Pipelines and Cable Routes Printable Version
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Route Surveys • Pipelines • Cables • Awareness Maps
Route Surveys

Prior to cables and pipelines being laid, comprehensive knowledge of the physical environment and the potential impact on other users of the proposed route is required. High-resolution route surveys are undertaken to assess the geology of the seabed and the sedimentary and hydrodynamic processes acting along each proposed cable or pipeline route. In the Irish Sea, route survey data has been collected by Eircom, Bord Gáis Éireann and the Electricity Supply Board since 1986. The potential effects on other users such as the fishing industry needs careful consideration and those routes that could lead to conflict are avoided.

Cable Laying
Cable laying in a remote region of British Columbia, Canada. (Source: Island Tug and Barge Ltd., Vancouver, Canada)
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Pipelines

Imported oil and gas accounted for 82% of energy supply and Ireland's overall import dependency was 89% in 2007(Sustainable Energy Ireland, 2008). Oil is imported in tankers, and natural gas is imported via a number of underwater pipelines, known as inter-connectors,from Great Britain. Gas from Ireland’s fields situated off the southcoast of Ireland is also brought ashore via pipelines. Bord Gáis Éireann is responsible for gas delivery within the Republic of Ireland via its terrestrial gas pipeline network.

Natural gas from the Kinsale Head and Seven Heads gas fields off the Co. Cork coast has been exploited since 1976. A pipeline brings the gas ashore at Inch in Co. Cork from where it is then distributed to customers via the Bord Gáis network. Gas was recently discovered off the coast of Co. Mayo in the Corrib gas field. There are plans to bring this gas ashore via a pipeline which will then connect to the existing network. Work on an onshore section of the pipeline carrying gas to the terminal and cleaning station has proved controversial.

Gas Interconnectors
Two underwater pipelines transport gas from Scotland to the Republic of Ireland (source: Bord Gáis Éireann).
These fields supply only a small percentage of the national gas requirement and are expected to be viable for no more than another decade. In order to meet increasing energy demands and enhance security of supply, connections were made to the British gas network. The first interconnector pipeline from Scotland to Loughshinny in Co. Dublin was constructed in 1993 and a second pipeline, which brings gas ashore at Gormanstown in Co. Meath, was completed in 2002. Gas is also imported to Northern Ireland since 1996 via the Scottish Northern Ireland Interconnector Pipeline (SNIP) to supply both the Ballylumford power station and domestic customers. Plans are also well advanced to connect the gas networks of the Republic and Northern Ireland.

Gas Pipeline Controversy in Co. Mayo

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Broadhaven Bay through which gas will be piped ashore from the Corrib field.

Gas was discovered off the coast of Co. Mayo in 1998. Planning applications were subsequently made to bring the gas ashore in a pipeline to a terminal and cleaning facility situated in Bellanaboy. Controversy has raged regarding an onshore section of this pipeline, which local residents claim represents a serious health and safety risk. A number of safety reviews have been carried out with somewhat conflicting results and at the time of writing in July 2006 a mediation process between local residents and the gas companies concluded without agreement.

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Cables
Submarine cables have been laid on the seabed since the 1850s. The first transatlantic telecommunications cables went from Valentia, Co. Kerry to Newfoundland, Canada, a distance of over 3000km. More recently installed cables tend to be buried below the seabed but a significant proportion of cables are unburied on the sea floor and exposed to potential damage as a result of trawling and dredging.
Trenching Machine A trenching machine, for burying cables in the seabed. (Source: Nordic Offshore, Uddevalla, Sweden)
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 Cable Awareness Charts

Cable Chart
Detailed cable charts, available in a number of formats, are supplied by Kingfisher for all waters around Ireland and Britain. (Source: Kingfisher Information Service, UK)
 Kingfisher Information Service, which is a department within the Sea Fish Industry Authority (UK) are undertaking a cable awareness project. The aim of this project is to generate cable awareness charts and bring them to the attention of all parties involved in offshore operations (e.g., the fishing industry). The waters covered by the project include the North Sea, English Channel, Bristol Channel/Southwest Approaches, Irish Sea and West of Scotland (i.e. ICES Areas IV, VII and VI) - and hence include cables between the coasts of Norway, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Ireland and the UK. The charts generated by this project can be obtained free of charge in electronic, PDF or paper formats from the company.


Click here to view a map of cable locations around Ireland.

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