FAB Link, a joint venture company developing a power interconnector between the UK and France, that will also connect tidal generated power in Alderney, has signed an agreement with National Grid for the connection of the project to the transmission system in the UK.
The agreement marks a significant step in the development of the France-Alderney-Britain (FAB Link) project which has been designated as a key energy infrastructure project by the European Union and was one of the projects that won the support of UK prime minister David Cameron at the Anglo-French energy summit in 2012.
FAB Link Limited, a joint venture between Alderney Renewable Energy Limited and Transmission Investment, has already entered into arrangements with the French grid operator, RTE Réseau de Transport d’Electricité, to be responsible for the development of the project’s assets in France and French territorial waters.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change has recently highlighted the potential benefits of interconnectors in contributing to the UK’s energy security, affordability and decarbonisation objectives. FAB Link will be capable of transmitting 1,400MW of power, equivalent to around 3.5% of the UK’s average demand. The project also provides a route to market for the proposed Alderney tidal generation with the potential for up to 1,400MW of power flowing from Alderney to the UK and France simultaneously.
Construction of FAB Link is due to begin in early 2018 and connection to the UK grid is scheduled in late 2020.
Press release