National Grid invests £400 million to extend France power link to 2050
Key Facts
National Grid said it would invest up to £400 million to extend operation of the Interconnexion France-Angleterre, known as IFA, between Britain and France until at least 2050. The company said the link is jointly owned with French company RTE and that the programme aims to ensure it remains operational. The announcement comes as the link marks 40 years since it began operating. It keeps electricity available to flow between the two countries according to market conditions. The company includes the project in a broader investment plan to upgrade its assets and networks over the coming years.
The programme includes upgrades to key technical equipment, buildings and facilities at the link’s site, National Grid said. Spending on IFA comes as part of the group’s plan to invest at least £70 billion over the five years to March 2031. The announcement coincided with the link’s 40th anniversary, attended by the deputy French ambassador to Britain and representatives of both companies. National Grid says access to lower-cost French nuclear power when wholesale electricity prices rise in Britain helps reduce prices for British consumers. The link can also transmit electricity in the opposite direction when market conditions require, including exporting Britain’s surplus as renewable energy sources grow.
IFA began operating in 1986. It was the first modern electricity link between mainland Britain and Europe, and the world’s second subsea link to use high-voltage direct-current cables. It remains Britain’s largest subsea electricity link by capacity, able to transmit enough power to supply about 3 million British homes a year, according to the company. Although electricity has historically flowed mostly into Britain, net imports through the link have totalled about 409 terawatt hours since it began operating. The company says this volume exceeds Britain’s entire annual electricity demand. In 2022, British electricity exports helped France during outages affecting parts of its nuclear fleet, illustrating the role of reverse flows when supply conditions change.
National Grid says its electricity links have delivered net benefits of £2 billion to British consumers since 2023, compared with conventional gas generation. For IFA alone, Rebecca Sedler, head of National Grid Ventures in the UK, said it had delivered nearly £300 million to British consumers since 2020. Sedler added: "For 40 years, the IFA link has shared secure and affordable electricity between Britain and France." The company linked these benefits to the ability to use lower-cost French electricity when wholesale prices rise in Britain. Export capacity also provides an outlet for Britain’s surplus when supply exceeds domestic demand, according to the company’s explanation of the links’ role.
The extension of IFA’s operation comes as Britain moves to increase interconnection capacity with neighbouring markets. A government report showed the country has 10.3 gigawatts of operating interconnection capacity across 10 links, including 4 gigawatts with France. The report identified a need for Britain to have between 12 and 14 gigawatts of interconnection capacity by 2030, providing short-term flexibility and balancing periods of higher or lower generation. In the near term, France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, INSEE, is due to publish its first estimate of French quarterly national accounts for the third quarter of 2026 on 30 October at 07:30. French gross domestic product was flat in the second quarter of 2026, after contracting 0.2% in the first quarter.