Rue Joseph Stevens 7
1000 BRUSSELS, Belgium
www.nemolink.co.uk
PRESS RELEASE
05/07/2017
For further information,
please contact:
Nemo Link
Bert Maes
+32 (0)472 406 997
[email protected]
Nemo Link is demining seabed to safely
lay first electricity interconnector
between UK and Belgium
Preparatory works for the construction of Nemo Link, the first
subsea electricity interconnector between the UK and Belgium,
have been ongoing on both UK and Belgium onshore since 2015
and are now also being executed at sea. To ensure that the
route will be safe for cable installation, Nemo Link is detecting
and removing unexploded ordnances (UXOs) and other objects
from the seabed, over a length of 130 kilometers. The
Norwegian vessel “Olympic Intervention IV” is currently
investigating the Belgian deep sea waters, assisted by the
Belgian marine for actual disposals.
“UXO” or unexploded ordnance
‘UXO’ is unexploded ordnance that has been left on the seabed as a
result of historic military and other activities. During the World Wars, a
combination of bomber planes dropping their bombs, sea mines and
coastal artillery, contributed to significant quantities of UXO on the
seabed. Some of these items became buried under the seabed due to
the action of tides and currents.
During the Nemo subsea cable installation, UXOs could be disturbed or
activated, leading to a risk of explosion and an immediate threat to the
safety of people and the key assets. Therefore, it is required to identify
the UXOs around the Nemo cable route and to neutralize them, to
make sure the works can be executed safely.
Finding and detonating UXOs: a challenging operation
1200 potential UXOs were identified along the 130 kilometer cable
route via a detailed seabed survey, in the course of 2016. The Belgian
offshore waters are being inspected between May and August 2017
with Remotely Operated Vehicles, to check if these objects are actual
bombs/mines and to unbury the objects from beneath the seabed. As
of August, these inspection operations will move to the Belgium
nearshore, with smaller vessels and diving teams, and may be visible
from the coastline between Oostende and Zeebrugge.
If an identified object turns out to be an actual UXO, it will be
disposed. Until now, 17 bombs/mines were discovered: 6 in Belgium, 4
in France and 7 in the UK and most of them were neutralized already.
Belgian and French navy intervene for neutralizing bombs/mines in
their respective territories. In the UK, the Royal navy intervenes in
general only if the UXO is considered to pose an imminent threat to the
navigation channels. If not, the Nemo Link team takes care of the
disposal using special contractors.
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Rue Joseph Stevens 7
1000 BRUSSELS, Belgium
www.nemolink.co.uk
PRESS RELEASE
The UXO campaign mobilizes a specific resources and equipment, and
due to the weather uncertainties, planning can prove to be challenging.
Multiple weather factors, such as tides, waves and storms, influence
the ability of the robots and diving teams to execute their diving
operations.
UK and French offshore zones were already inspected earlier this year,
as the UK part of the submarine cable will be laid as of
August/September. The Belgium part of the Nemo cable will be
installed in 2018.
Further project planning
Nemo Link is simultaneously working on multiple aspects of the
project, in order to get the interconnector ready for commercial
operations early 2019.
The physical construction works on the impressive HVDC converter
sites, on both ends of the cable route in the UK and Belgium, already
started in September 2016. The electrical components will be installed
in the months to come. The installations works of the Belgian onshore
cable route (8 km) will start in September while the onshore UK cable
(2km) installation works are already ongoing.
About Nemo Link
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Rue Joseph Stevens 7
1000 BRUSSELS, Belgium
www.nemolink.co.uk
PRESS RELEASE
Nemo Link is an incorporated 50/50 joint venture between National
Grid Interconnector Limited, a subsidiary company of the UK’s National
Grid Plc, and the Belgian Elia System Operator SA. Nemo Link is
constructing the first electrical interconnector (1000 MW capacity)
between the UK and Belgium, with High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC)
technology, to be operational in 2019. Nemo Link will consist of
subsea and underground cables connected to a converter station and
an electricity substation in each country, which will allow electricity to
flow in either direction between the two countries. The project will give
both countries improved reliability and access to electricity and
sustainable generation.
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