The construction phase of the Juan
de Fuca Cable Project would take about 15 months, beginning
in early 2007 and ending in the spring of 2008. Construction
would occur in stages, with installations under city
streets progressing at perhaps 50m per day. Construction
of the converter station would take around 7 months.
The construction phase includes:
Installation – Offshore/Marine
A mechanical burial technique will be used for this
portion of the installation. A ship-towed machine
will create narrow trenches, into which the HVDC cable
system will be laid. Once the cable is in place, the
disturbed materials will back-fill the trench. The
trenches will be sufficiently deep to prevent disturbance
by ship anchors, etc.
The preferred sea route was chosen because:
- It is the most direct route;
- The seabed consists of material (e.g. gravel) that
is generally suitable for trenching methods.
- There are no significant impacts to identified
Valued Ecosystem Components (which include both habitat
and species-specific features). Operations are not
anticipated to produce any lasting impacts to fish
or other marine species along the length of the cable
route.
Installation – Foreshore & Intertidal zones
Horizontal
directional drilling (HDD) will be used
to avoid adverse environmental effects. Drilling underneath
the foreshore minimizes disturbance to marine foreshore
areas.
As a result, the intertidal zone will be undisturbed
by cable installation.
Installation – Terrestrial
Beyond the intertidal zone, buried cables will generally
be buried along road rights-of-way and will connect
to the HVDC converter stations.
The preferred land route was chosen because it:
- Utilizes existing municipal or park rights-of-way
- Has limited environmental impact.
Prior to the construction of highway, road, and railway
crossings, Sea Breeze will obtain all necessary permits
and crossing agreements. All crossings will meet specified
requirements for burial depth and any open cut crossings
will conform to the backfill and compaction standards
of the applicable permitting agency and/or municipality.
Sea Breeze intends to bore under highways and railroads
where feasible and required. The cables will be protected
with concrete for the entire length of railway, highway
or arterial road crossings as required by the permitting
agency.
Features of HVDC Light® cable installation:
- Narrow (0.5 to 3 metres/1 to 6 feet), linear
footprint only
- Can avoid sensitive environmental features and
areas
- Mitigates concerns over archaeological resources
- Flexible solutions in developed areas: minimal
disruption and noise
- Cables allow for development (structures, other
installations) in very close proximity (1.5m or
less in some cases)
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