BritNed
Cross BorderOperational
GBNL
1,000 MW450 kV260 km2011Also known as:NESO TEC PRO-000280
Status:Operational
Capacity:1,000 MW
Project Company:
BritNed Development Limited
Type:cross border
Expected Life:40 years
Website:www.britned.com
BritNed is a 1,000 MW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine interconnector about 260 km long between the Isle of Grain in Kent, Great Britain and Maasvlakte near Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with approximately 250 km of submarine cable and 10 km of onshore cable. It is a commercial link developed and...
Supply Chain (11)
Project Timeline (42)
20 Feb 2025Cable Repair
Following a power outage on the BritNed interconnector, NKT executed a swift onshore repair in the Netherlands, cutting and sealing the damaged section of the 450 kV mass‑impregnated HVDC cable, installing and jointing a new cable segment, and completing the works in less than 20 days from the outage.
2025Major Outage
In 2025 the BritNed interconnector suffered a major power outage after a fault in the high‑voltage direct current (HVDC) cable system was localised onshore in the Netherlands, temporarily interrupting electricity flows between Great Britain and the Netherlands and triggering an urgent repair campaign by NKT and the BritNed repair team.
Apr 2024Operations Other
In April 2024 BritNed introduced its first-of-a-kind "Buy Now" auction product on the Empire platform, using a Dutch auction mechanism to sell intraday capacity on the BritNed interconnector closer to delivery. During the first seven days of operation the Buy Now auctions allocated 1,984 MW of intraday capacity, with offers mainly in 5 MW blocks and some capacity secured as late as nine minutes before nomination gate closure, enhancing flexibility and convenience for market participants.
Sept 2023Operations Other
BritNed launched its next-generation trading and nomination platform, Empire, in September 2023, replacing three legacy systems with a single integrated platform for all capacity auctions, nominations, settlements, and reporting on the 1,000 MW interconnector between Great Britain and the Netherlands. Developed jointly with Supercharge from May 2022, Empire enables users to manage their entire BritNed trading portfolio via a modern GUI or full-function APIs, improving automation, operational efficiency and responsiveness to market developments.
29 Nov 2021Regulatory Other
Authority: Ofgem · Licence: Joint regulatory position on BritNed Development Limited’s 10‑year review and Financial Report under its exemption order
On 29 November 2021, Ofgem published, jointly with ACM, a position paper setting out the national regulatory authorities’ joint assessment of BritNed Development Limited’s 10‑year Financial Report for the BritNed interconnector. The document explains their review of the project’s costs, revenues and rate of return over the 25‑year horizon under the 2007 exemption framework and states their conclusions on the 10‑year review.
22 Jul 2021Regulatory Other
BritNed Development Limited fulfilled a key financial condition of its EU exemption regime by submitting a 10‑year Financial Report to Ofgem and the Dutch Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) on 22 July 2021. Following a preparatory workshop on 10 June 2021 where consultant Baringa presented a revenue study, the official submission provided actual costs and revenues for BritNed’s first ten years of operation, updated forecasts for the remaining 15 years of the 25‑year horizon, a revised internal rate of return, and supporting comparisons and statements for regulatory scrutiny.
10 Jun 2021Regulatory Other
Authority: Ofgem · Licence: Regulatory workshop on BritNed’s 10‑year revenue study in preparation for the exemption‑mandated 10‑year review report
On 10 June 2021, BritNed Development Limited organised a workshop with Ofgem and ACM at which external consultant Baringa presented its revenue study for BritNed. This session was held as a preliminary step to submitting BritNed’s mandated 10‑year review, explaining the methodology and results used to assess the project’s revenues under the exemption conditions.
1 Jan 2021Regulatory Other
Licence: Treaty provision confirming continuation of existing interconnector exemptions, including BritNed’s exemption
As of 1 January 2021, following the Brexit transition period, Article 309 of the Trade and Co‑operation Agreement between the UK and the EU entered into effect, ensuring that existing exemptions for electricity interconnectors, including BritNed’s 2007 exemption, continue to apply in accordance with the laws of their respective jurisdictions and their existing terms.
1 Apr 2011Commercial Operations Full Power
Following construction and compliance testing completed in December 2010, the BritNed interconnector became fully operational on 1 April 2011, entering commercial service as a 1,000 MW HVDC link trading power between Great Britain and the Netherlands via capacity auctions on the newly commissioned subsea cable.
1 Apr 2011Onss Commissioned
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