The Isle of Man to England Interconnector is a submarine power cable connecting the

transmission system :''See Transmission (mechanics) for a car's transmission system'' In telecommunications, a transmission system is a system that transmits a signal from one place to another. The signal can be an electrical, optical or radio signal. Some transmissi ...

of the

Manx Electricity Authority The Manx Electricity Authority ( gv, Lught-reill Lectraghys Manninagh) was a Statutory Board of the Isle of Man Government which generated and supplied electricity for the Isle of Man. In 2014 it became part of the Manx Utilities Authority when i ...

to that of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. With an undersea section of approximately , it is the second longest AC undersea cable in the world.

Route

It was laid in 1999 between

Bispham, Blackpool Bispham is a village on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, England, a mile and a half north of Blackpool town centre. Geography and administration The village is part of the borough of Blackpool, and generally considered a suburb of the town. To ...

, England, and

Douglas Head Douglas Head (Manx: ''Kione Ghoolish'') is a rocky point on the Isle of Man overlooking Douglas Bay and harbour. Views extend to include Snaefell Mountain and Laxey. General Until 1870, the headland was owned by The Nunnery Estate when Sir ...

on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

, commencing commercial operations in November 2000. It is capable of continuous operation of 40 MW at 90 kV (although other sources say 65MW at 132kV AC)

Structure

The cable was manufactured in two parts: one section at the former BICC works in Erith and the other at Pirelli Cables in

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

. It ended the Isle of Man's dependence on local diesel-powered generation. Power supplies to the island were increased in 2003 by an 85MW

combined cycle gas turbine A combined cycle power plant is an assembly of heat engines that work in tandem from the same source of heat, converting it into mechanical energy. On land, when used to make electricity the most common type is called a combined cycle gas turb ...

power station at Pulrose, in the capital,

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...

. The electricity cable is bundled with a

fibre optic cable A fiber-optic cable, also known as an optical-fiber cable, is an assembly similar to an electrical cable, but containing one or more optical fibers that are used to carry light. The optical fiber elements are typically individually coated with ...

which is used for telecommunications. The cable is owned by e-llan Communications, which is part of Manx Utilities. The electricity cable is used for importing and exporting electricity between the Isle of Man and the GB National Grid. The cable is mostly buried at around depth but is on the seabed surface at six locations with protective

cable mattress Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

es.

Capacity

On the 20th anniversary in 2020 of its commissioning a total of 1.5TWh of power has been exported to the UK grid which contributed £47million to the revenue of the Isle of Man. The amount of electricity sold to the UK since 201415 and the revenue gained each year was as follows:

Notes

References

{{Blackpool buildings Electrical interconnectors to and from Great Britain Buildings and structures in the Isle of Man Buildings and structures in Blackpool Electric power infrastructure in England Energy infrastructure completed in 1999 1999 establishments in the United Kingdom Isle of Man–United Kingdom relations High-voltage transmission lines

Route

Structure

Capacity

See also

Notes

References