Isle of Man to England Interconnector
OperationalIsland Link
IMGB
67 MW90 kV104 km2000Basic information
8 fieldsAlso Known As
Manx–England interconnector · Isle of Man–Great Britain interconnector · Manx Cable · Manx Cable Company interconnector · IM–GB interconnector · NESO TEC PRO-001291 · Isle of Man Interconnector · IOM-UK Interconnector · IOM-UK AC Interconnector · Isle of Man to England Interconnector · Isle of Man Interconnector Cable
Status
operational
Capacity
67 MW
Project Company
Type
island link
Expected Life
55 years
Website
Supply Chain (1)
Project Timeline (7)
22 Jan 2026Operations Other
By January 2026, the Isle of Man to England Interconnector had achieved 25 years of operation since commissioning, during which it had been out of service for only 26 days and had enabled Manx Utilities to both import and export electricity. Over this 25‑year period the 104 km subsea AC cable between Port Skillion and Bispham generated around £230 million in revenue, of which approximately £80 million was reinvested in maintaining and improving services, with an estimated 2 to 3 billion units of electricity exported.
2020Operations Other
In 2020, the Isle of Man to England Interconnector marked 20 years since commissioning, by which time a cumulative 1.5 TWh of electricity had been exported to the UK grid, generating £47 million in revenue for the Isle of Man. The AC subsea cable, owned by Manx Utilities, is used bi-directionally to import and export electricity between the Manx system and Great Britain.
Nov 2000Commercial Operations Full Power
The Isle of Man to England Interconnector, a 104 km AC subsea cable linking Port Skillion near Douglas to Bispham in North West England, commenced commercial operations in November 2000 following installation by the Manx Cable Company, a subsidiary of Manx Utilities, in partnership with National Grid. Its commissioning ended the Isle of Man’s dependence on local diesel generation, greatly improving energy security and enabling sustained electricity imports and exports between the Manx grid and Great Britain.
1999Onshore Construction Start
Construction of the Isle of Man to England Interconnector began in 1999, marking the start of works to install a 104 km AC submarine power cable between Bispham, Blackpool, and Douglas Head on the Isle of Man, with the conductor manufactured by BICC in Erith and Pirelli Cables in Southampton.
1999Cable Installation Complete
In 1999 the 104 km AC subsea cable for the Isle of Man to England Interconnector was laid between Bispham and Douglas Head, with the electricity cable bundled with a fibre‑optic cable and largely buried beneath the seabed along its route from Port Skillion to Bispham.
1999Cable Installation Start
In 1999, installation of the Isle of Man to England Interconnector’s approximately 104 km AC submarine cable began, with the cable laid between Bispham near Blackpool in England and Douglas Head on the Isle of Man to link the Manx Utilities transmission system with Great Britain’s National Grid.
Date TBDCable Supplier Selected
Manx Utilities and its partners selected BICC (Erith) and Pirelli Cables (Southampton) to manufacture the submarine power cable for the Isle of Man to England Interconnector, supplying the conductor and cable used for the 104 km AC subsea link between Bispham, Blackpool and Douglas Head on the Isle of Man.