About The Grid How the Grid Works Customer & Industry Library Newsroom Contact Home Customer & Industry Interconnection Interconnection East West Interconnector EirGrid Interconnector DAC owns the East West Interconnector which links the electricity grids of the island of Ireland and Great Britain via submarine cables running between converter stations in Ireland and Wales. It is a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) connection capable of providing capacity of 500 MW, flowing in both directions (import / export). We allocate long-term (or ‘forward’) transmission rights in the form of Financial Transmission Right Options (FTRs) on the East West Interconnector through auctions, which you can learn more about below. Celtic Interconnector EirGrid is exploring an interconnector between Ireland and France, known as the Celtic Interconnector. More information can be found here. Multi-Regional Loose Volume Coupling – CBA Feedback The Trade & Cooperation Arrangement (TCA) between the United Kingdom and the European Union sets out proposed trading arrangements to replace the UK’s membership of the Single Day Ahead Coupling (SDAC) market. Annex ENER-4 of the TCA sets out the broad requirement for this new market design, known as Loose Volume Coupling (LVC). Under LVC, the volume and flow of interconnectors between the UK and EU bidding zones directly connected to the UK are determined independently from the pan-EU SDAC market process. As set out in the TCA, a first step in the development of the LVC solution is the delivery of a Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA). Relevant UK and EU TSOs have worked together with their consultancy partners (CEPA) to publish this first stage deliverable which can be found at the link below. EIDAC would like to invite wider stakeholder feedback from across the industry on the published CBA report and the supporting presentation. While the TCA sets out a formal consultation period for the development of technical procedures at a later stage, general industry feedback on the broad design of LVC as set out in the report and presentation is a key first step in the progression of the solution. Please provide your feedback to EastWestInterconnector@Eirgrid.com or directly to any of the UK Interconnectors: BritNed Development Limited ElecLink Limited Moyle Interconnector Limited National Grid Ventures (representing IFA, IFA2 and NSL) Nemo Link Limited Industry feedback sessions are planned as follows: Thursday 29 April 2021: SEM - All Island Industry Forum Tuesday 11 May 2021: UK – EFET-Energy UK TCA Forum Tuesday 11 May 2021: UK – Joint European Stakeholder Group Please contact us or any of the UK Interconnectors if you would like feedback to be shared with any other industry group not listed here. Please click here for the CBA and here for the associated documentation. Trading on the East West Interconnector As part of new wholesale electricity market arrangements for Ireland and Northern Ireland, the Integrated Single Electricity Market (I-SEM) arrangements, the interconnector allocates long-term (or ‘forward’) transmission rights in the form of Financial Transmission Right Options (FTRs). An FTR Option is a hedging instrument that entitles the holder to receive payments based on the day-ahead price spread between two interconnected and coupled markets. FTRs on EWIC are allocated in auctions facilitated by the Joint Allocation Office (JAO), a Luxembourg based entity established for the purpose of auctioning capacity on most interconnectors throughout Europe. EWIC have prepared an I-SEM Trading Guide for customers on the FTR products being offered under the I-SEM. This Trading Pack seeks to provide interested parties with the necessary information to allow them to participate in auctions of FTRs on EWIC. JAO will be the single point of contact for the FTR market—handling registration, systems, auctions, and settlement. Parties wishing to participate in auctions of EWIC FTRs will contract directly with JAO. All relevant information for JAO registration can be found on the JAO Resource Centre. Auctions & Results JAO Auction Platform – Electronic Capacity Allocation Tool (e-CAT) FTR auctions are held using the e-CAT on the JAO platform. You can access the EWIC Auction Calendar 2020 here. Auction rules FTR auctions will be conducted in line with Harmonised Allocation Rules for long-term transmission rights (“HAR”) 5 and the SEM-GB border specific annex (“Regional Annex”) 6. Prior to I-SEM go-live EWIC sold a form of physical transmission rights between the SEM and GB markets on the Auction Management Platform, which can be accessed here. Outage Information Outage Information Forced Outages In the event of a forced outage of the East West Interconnector, the Allocation Platform shall notify the affected holders of Long Term Transmission Rights as soon as possible of a curtailment of Long Term Transmission Rights as per Article 57 of the HAR “Process and notification of curtailment”. Planned Outages Planned outages of the East West Interconnector are coordinated between EirGrid Interconnector DAC, EirGrid Plc. and National Grid Electricity Transmission. A list of the planned outages which are currently scheduled is available here. Relevant Documentation Below, you will find all key documentation relating to the East West Interconnector. Licences: EIDAC Electricity Interconnector Operator Licence (Ofgem) EIDAC Electricity Interconnector Operator Licence (CRU) Access Arrangements: EU Harmonised Allocation Rules EWIC Access Rules V 5.0 EWIC Access Rule V4.1 EWIC Charging Methodology V3.0 Approvals: HAR Rules Approval – CRU HAR Rules Approval – Ofgem HAR Rules Approval – ACER CER Access Rules Approval EWIC Access Rules & Charging Methodology Approval – Ofgem Access Rules Approval Single Allocation Platform (SAP) methodology and the SAP Cost Sharing methodology decision – Ofgem Decision, 13th October 2017 Single Allocation Platform (SAP) methodology and the SAP Cost Sharing methodology decision – CRU Decision, 25 October 2017 Interconnector User Forum: East West and Moyle Interconnector Customer Conference 2018 Asset Management Policy: EWIC Asset Management Policy Consultations There are currently no open consultations. See details of previous consultations below. Previous Consultations EWIC Interconnector Consultations Access Rules and Charging Methodology European Network Code Consultations Ireland-UK Long Term Capacity Splitting Rules Ireland-UK Long Term Capacity Calculation Safety Safety is core to how EirGrid does business. To determine if your proposed works may be close to the route of the interconnector, please consult our safety notice and refer to the following links: • ROI B-4-U-DIG • UK Line Search Before-U-Dig If you need any additional information, call (01) 2370924 (Ireland) or 01244 288 353 (UK). The Heath and Safety Authority have published a Code of Practice (CoP) on avoiding danger from underground services. The CoP provides practical guidelines to ensure compliance with legal requirements. It is available online here. In the event of an emergency relating to the East West Interconnector cables, EirGrid will be contacted immediately. The emergency contact number is 01 2370924. A detailed Irish Route Map is available here. A detailed Wales Route Map is available here. EWIC Biodiversity Project Find out more here. Contact Information East West Interconnector Tel: +353 (0)1 677 1700 Email: eastwestinterconnector@eirgrid.com Joint Allocation Platform Tel: +352 (0)27 62 38 38 Service desk: http://helpdesk.jao.eu Email: helpdesk@jao.eu EirGrid Main Reception Tel: +353 (0)1 677 1700 Email: info@eirgrid.com Emergency Number Tel: +353 (0)1 237 0924 EirGrid Group We are a state-owned company that manages and operates the transmission grid across the island of Ireland. Our high-voltage network brings power from generators, and supplies wholesale energy to heavy users. Our grid also supplies the electricity distribution network. We are responsible for a safe, secure and reliable supply of electricity: now, and in the future. We forecast when and where Ireland and Northern Ireland needs electricity: hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and year-to-year. 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