Electricity flows through new cross-channel undersea cable

A new undersea power cable between Hampshire and France has started flowing at full capacity.

The 149 mile cable, which comes up at Lee-on-Solent, will be used to import electricity from the continent.

IFA2 will increase the amount of clean energy shared between Britain and France, said National Grid.

The cable runs from Tourbe in Normandy to a converter station at Solent Airport and then to a National Grid connection at Chilling near Warsash in Fareham.

The 1000 megawatt link is a joint venture between National Grid and French electricity grid operator RTE.

The power cable can provide enough energy to power one million British homes and is expected to meet 1.2% of Britain’s electricity demand.

National Grid said by importing lower carbon electricity from France, the project will have prevented 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere in its first year.

Jon Butterworth, managing director of National Grid Ventures, said: "IFA2 is the latest feat of world-class engineering helping to transform and decarbonise the electricity systems of Britain and its European neighbours.

"Together we are now able to help deliver cleaner, more secure, and more affordable energy to consumers at both ends of the cable."

Since construction began in 2018, IFA2 has seen more than 1,000 engineers and specialists work a total of around 3.2 million working hours to date.

National Grid’s portfolio now has four operational interconnectors – two to France (IFA and IFA2), one to the Netherlands (BritNed) and one to Belgium (Nemo Link).

Two further projects are under construction - Norway (North Sea Link, operational 2021) and Denmark (Viking Link, operational 2023).

By 2030, 90% of electricity imported via National Grid’s interconnectors will be from zero carbon sources.

Between 2020 and 2030, National Grid estimates its interconnectors will prevent more than 100 million tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.