Released December 08, 2016 | GALWAY, IRELAND
en
Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The U.K.'s spare power capacity has been hit again after the recent Storm Angus in the English Channel has wiped out almost 1,000 megawatts (MW) of interconnector capacity from France.
After the storm, electricity grid operator National Grid plc (London, England) said that four of the eight cables that make up the Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA) interconnector were damaged, knocking out half of the potential capacity from the 2,000-MW high voltage direct current (HVDC) electrical link between the British and French transmission systems.
Running 70 kilometres (kms), with 45 kms under the seabed, IFA is the largest interconnector the U.K. has, and the damage comes at a time when the country's electricity capacity is at record lows. The interconnector will operate at half capacity until at least February 2017. Power prices are expected to rise as more expensive options, including bringing coal-fired plants back online, are brought into play.
National Grid is investigating if the damage was caused by a ship dropping anchor during Storm Angus. The damage is unusual in that the cables are heavily shielded and buried up to 20 metres below the seabed. In a statement to the press, it stated: "After further investigation, the fault has been identified and we can confirm that four of IFA's eight cables have been damaged. This will result in a reduction of IFA's maximum capacity to 1,000 MW until the end of February 2017. Investigations are ongoing and teams on both sides of the channel are working to restore IFA to full availability. We will issue regular updates regarding progress."
Last year, Industrial Info reported that spare capacity stood at just 1.2% facing into the winter, which is the lowest in 10 years, according to figures released by National Grid. For additional information, see July 23, 2015, article - U.K. Risks Winter Blackouts as Power Stations Close.
Since then the country has opted to pay power companies earlier than expected in order to ensure that they will keep enough plants running and on standby. For additional information, see March 8, 2016, article - U.K. Pays Power Companies Early to Keep the Lights On.
The U.K. has three other smaller interconnectors: the 1,000-MW BritNed link with Netherlands, the 500 MW-Moyle link to Northern Ireland and the 500-MW East West link with Ireland.
National Grid is currently working on the world's longest planned interconnector, the 730km North Sea Network (NSN) with Norway's grid operator Statnett (Oslo, Norway). The two HVDC marine cables will have a capacity of up to 1,400 MW. For additional information, see March 31, 2015, article - Work to Start on World's Longest Interconnector.
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.
After the storm, electricity grid operator National Grid plc (London, England) said that four of the eight cables that make up the Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA) interconnector were damaged, knocking out half of the potential capacity from the 2,000-MW high voltage direct current (HVDC) electrical link between the British and French transmission systems.
Running 70 kilometres (kms), with 45 kms under the seabed, IFA is the largest interconnector the U.K. has, and the damage comes at a time when the country's electricity capacity is at record lows. The interconnector will operate at half capacity until at least February 2017. Power prices are expected to rise as more expensive options, including bringing coal-fired plants back online, are brought into play.
National Grid is investigating if the damage was caused by a ship dropping anchor during Storm Angus. The damage is unusual in that the cables are heavily shielded and buried up to 20 metres below the seabed. In a statement to the press, it stated: "After further investigation, the fault has been identified and we can confirm that four of IFA's eight cables have been damaged. This will result in a reduction of IFA's maximum capacity to 1,000 MW until the end of February 2017. Investigations are ongoing and teams on both sides of the channel are working to restore IFA to full availability. We will issue regular updates regarding progress."
Last year, Industrial Info reported that spare capacity stood at just 1.2% facing into the winter, which is the lowest in 10 years, according to figures released by National Grid. For additional information, see July 23, 2015, article - U.K. Risks Winter Blackouts as Power Stations Close.
Since then the country has opted to pay power companies earlier than expected in order to ensure that they will keep enough plants running and on standby. For additional information, see March 8, 2016, article - U.K. Pays Power Companies Early to Keep the Lights On.
The U.K. has three other smaller interconnectors: the 1,000-MW BritNed link with Netherlands, the 500 MW-Moyle link to Northern Ireland and the 500-MW East West link with Ireland.
National Grid is currently working on the world's longest planned interconnector, the 730km North Sea Network (NSN) with Norway's grid operator Statnett (Oslo, Norway). The two HVDC marine cables will have a capacity of up to 1,400 MW. For additional information, see March 31, 2015, article - Work to Start on World's Longest Interconnector.
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.
