Sectoral marine plan for offshore wind energy: social and economic impact assessment scoping report
Sets out the methodology and scenarios for scoping and undertaking a socio-economic impact assessment.
A.14. Telecommunication Cables
A.14.1 Sector Definition
This sector relates to fibre optic submarine telecommunication cables, which carry telephone calls, internet connections and data as part of national and international data transfer networks utilised for the majority of international communication transmissions. The telecoms and communications activity of relevance to this report is the laying, operation and maintenance of submarine telecommunication cables and their associated facilities such as sub-stations.
A.14.2 Overview of Activity
A total of 92 individual telecommunications cables are present in Scottish waters, 88 of which are active and 4 of which are no longer operating and classed as disused (Marine Scotland, NMPi). Figure A.14.1 shows the telecoms cables which pass through Scottish waters, which include international cable links and domestic inter-island cables. Information sources that can be used in the assessment are listed in Table A.14.1.
The overall UK telecoms and communications sector has recently been estimated to contribute approximately £45 billion to the economy and employ approximately 250,000 people across 8,000 companies ( MMO, 2016). A further preliminary estimate of the economic value of the UK telecommunications subsea cables industry to the digital economy values it at £62.8 billion per annum (Elliott et al., 2016). Defining the employment of the telecommunication sector within the marine environment alone is difficult given that that much of the sector is related to onshore activity ( MMO, 2016a). However, the only known estimate that has been published estimates that about 26,750 jobs in the UK telecommunications sector are marine-related (Pugh, 2008).
With regard to future trends, increasing use of the internet and in e-commerce has led both to an increasing demand for communication cables and for faster services which has meant that the capacity of cables has also grown ( AECOM and ABPmer, 2013). According to the UK Cable Protection Committee ( UKCPC, now Subsea Cables UK) around 95% of international trans-ocean traffic is carried by cable, hence, submarine cables will be vital for the foreseeable future (Baxter et al, 2011). However, there is little information available on how this sector may change in the future.
Figure A.14.1 Subsea telecommunication cables in Scotland
Table A.14.1 Information sources for the subsea telecommunication sector
| Data Available | Information Source |
|---|---|
| An economic and social evaluation of the UK Subsea Cables Industry | Elliott et al., 2016 |
| Information on subsea telecommunication cables in Europe | European Subsea Cables Association website http://www.escaeu.org/ |
| Telecom cables laid on seabed or buried underwater | KIS-ORCA http://www.kis-orca.eu/ |
A.14.3 Potential Interactions with Offshore Wind
Table A.14.2 shows potential interaction pathways between subsea telecommunication cables and offshore wind arrays and export cables. Based on the approach to scoping described in Section 2 in the main report, the table also records whether the interaction:
- Is not likely to result in a significant socio-economic impact on the sector; or
- Is likely to result in a significant socio-economic impact on the sector and hence will require a detailed assessment;
The rationale underlying this expert judgement is provided in the table. Where it is not currently possible to make a judgement regarding the likelihood of a significant socio-economic impact due to insufficient information (for example, in relation to the extent of overlap between a sector activity and the DPO Areas) the table indicates that scoping will be required to be undertaken once sufficient information becomes available. Furthermore, as described in the main report, there is currently no information regarding the likely location of export cable routes/corridors and as such, it is not possible to undertake a meaningful assessment of the potential for any sector activity/export cable interaction to give rise to significant socio-economic effects. Rather, the potential for any interaction will be identified in Regional Locational Guidance.
Table A.14.2 Potential interaction pathways
| Potential Interaction |
Technology Aspect and Phase |
Potential Socio-economic Consequences |
Initial Scoping Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Competition for space with potential future telecom cables ( DPO areas intersect proposed subsea telecommunication routes) |
Arrays (operation) |
Increased costs associated with new cable laying operations and cable crossings |
Any potential significant impacts would only be expected to occur where DPO areas overlap/intersect with future planned or proposed power interconnector routes that are likely to be constructed after agreements to lease have been issued in relation to DPO areas. The location of DPO areas is not currently available. However, it is considered likely that where there are current planned or proposed interconnectors routes are known, avoidance of this interaction should be possible through marine spatial planning. Scoping assessment to be completed once DPOs defined. |
| Export cables (operation) |
Increased costs associated with new cable laying operations |
Any potential significant impacts would only be expected to occur where export cables intersect with future planned or proposed power interconnector routes that are likely to be constructed after licence applications for array export cable routes have been submitted. Export cable routes are uncertain. Constraints inshore of DPOs will be identified in the RLG. No detailed assessment possible. |
|
| Cable crossings with existing interconnectors |
Export cables (construction) |
Additional costs to construct cable crossings. |
Cost of crossings will be borne by the renewables developer. No detailed assessment required. |
| Increased difficulty of access at cable crossing points with existing/planned telecom cables |
Export cables (operation) |
Increased maintenance costs for telecom cable owners/operators; loss of revenue for asset owners; loss of revenue for dependent businesses/customers |
Crossing agreements will generally make offshore energy developers liable for additional costs incurred by the existing asset owner. No detailed assessment required. |
A.14.4 Scoping Methodology
The spatial overlap between DPOs and existing/planned telecom cables to be assessed, once DPO areas are available.
A.14.5 Assessment Methodology
If a significant interaction between DPOs and existing/planned telecom cables is identified through scoping, further consideration will be given to the potential socio-economic impacts in consultation with the relevant telecom cable owner/promoter.
A.14.6 Data Limitations
As noted above, there is little information available on how this sector may change in the future.
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