.99MW would result in 15 MWs after the curtailment). National Grid has four operational interconnectors - two to France (IFA and IFA2), one to the Netherlands (BritNed) and one to Belgium (Nemo Link). Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. This is in addition to another planned 1000MW outage until 25 September that has caused electricity prices to soar. 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. IFA-2 ( Interconnexion France-Angleterre 2) is a subsea electrical interconnector, running beneath the English Channel between France and the United Kingdom. Customers total rights are added together and then the reduction is applied. 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. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. We are completely focused on getting IFA safely returned to service as soon as possible and we are in discussions with the UK ESO and our European partners to ensure we optimise upcoming planned pre-winter outages of our other interconnectors to support UK security of supply. FILE PHOTO: Migrating starlings fly at dusk past electricity pylons silhouetted by the sunset of a clear autumn evening in the Kent countryside, in Graveney, Britain. The subsea electricity . 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 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. LONDON Britains National Grid on Wednesday reported a fire at its IFA1 interconnector site in Sellindge in Kent and it has been evacuated. Enabling cookies permits us to gather information about which categories and articles are the most interesting to our readers. Image: National Grid - IFA Interconnector, e are completely focused on getting IFA safely returned to service as soon as possible and. Our investigation is ongoing and we will update the market with any changes as necessary. In the long run, we will lose 2GW of import to the GB markets whilst we are struggling at the moment with low margins. [2] The 204-kilometre (127 mi) high voltage DC (HVDC) cable operates at +/-320kV with the capacity to transmit 1,000 MW of power. 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 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. 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. 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. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. A major fire impacted the GB side of the interconnector, with 12 fire engines on-site to deal with the blaze. Register Now Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. 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. Our IFA2, BritNed and Nemo Link interconnectors are operating at full capacity. Please visit the BMRS website for the latest market updates via theREMIT report. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. To give you the best experience, we ask that you enable cookies. Smart navigation app uses 3D sound to guide blind people. Whilst repairs were undertaken there was considerable down time on the circuit resulting in a loss of trading. [3], The first HVDC Cross-Channel scheme was built by ASEA and went into service in 1961,[4] between converter stations at Lydd in England (next to Dungeness Nuclear Power Station) and Echinghen, near Boulogne-sur-Mer, in France. The IFA1 interconnector is expected to be offline until Oct. 13, Elexon data shows. 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 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. Over 30 years experience in delivering secure, sustainable and affordable energy. Customers will be compensated at Initial Price Paid. Big Zero Report 2022. ifa interconnector fire cause. read more. Capacity Rights Reduced By Approximately: When will I see my revised capacity rights on JAO? 1000MW (Bipole 2) has been operating since last month. The cable was built by ABB. Dear Customers, We wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. 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 . We will then undertake further work in order to bring the full 2000MW back by October 2023. 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. 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. Which countries have embraced a 4-day workweek and hows it going. 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. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. The fire-damaged power link between the UK and France, known as the IFA interconnector will not be fully restored for another two years. [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. [9], This system remains the world's largest-capacity submarine cable HVDC system. We will keep you updated on any major changes and if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us. A key substation at Kent was left damaged by a fire in September. [12], In September 2021, a major fire at the Sellindge converter station led to the shutdown of the link. ifa interconnector fire cause. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. 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. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. The IFA interconnector is currently out of service following a fire at our site in Sellindge. June 22, 2022; Posted by . 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. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. The IFA2 interconnector, a second link between Britain and France commissioned in 2020, is operating and not affected. 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. The connector had been importing electricity from France in recent days as the UKs wholesale prices continued to rise. 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. Sign up to the E&T News e-mail to get great stories like this delivered to your inbox every day. 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. The EU Commission and the UK Government continue to negotiate the terms of a free trade deal. Following the incident, it was forced to notify the wholesale electricity market that 1000MW would be unavailable until 27 March 2022 as a result. 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 occurred in the early hours of Wednesday 15th September 2021 at our UK Sellindge site resulting in the cables capacity being reduced to 0MW. 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. Today the tight market will be affected. It was completed in 1986, and replaced the first cross-Channel link which was a 160MW link completed in 1961 and decommissioned in 1984.