LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

News Watch Home

Grid seeking remedy to cable issue 

Credit:  By Lars Trodson & Cassius Shuman | The Block Island Times | Fri, 08/10/2018 | www.blockislandtimes.com ~~

The sea2shore transmission cable, installed by National Grid as part of the Block Island Wind Farm project, can now be seen about 25 feet from Town Beach at low tide. The cable, which is yellow and black, was getting some attention on the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 8. The cable connects Block Island to the mainland.

Beachgoers were floating and swimming above the cable, which at low tide was about three feet below the water. The exposed section of cable is also about 100 feet in front of an area marked by 12 white buoys, which has been designated a “no anchor” zone, to warn boaters not to drop anchor onto the section where the cable is not buried deep enough.

There are 34,500 volts running through the cable.

Laura Dwyer, spokesperson for the Coastal Resources Management Council, told The Block Island Times that, “The CRMC met with representatives from National Grid and Deepwater Wind on Friday morning, and the CRMC is requiring the two companies to work quickly toward both a short-term and long-term solution. During the meeting, DWW and National Grid expressed that they are going to send a diver out for a visual confirmation immediately, and obtain a more detailed survey of the area, and are reaching out to their international contacts that might have experience with an exposed cable.”

“We will be meeting with them again in two weeks for their solution for immediate resolution, and again in September for proposals on a more permanent solution to this problem,” noted Dwyer. “The CRMC and other permitting agencies are taking this very seriously, and will be pushing National Grid to implement measures as soon as possible.”

Ted Kresse, Director of Strategic Communications for National Grid, said, “We are aware of the recent reports that the sea2shore cable and its protective sleeving are visible, at times, at low tide on Crescent Beach. We share the public’s concern about this visibility, which has been caused by the significant amount of sediment that has been lost in the area in the past several months.”

“While we share the concern about public safety, we are confident that the cable itself is, as it always has been, safe even if not fully covered by sediment,” he said. “The cable is built to deliver decades of service in extreme submarine conditions. It is very heavy and exceptionally well-protected and insulated.”

Kresse said Grid conducted monthly surveys of the sediment coverage of the cable over the past year, which “have indicated significant shifting of sediment and loss of sand on Crescent Beach. From what we understand, other parts of Block Island are also seeing a significant loss of sediment due to extreme weather.”

“This fall we plan on installing additional sleeving over another section of cable to protect it from potential damage from a stray anchor or other heavy object. We will be meeting with the Coastal Resources Management Council and Deepwater Wind [on Thursday, Aug. 9] to discuss the current situation and explore other options. We will keep the town and other officials updated accordingly.”

Jeffery Wright, President of the Block Island Power Company, said, “The cable is fully armored and insulated. That doesn’t take away that to stand on top of it is a little unnerving. Be respectful of it.”

Source:  By Lars Trodson & Cassius Shuman | The Block Island Times | Fri, 08/10/2018 | www.blockislandtimes.com

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon