The French and British national regulatory authorities CRE and Ofgem have announced their intention to further discuss development opportunities for a new 1 GW power interconnection capacity between both countries. After several assessments, from both the French and British side, where the costs and benefits from proposed projects (notably the ElecLink 2, FAB Link, GridLink and AQUIND) have not seemed to completely align, regulators have agreed on the need for further discussions considering the cost increase of DC cables and converters and the current need to strengthen national grids where congestion is anticipated.
The negotiations are expected to be focused on (1) the conditions required to allow the increase of interconnection capacity between the UK and France by around 1 GW and (2) the issue of cost and revenue sharing between the two countries. Regulators have also committed to conduct a longer-term joint study to explore and determine the need for projects between the UK and France, as well as potential cost-sharing mechanisms for these projects. Those processes will also be coordinated with the assistance of the relevant transmission system operators, where appropriate. The authorities expect to release a joint statement on their regulatory positions by the end of October 2025.
France and the United Kingdom a total existing interconnection capacity of 4 GW, through the 2 GW IFA Interconnector (1986), the 1 GW IFA2 (2021) and the 1 GW ElecLink (2022).