UK-France interconnector to benefit from £400m investment

Up to £400 million is to be invested in the cross-border electricity link between Great Britain and France.

National Grid said the funding for the Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA) will help to secure its continued operation until at least 2050, maintaining an important source of flexible electricity for both countries.

The link has just marked 40 years of operation and it remains Britain’s largest subsea connection by capacity and can carry enough electricity to power approximately three million British homes annually.

Since 1986 net imports have totalled an estimated 409TWh — considerably more than a full year of Britain's electricity demand. Although electricity has historically flowed mainly to Great Britain, IFA also supports flows in the opposite direction when market conditions dictate.