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Released April 17, 2017 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Contracts valued at 620 million euro ($657 million) have been awarded for a vital new power link between the U.K. and France.
The 1,000-megawatt (MW) IFA2 high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) interconnection is a 240-kilometre (km) subsea cable across the English Channel that will link Tourbe in northern France to Chilling in Hampshire, in the south of the U.K. It is a joint-venture project between grid operators National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) (London, England) and Réseau de Transport d'Électricité (RTE).
Cabling specialist Prysmian Group (Milan, Italy) has been awarded a 350 million-euro ($370 million) contract for the turn-key design, manufacture and installation of a submarine and land power cable link to connect Tourbe to Chilling. Swiss engineering firm ABB Group (NYSE:ABB) (Zurich, Switzerland) has landed a contract worth 270 million euro ($286 million) to supply the two HVDC Light converter stations, to be located in France and England at either end of the subsea cable.
This is the latest in a series of ongoing interconnection projects between the U.K. and its neighbours. The developers of IFA2 said it will help reduce the cost of electricity to consumers and businesses as well increase the security of supply, which is an ongoing issue in the U.K. The U.K. suffers from continued low spare capacity as older nuclear and coal-fired plants are shut due to environmental and emissions reasons. In 2015, Industrial Info reported that spare capacity stood at just 1.2% moving into the winter, which was the lowest in 10 years. For additional information, see July 23, 2015, article - U.K. Risks Winter Blackouts as Power Stations Close.
Recently, a major storm wiped out almost 1,000 MW of U.K. interconnector capacity from France. Four of the eight cables that make up the 2,000-MW Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA) interconnector were severely damaged by a dragging anchor during the storm. For additional information, see December 8, 2016, article - Storm Damages U.K. Power Links With France.
The HVDC cable system comprises approximately 25km of cable in France, running from the Tourbe converter station to the landing point close to Caen while the subsea route is just over 200km and will land at the south coast of the U.K. at Solent Airport near Fareham, where the U.K. converter station is to be located.
"This is a prestigious project for Prysmian, and we are delighted to have been selected by two of our most important customers, National Grid and RTE, highlighting our worldwide market and technological leadership in submarine cable transmission systems", said Massimo Battaini, senior vice president for energy projects at Prysmian.
Last month, Industrial Info reported that the first foundation stone for a new 1,000-MW electricity interconnector between the U.K. and France was laid. The ElecLink will travel along the existing underwater train tunnel, the Channel Tunnel, and cost approximately £580 million ($720 million) to construct. It will be completed at the end of 2019. For additional information, see March 1, 2017, article--New U.K.-France Power Link Gets Under Way.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
The 1,000-megawatt (MW) IFA2 high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) interconnection is a 240-kilometre (km) subsea cable across the English Channel that will link Tourbe in northern France to Chilling in Hampshire, in the south of the U.K. It is a joint-venture project between grid operators National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) (London, England) and Réseau de Transport d'Électricité (RTE).
Cabling specialist Prysmian Group (Milan, Italy) has been awarded a 350 million-euro ($370 million) contract for the turn-key design, manufacture and installation of a submarine and land power cable link to connect Tourbe to Chilling. Swiss engineering firm ABB Group (NYSE:ABB) (Zurich, Switzerland) has landed a contract worth 270 million euro ($286 million) to supply the two HVDC Light converter stations, to be located in France and England at either end of the subsea cable.
This is the latest in a series of ongoing interconnection projects between the U.K. and its neighbours. The developers of IFA2 said it will help reduce the cost of electricity to consumers and businesses as well increase the security of supply, which is an ongoing issue in the U.K. The U.K. suffers from continued low spare capacity as older nuclear and coal-fired plants are shut due to environmental and emissions reasons. In 2015, Industrial Info reported that spare capacity stood at just 1.2% moving into the winter, which was the lowest in 10 years. For additional information, see July 23, 2015, article - U.K. Risks Winter Blackouts as Power Stations Close.
Recently, a major storm wiped out almost 1,000 MW of U.K. interconnector capacity from France. Four of the eight cables that make up the 2,000-MW Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA) interconnector were severely damaged by a dragging anchor during the storm. For additional information, see December 8, 2016, article - Storm Damages U.K. Power Links With France.
The HVDC cable system comprises approximately 25km of cable in France, running from the Tourbe converter station to the landing point close to Caen while the subsea route is just over 200km and will land at the south coast of the U.K. at Solent Airport near Fareham, where the U.K. converter station is to be located.
"This is a prestigious project for Prysmian, and we are delighted to have been selected by two of our most important customers, National Grid and RTE, highlighting our worldwide market and technological leadership in submarine cable transmission systems", said Massimo Battaini, senior vice president for energy projects at Prysmian.
Last month, Industrial Info reported that the first foundation stone for a new 1,000-MW electricity interconnector between the U.K. and France was laid. The ElecLink will travel along the existing underwater train tunnel, the Channel Tunnel, and cost approximately £580 million ($720 million) to construct. It will be completed at the end of 2019. For additional information, see March 1, 2017, article--New U.K.-France Power Link Gets Under Way.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
