TenneT launches biodiversity programme at undersea cable projects in North Sea

The plan involves the replacement of granite parts at three cable intersections with a calciferous stone originating from a marble quarry

TenneT has launched a new pilot project, which is designed to improve biodiversity at cable intersections in the North Sea.

At crossings with existing oil and gas pipeline, the cables rise above the sea bed and are protected with a granite top layer.

The programme aims to replace the granite at three cable intersections with a calciferous stone originating from a marble quarry.

It aims to help enable researchers to understand and assess the difference in the type of sea life that will emerge at these intersections in comparison to the intersections without small calciferous stones.

Saskia Jaarsma, Head Offshore Developments and Large Projects Offshore at TenneT, said: “Our expectation is that the calciferous stones will ensure that various benthic species will find it easier to nest here and that a different habitat will emerge at these sites.

“Over the years, artificial reefs can emerge at these sites in the North Sea, where plants and small creatures can settle.”

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