Neutral
Informational - no clear directional impact
Medium Impact
Significant progress or notable issue
The initial 160 MW HVDC Cross-Channel link (IFA 160) was decommissioned in 1984 after operating for more than two decades between Lydd in Kent and Echinghen near Boulogne-sur-Mer. Decommissioning was driven by rising electricity demand in both countries and the limitations and outage‑prone nature of the aging mercury-arc valve equipment, and it cleared the way for construction of a higher-capacity thyristor-based replacement interconnector.