6 Alpha Associates Completes Channel Islands Contract with Pelagian

6 Alpha Associates, the strategic advisor for managing specialist offshore risks, has completed a contract with Pelagian Ltd, a specialist subsea cable and hydrographic survey consultancy, supporting the Channel Islands Electricity Group in managing prospective unexploded ordnance (UXO) risk for the cable route for the Channel Islands’ latest electricity connection to Northern France.

With the Channel Islands looking to increase the amount of imported energy, and increase the number of installed projects to enhance their security of electricity supply, the project forms an important part of meeting the islands’ future energy needs.

The cable runs from Armanville, Normandy to Gorey on the island of Jersey.

Over the course of the contract, 6 Alpha Associates provided UXO risk mitigation advice, analysis of processed geophysical survey data and ultimately, sign-off the cable route to warrant that the UXO risk to cable installation works had been reduced as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP).

6 Alpha’s work began with a desktop detailed UXO Threat and Risk Assessment study to ascertain the likely or possible UXO threat, before moving on to collaborate with Pelagian Ltd to derive a marine survey specification for execution by the Purchaser’s survey contractor. Once the survey data was available, 6 Alpha reviewed the processed information to identify prospective UXO.

“Given the likely future energy demands from the Channel Islands, there is not only a requirement to ensure that this cable can be safely installed, but also to ensure that UXO risk does not adversely impact any potential future cable maintenance activity,” said Simon Cooke, Managing Director, 6 Alpha Associates.  

“Given the significant amount of wartime activity that took place in the region, and with other routes in planning, the UXO threat needs to be carefully managed.”

“As we have found in other offshore renewable energy projects, the issues generated by failing to adequately manage the UXO threat early, can lead to delays and a significant increase in project costs.  As a result of our work with Pelagian Ltd, The Channel Islands Electricity Group are aware of the risks posed and their approach to managing that issue has been exemplary.”

Tony Fisk, Managing Consultant and Commercial Director, Pelagian Ltd said, “We have worked with 6 Alpha successfully on a number of past telecommunications and renewable energy projects. For the Normandie 3 cable project, working with 6 Alpha has enabled us to progress the early risk mitigation phases swiftly and cost-effectively.”

“As cable consultants to CIEG on part of this project, we needed to quickly deliver an appropriate level of UXO threat and risk mitigation, and 6 Alpha’s structured framework approach was key to the project solutions, culminating in anomaly identification realised through a number of specialist contractors we brought together.”

Francis Murray, Senior Engineer and CIEG Client Representative responsible for UXO on the project, commented: “Given the future direction of energy needs for the islands and our desire to provide lower cost and clean, low carbon energy to our customers, we need to ensure that we install and commission the extra capacity provided by the Normandie 3 cable project in a safe and timely manner, at best value.”

In 2014, 6 Alpha Associates, was selected to co-author the CIRIA guide for the management of offshore UXO risks. The firm has also signed a long-term framework contract with TenneT, the European grid operator responsible for connecting all offshore wind projects to the German electricity network.

Press Release, July 14, 2014