Subsea power cable protection
Fuerteventura, Spain
Subsea power cable protection
Status: Installation completed, marine wildlife flourishing along the cable in less than 1-year post- installation
The Goal
Red Eléctrica requested a tailor-made ecological concrete solution to protect subsea cable between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura along its underwater trench. The project aimed at promoting the integration of this type of infrastructure in the environment and its positive impact on the environment.
The Challenge
Red Eléctrica‘s environmental technicians tried, to make the 14.5 km route mostly pass through sandy areas but the only option was to cross a few meters of a rocky area where a trench had to be opened using the “rock trenching” technique. This required a technology capable of not only protecting the cable but also the local marine ecosystem and its biodiversity. The photo shows the installation a year post installation.
How We Built It
Red Eléctrica worked with ECOncrete to develop and deploy a bespoke ecological concrete solution for protecting the cable along its sub-sea trench. The sub-sea power cable between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, protected by ecological concrete technology, has enhanced marine biodiversity: Various species of fish, algae, sponges, crustaceans, molluscs and sea urchins have already adopted the structure as their habitat, presenting a clear ecological uplift in compression to standard systems.
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