Power no longer passes between London and Paris. Sunday evening, the Getlink group announced that the activity of ElecLink, its one gigawatt electrical cable between France and England, was suspended until November 16 following a “ dysfunction ».
The operator of the Channel Tunnel had already reported on September 26 a “ dysfunction » concerning this electrical cable, put into service in May 2022, which had “ leads to the suspension of its activity ».
This electricity transmission service made it possible to transport 5.5 Terrawatt hours in 2023, and its activity reached a turnover of 558 million euros for its first full year of operation.
Electricity: French market prices remain among the lowest in Europe
46 million euros in repairs
But the power outage shouldn’t last too long. In a press release published on Sunday evening, the group indicates that “ the investigations carried out made it possible to identify the cause of the defect, linked to a deterioration of the structure supporting the cable, outside the tunnel on the French side. The detailed plan of necessary repairs is being developed ».
« The estimated duration to date of the work is six weeks, bringing the date of resumption of activity to November 16. This date will be confirmed as soon as the repair plan is finalized. », Indicates the press release.
« The suspension of activity until November 16 will have a commercial impact estimated at around 46 million euros », précise Getlink.
Getlink sees its turnover decrease
Getlink posted a turnover down 14% in the first half of 2024 due to the drop in the price of electricity which affects the activity of the electricity link between France and England, while improving its profit . The group thus posted a net profit of 173 million euros, an increase of 7% compared to the same time last year, for a turnover of 808 million euros.
ElecLink, the one gigawatt cable which connects France and England, saw its turnover almost halved, from 330 million to 185 million euros over a half-year period in one year. “ It is the mechanical translation of the normalization of the energy market after two years where price volatility was exceptional. “, recalled Getlink CEO Yann Leriche during a conference call in July.
(With AFP)
