AQUIND

On 4 March 2024, Ofgem opened a consultation on its "minded-to" decision to reject the AQUIND 2 GW interconnector from the third cap and floor application window, citing reservations about high constraint costs and project deliverability; the consultation on these proposals is scheduled to run until 30 April 2024 before a final decision is made.

According to the joint consultation on AQUIND’s exemption request, the AQUIND Interconnector, a 2 GW HVDC link between Lovedean substation in England and Barnabos substation in France, has a planned commissioning date in 2024, indicating when full-system energisation and commissioning tests are expected to be completed prior to operational service.

On 5 September 2023, AQUIND Ltd and Portsmouth City Council signed a works co‑operation agreement to coordinate delivery of the AQUIND Interconnector with phases 4B and 5 of the North Portsea Island Coastal Defence Scheme. The agreement sets out processes to manage any overlap between the interconnector landfall and coastal defence works, including cooperation on construction activities and restoration of affected land with planting or replacement planting where necessary.

On 24 January 2023, the High Court quashed the Secretary of State's decision of 20 January 2022 to refuse development consent for the AQUIND Interconnector. The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero subsequently opened a re-determination of the DCO application, requesting further information from the Applicant and Interested Parties via a Statement of Matters issued on 3 March 2023. The re-determination has been complicated by the Ministry of Defence raising significant national security concerns in March 2024, leading to a novel closed process involving an Attorney General-appointed representative. As of March 2026, the re-determination remains ongoing.

AQUIND Interconnector, a 2,000 MW HVDC link between the British and French transmission systems, is planned to be fully commissioned and enter commercial operation in 2023, following construction of the converter stations and associated infrastructure at Lovedean in the UK and Barnabos in France.

AQUIND Limited plans to complete commissioning of the two onshore HVDC converter stations near Lovedean in Hampshire, UK, and Barnabos in Normandy, France, in 2023. Each station will use Voltage Source Converter technology and form part of a twin 1,000 MW symmetrical monopole arrangement providing 2,000 MW of interconnection capacity between the National Grid Electricity Transmission system in Great Britain and RTE in France, following an anticipated 2–3 year construction period starting in Q1 2021.

AQUIND Interconnector planned for its first full year of operations in 2023, following staged energisation and commissioning of the two 1,000 MW poles in 2022, marking the start of regular commercial power exchanges between Great Britain and France.

During Ofgem’s third cap and floor application window for electricity interconnectors, which ran from 1 September 2022 to 10 January 2023, AQUIND Ltd submitted its 2 GW AQUIND Interconnector (Lovedean–Barnabos) to be considered for a regulated cap and floor revenue regime for projects expected to operate before 2032.

Project documents for the AQUIND Interconnector state that energisation and commissioning of the two 1,000 MW HVDC poles are planned in stages, with Pole 1 scheduled for Q3 2022 and Pole 2 for Q4 2022, marking the start of power transmission on the 2,000 MW link between Great Britain and France ahead of full operational service.

On 20 January 2022, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy refused the Development Consent Order (DCO) application for the AQUIND Interconnector (Planning Inspectorate reference EN020022). The decision followed a six-month examination and the Examining Authority's recommendation report. The refusal was subsequently challenged by AQUIND Limited through judicial review proceedings in the High Court.

On 31 May 2021, Project Finance Group SA, a Luxembourg‑registered company related to Aquind Limited and owned by Viktor Fedotov, consolidated most of Aquind Limited’s outstanding loans for the AQUIND Interconnector, extended them for five years, arranged a further five‑year loan facility, and provided a letter of comfort guaranteeing continued financial support for at least 12 months; Aquind’s financial statements report that 17 million £1 redeemable preference shares were allotted to Project Finance Group on that date in exchange for £17m of outstanding loan principal.

In January 2021, Alexander Temerko, through his Luxembourg‑registered holding company Energy Stream Investments SàRL, acquired 50% of AQUIND’s voting shares, altering the ownership structure of the company that is developing the AQUIND Interconnector project.

Following the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the end of the Brexit transition period, Ofgem and CRE concluded that the exemption process under Regulation (EU) 2019/943 no longer applied to UK–EU interconnectors and that they lacked legal powers to decide on AQUIND’s Exemption Request. Consequently, on 28 January 2021 they decided to discontinue the ongoing joint consultation and assessment of AQUIND’s partial exemption request, effectively terminating this revenue-related application process.

AQUIND plans to construct its converter station over approximately two to three years, with construction commencing in Q1 2021 and involving steel-frame buildings, outdoor electrical equipment, landscaping, and any necessary land grading to create the platform.

In the PCI Notification for the AQUIND Interconnector, the project documents state that construction of the onshore converter station(s) will be carried out over approximately two to three years, commencing in Q1 2021, with full commissioning expected in 2023. This indicates the planned start of onshore construction works at the converter station sites associated with the AQUIND HVDC link between the UK and France.

In 2020, AQUIND SAS and AQUIND Limited sought a new, partial exemption in France from Articles 19(2) and 19(3) of the EU Regulation governing the use of interconnector revenues, applying for a 25-year exemption covering the 32% share of project costs located on French territory; Ofgem and CRE launched a joint consultation and impact assessment on AQUIND’s exemption request.

On 18 December 2020, Ofgem and CRE launched a joint public consultation on AQUIND’s request for a partial exemption from Use of Revenues obligations under Regulation (EU) 2019/943, publishing a document outlining the scope and rationale of the request and the supporting evidence, with an initial closing date of 29 January 2021.

An Environmental Statement Non-Technical Summary for the AQUIND Interconnector, dated October 2020 and prepared by AQUIND Limited, was submitted under Planning Inspectorate reference EN020022 as part of the project’s environmental impact assessment documentation.

By August 2020, The Crown Estate had granted AQUIND an option agreement for the proposed subsea cable corridor for the AQUIND Interconnector out to the UK territorial limit, securing seabed rights necessary for the offshore cable route.

By August 2020, AQUIND had submitted an application to The Crown Estate for the proposed onshore connection at Eastney in Portsmouth, seeking the necessary rights over Crown Estate land to bring the subsea cable ashore and connect to the onshore route.

AQUIND Ltd planned to commence main works for the 2,000 MW AQUIND HVDC interconnector on 9 August 2020, under a 3.5‑year EPC delivery period running to 30 April 2024. The tendered scope covered detailed design, engineering, manufacture, supply, transportation, installation, construction, testing and commissioning of two converter stations near Lovedean (UK) and Barnabos (France), along with approximately 238 km of marine and underground land HVDC cables and associated fibre optic cables, marking the planned start of onshore construction activities for the project.

In its PCI notification, AQUIND identified a future milestone titled "Procurement of Main Works", noting that procurement had not yet commenced but was scheduled for Q3 2020, when EPC contracts for the interconnector’s cables and converter stations were planned to be awarded.

On 2 June 2020, AQUIND submitted a new Exemption Request to Ofgem and CRE under Regulation (EU) 2019/943, seeking a partial exemption from the Use of Revenues obligations in Articles 19(2) and 19(3) for a period of 25 years from the start of commercial operations of the AQUIND Interconnector. This triggered a joint assessment and consultation process by the two national regulatory authorities.

By early 2020, Natural Power had undertaken marine cable route feasibility work for the AQUIND Interconnector, optimising the marine cable route across the English Channel and coordinating scoping exercises, the marine environmental impact assessment process and environmental statement production to support AQUIND’s development consent application.

AQUIND submitted a Development Consent Order (DCO) application for the AQUIND Interconnector to the UK Planning Inspectorate, and the application was accepted for examination on 12 December 2019, formally initiating the national planning consent process for the project in England.

In AQUIND’s non-statutory consultation documentation, the developer indicated a planned Final Investment Decision (FID) date for the AQUIND Interconnector in Q3–Q4 2019. This target FID was presented alongside other key project milestones such as planned energisation and first full year of operations, reflecting the intended timeline for committing full project financing and moving into construction, although the text describes it as a planned milestone rather than one already achieved.

On 3 June 2019, AQUIND Ltd launched the main works procurement for the AQUIND Interconnector by publishing a voluntary OJEU contract notice for Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) works. The tender, valued at around €1 billion–€1.3 billion, covers two HVDC converter stations at Lovedean in Hampshire and Barnabos in Normandy, plus two circuits of HVDC marine and underground land cables and associated fibre optic cables and equipment. The notice divides the scope into separate lots for converter stations, cables and accessories, or a combined turnkey package, and invites interested companies to enter a competitive process including NDA, pre-qualification and subsequent ITT phases.

AQUIND Interconnector was again granted listing in ENTSO-E’s Ten-Year Network Development Plan in 2018, confirming its continued status as a recognised European electricity infrastructure project. This re-listing maintained AQUIND’s position within the pan-European network development portfolio alongside other priority interconnectors.

In 2018, the UK Government designated the AQUIND Interconnector as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, recognising its importance and placing it within the national regime for major infrastructure planning decisions.

Marine geotechnical surveys for the AQUIND Interconnector were completed in the third quarter of 2018 as part of the overall marine survey programme, following earlier benthic and geophysical surveys, to finalise understanding of seabed conditions along the planned cable route.

AQUIND Limited states that the AQUIND Interconnector will be financed as a fully private project without government subsidies, using project finance secured against the project’s operational revenues once development consent is in place. This indicates the developer’s intention to fund construction and operation through non‑recourse or limited‑recourse project financing backed by future income rather than public capital support.

On 30 July 2018, the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy announced that the AQUIND Interconnector would be treated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the Planning Act regime. This designation moved AQUIND into the Development Consent Order (DCO) process overseen at national level rather than through standard local planning procedures.

On 28 June 2018, ACER issued a decision on AQUIND Limited’s Article 17 exemption application for the AQUIND Interconnector, deciding not to grant the requested exemption. This ended AQUIND’s initial attempt to obtain a special exemption regime for the project under Regulation (EC) 714/2009, although the company appealed the decision.

On 28 June 2018, the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) issued a decision not to grant AQUIND the requested exemption under Article 17 of Regulation (EC) 714/2009, following the application’s referral by Ofgem and CRE; AQUIND subsequently appealed this decision.

On 28 June 2018, the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) issued a decision on AQUIND’s Article 17 exemption request, deciding not to grant the requested exemption; this decision was later appealed by AQUIND.

MMT completed the geophysical seabed survey for the AQUIND Interconnector offshore cable route between Portsmouth and the Dieppe area and delivered the final report, confirming no major obstacles along the approximately 190 km surveyed corridor and providing data for EIAs and final design.

AQUIND and MMT commenced the offshore marine geotechnical survey campaign during summer 2018, following completion of the geophysical survey programme in Q1 2018. The marine geotechnical investigation analysed seabed soil conditions along the approximately 190 km proposed cable route between Portsmouth and the Dieppe area, with the survey programme completed in Q3 2018.

Terrestrial ground investigation (GI) surveys for the AQUIND Interconnector started in March 2018 and were progressed through Q2 and Q3 2018, providing onshore geotechnical data along the proposed route subject to securing appropriate consents.

Offshore geophysical seabed surveys for the AQUIND Interconnector were completed by Q1 2018, with MMT delivering the final survey report on the approximately 190 km corridor between Portsmouth and Dieppe to support Environmental Impact Assessments and detailed cable route design.

The AQUIND Interconnector was awarded Project of Common Interest (PCI) status by the European Commission and included in the EU’s third PCI list published in November 2017, recognising it as a key cross-border electricity infrastructure project under the TEN-E Regulation. This PCI listing, later confirmed by the European Parliament in March 2018, acknowledges AQUIND’s contribution to market integration, security of supply and decarbonisation between Great Britain and France.

Swedish contractor MMT began the offshore geophysical survey for the AQUIND Interconnector cable corridor between landfall areas near Portsmouth (England) and Dieppe (France), using vessels M/V Franklin and M/V Seabeam equipped with multibeam echosounders, side-scan sonars and sub-bottom profilers to inform final route selection and planning applications.

On 11 October 2017, AQUIND and French transmission system operator RTE referred the 2 GW Aquind interconnection project to the French National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP), initiating a public consultation (concertation) process to gather stakeholder views in France before the project advances.

In September 2017, AQUIND Limited submitted an application to the British and French national regulatory authorities, Ofgem and CRE, seeking an exemption under Article 17 of Regulation (EC) 714/2009 for the AQUIND Interconnector. The Article 17 exemption request, relating to the project’s regulatory and revenue treatment, was accepted for consideration and subsequently referred to the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER).

Benthic marine environmental surveys for the AQUIND Interconnector were completed in the third quarter of 2017 as part of the wider marine survey programme, providing seabed ecology data to support environmental impact assessments and route selection.

AQUIND commenced its marine survey campaign for the interconnector project in June 2017, initiating offshore investigations along the proposed cable route between the UK and France to inform routing, design and consent applications.

In March 2017, AQUIND Interconnector signed a Proposition Technique et Financière (PTF) with French transmission system operator RTE, establishing the terms for connecting the project to the French electricity network. This agreement represents formal acceptance of AQUIND’s grid connection on the French side and is a key regulatory milestone for the cross‑border link.

In 2016, following a corporate spin‑off from its previous structure as the OGN Group renewables arm, the AQUIND Interconnector business became a newly independent company focused solely on developing the AQUIND Interconnector project, with Kirill Glukhovskoy appointed as Managing Director of the independent business.

The AQUIND Interconnector was accepted as a project in ENTSO-E’s Pan-European Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) 2016, formally recognising it within the EU-wide transmission planning framework.

In September 2016, the British energy regulator Ofgem granted AQUIND an electricity interconnector licence, enabling the privately developed 2 GW HVDC link between the UK and France to proceed with development as a licensed interconnector project.

AQUIND Interconnector secured a grid connection agreement with National Grid in Great Britain in February 2016, formally establishing the project’s right to connect to the GB electricity transmission network. This milestone confirms that the system operator accepted AQUIND’s connection offer and put the GB-side grid access arrangements in place.