Projects
Mission Sellindge
Transforming a Fire-Driven Setback into an Award-Winning Success
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A midnight emergency: At 12:18am on September 15, 2021, an electrical fire broke out at the Sellindge Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA) Interconnector site in Kent, U.K. The IFA interconnector, a joint venture between National Grid and French transmission operator, RTE is a critical subsea electricity link between the U.K. and France. It supplies 5-6% of the U.K.’s power demand and electricity exports, providing revenue during periods of surplus renewable energy generation.
When the fire disrupted this vital infrastructure, National Grid’s first call was to Jacobs. After containing the emergency, the focus turned to restoration. The fire caused significant damage to the DC Hall (converter station) and the wider site. The IFA interconnector provides 2GW capacity to the market, with the 2GW interconnector physically split into two halves to provide resilience. At the time of the fire, the market had already been advised of a 1GW planned outage, but the fire took out the remaining 1GW, which left IFA entirely out of service.
The start of the comeback story
After receiving the emergency call from National Grid, our client of over 15-years, Jacobs was on site within hours, ensuring safe access to the control room and initiating safety-focused surveys to guide demolition and rebuild planning. This included details like safety cordons and advising on fall areas, staircase safety and other vital elements to keep workers safe. These efforts paved the way for the creation of Mission Sellindge, a team of industry leaders united to rebuild IFA with unprecedented speed and collaboration.
Jacobs led civil and structural detailed design and demolition support, including architectural, fire protection, mechanical and electrical building services.
Beyond technical expertise, Jacobs played a key role as Principal Designer, we tackled a significant challenge in updating and improving the original design in a short timeframe. However, arguably our biggest role was serving as the integrator between numerous delivery partners holding separate contracts with National Grid. It was imperative that all partners operated collaboratively to ensure Mission Sellindge did things differently from the start.
This mindset prevailed throughout the Mission team. It defined collective behavior and offered openness, honesty and transparency across the board. This improved safety and productivity levels under the immense schedule pressure and showed the real value of harnessing the five delivery model Project 13 Principals pillars: Capable Owner, Governance, Integration, Organization and Digital Transformation.
The first 1GW of capacity was restored by October 2021, just over a month after the fire. By January 2023, the remaining 1GW was back online, compressing five years of restoration work into an astonishing 16 months. This achievement was possible thanks to teamwork, advanced technology and adherence to Project 13 Principles.
“Following the catastrophic fire, Jacobs was our first call. You responded immediately and were on site within four hours, helping us to regain speedy access to the control room. Since then, you have led the civil, structural and building services design, demonstrating truly collaborative behavior, leading the delivery culture and helping us to engender new ways of working with all our contractor partners. Your leadership and behavior are helping drive the team to the very challenging program. This is helping National Grid safely return the asset to service in the shortest possible time.”
Five lessons we learned from Mission Sellindge:
Lesson 1: Collective Ownership Drives Success
Leadership instilled a shared mission vision, empowering all team members to challenge schedules and costs collaboratively. A no-blame culture encouraged swift problem-solving and innovation.
Lesson 2: Early Engagement Accelerates Progress
Engaging Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers early in the design process streamlined integration with all fabricators and expedited manufacturing and delivery.
Lesson 3: A People First Approach Boosts Performance
The demanding schedule required around-the-clock work. Leadership prioritized worker wellbeing with initiatives like a ‘Health Hub’ to support mental and physical health, enabling sustained high performance.
Lesson 4: Safety and Quality Go Hand in Hand
Despite intense time pressures, safety remained paramount. Automated systems and strong coordination ensured no compromises on quality or worker safety.
Lesson 5: A ‘Can Do’ Culture Inspires
An open, outcome-driven mindset fostered collaboration and morale. Workers across all levels supported one another to achieve the shared goal.
A Blueprint for Future Success
Mission Sellindge demonstrates the power of combining talent, innovation and a robust delivery framework. The team’s efforts have set a new standard for infrastructure restoration, earning accolades including having a star named after the record-breaking team.
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> 6 %
Of the United Kingdom’s energy demand delivered by IFA
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2000 MW
IFA is a high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) electrical interconnector
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70 km
The approximate length of IFA
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45 km
The length of subsea cable in IFA