TSO confirms continuation of UK power coupling

Market coupling for day-ahead cross-border power allocations between the UK and France, Belgium and the Netherlands will remain in place "until further notice", Belgian transmission system operator (TSO) Elia said today.

Implicit allocations carried out through the EU's market coupling scheme will continue to apply to the 1GW Bitned interconnector with the Netherlands, the 2GW IFA link with France and the 1GW Nemo link with Belgium following the European Council's decision yesterday to extend the UK's deadline for leaving the bloc until 31 October, according to a notice published on the joint allocation office (JAO) platform. The TSO had previously extended existing market coupling rules until at least 12 April on the back of earlier delays to the withdrawal.

TSOs have issued rules for Britned, IFA and Nemo designed to allow the explicit allocation of day-ahead capacity on the interconnectors were the UK to leave the EU without a withdrawal deal. The Nemo link cancelled its first explicit cross-border capacity auctions because of continuing uncertainty over the UK's decision to leave the EU.