Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution (SHEPD) has 112 33kV and 11kV submarine electricity cables in Scotland spanning 455km.  These cables are surface laid and can be subject to harsh environmental conditions.  These cables are high value assets whose current condition is difficult to assess due to their location on the seabed. Presently, inspections are completed via costly routine inspection of the cables by divers or Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV’s) which can only inspect the external condition of the cable.  There are no real time monitoring systems which identify cable movement, damage or fault locations (should they arise).

Objectives

The objectives of the project are:
·To have installed multiple fully functional DAS systems providing real time monitoring of submarine cables.
·Establish an effective communications method to enable real time alerts from remote islands to be received, investigated and actioned from asset management.
·Documented a baseline condition of the monitored submarine cables.
·To monitor for an extended period to assess for alerts from third party intervention, cable movement or cable faults.
·To have gained an understanding of the system’s suitability as a condition monitoring tool for business as usual adoption and its impact on asset
·Created a specification for condition monitoring best practices to be used on submarine cables.