Survey on schedule for world’s first bi-directional subsea link

A geophysical inspection survey is set to kick off in October along the length of the operational WesternLink submarine HVDC interconnector in the UK.

The 390-kilometer WesternLink includes two HVDC cables that extend from Hunterston in the Firth of Clyde, through the North Channel, to the west and south of the Isle of Man and then towards the Wirral coast. 

The cables have a capacity of 2,200 MW and are buried up to 3 meters but more generally 2 meters or less.

Dive support vessel (DSV) Curtis Marshall will perform a detailed geophysical inspection survey along the full length of the route. The 26-meter vessel will be mapping a series of parallel lines along sections of the route.

Work is planned to begin on October 2 and could extend until November 5, subject to weather and sea conditions. Operations in the offshore areas will include multibeam echosounder and side scan sonar data acquisition.

The £1.3 billion WesternLink was developed as a joint venture between National Grid and Scottish Power. The project began operations in December 2017, becoming the first-ever bi-directional subsea link.

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