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Flow over the last 7 days
About IFA
IFA runs about 70 km from the Sellindge converter station, near Folkestone, Kent, to Les Mandarins, near Calais, France. It has been in service since 1986. It is two separate 1,000 MW links, so it can keep running at half capacity while one of them is out for maintenance.
Like all of Britain's interconnectors it carries direct current, and power can flow either way. Which way it flows is set by the electricity markets at each end: power generally flows towards whichever side's price is higher. The live figure above is Elexon's, every five minutes: positive when power is coming into Great Britain, negative when it is going out. The chart uses Elexon's half-hourly figures, which GridMonkey records every half hour.
| Connects | Great Britain and France |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 2,000 MW, either way |
| In Britain | The Sellindge converter station, near Folkestone, Kent 51.106° N, 0.976° E |
| Other end | Les Mandarins, near Calais, France |
| Owners | National Grid and RTE |
| In service since | 1986 |
| Length | About 70 km |
| Technology | HVDC, ±270 kV |
| Elexon fuel type | INTFR |
Britain's other interconnectors
- IFA2 France, 1,000 MW
- ElecLink France, 1,000 MW
- BritNed the Netherlands, 1,000 MW
- Nemo Link Belgium, 1,000 MW
- North Sea Link Norway, 1,400 MW
- Viking Link Denmark, 1,400 MW
- Moyle Northern Ireland, 500 MW
- East West Ireland, 500 MW
- Greenlink Ireland, 500 MW
All 10 interconnectors, live → Every big power station, live → Every wind farm, live →
Contains BMRS data © Elexon Limited copyright and database right 2026 (licence). Facts checked on 23 October 2026 against IFA, JAO and GE Vernova. Position: Wikipedia.