Presentation Description: Ocean uses worldwide are increasing and diversifying as advancements in science are enabling new industries to enter the marine space. Terrestrial urban expansion and right of way congestion also create a complex onshore environment for planned cable systems. Submarine cables tend to target connecting to specific urban centers along coastlines and must navigate amongst a myriad of onshore and offshore uses. Traditionally in the U.S., submarine and terrestrial cable routing have remained separate with few large-scale projects that require a sophisticated, hybrid marine-terrestrial approach. Marine science advancements and geospatial analytical techniques can generate a new frontier in cable route design, amalgamating constraints/conditions into a cohesive, GIS-driven routing assessment process that does not end at a beach landing. Instead, the same methodology can be applied to the terrestrial space to support clients in making strategic siting decisions that balance onshore and offshore risk. By leveraging geospatial techniques, along with the European power cable and submarine fiber optic industries’ expertise, offshore wind developers can utilize a joint marine-terrestrial cable routing methodology. Such an approach can find route paths of least risk, minimizing permitting requirements, and managing cable engineering needs. This presentation will describe this marine-terrestrial routing methodology through a case study, outlining the input variables and evaluation process.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of the presentation, participants will become familiar with the complexity and benefits of joint marine and terrestrial routing projects, in particular the specific and tailored nuances that must be considered in the onshore and offshore environments.
