Understanding the impact of Electromagnetic Fields from Interconnectors (BLUEFIN)

Completed

Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution)

Applied Research and Development

BIOLOGICAL AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES (Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES (Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
National Grid Electricity Transmission

Network Innovation Allowance

Ofgem

01 March 2024

31 March 2026

ENA months

£488,557

Power

London

Network Innovation Allowance

Project Contact, National Grid Electricity Transmission

Work package 1:This work stream will involve discussions with National Grid staff to understand the typical design of current HVDC systems (e.g., Western Link and/or the under development Eastern Link). Work package 2: This work package will undertake a more focused meta-analysis on this database specifically targeted at assessing the relevance of this extant body of work to DC cables and include species specific and life cycle stage analysis to inform consenting methodology. It will also include a discussion on the nature of the typical installation conditions for marine HVDC cables.Work Package 3: This workstream will involve construction of the experimental system building on existing capacity developed under the NERC BOWIE project. This will include the set-up of temperature-controlled tanks capable of holding sediment and individual invertebrate species, as well as the cable system developed in WS1. Once the experimental system has been set-up in the laboratory and the experimental EMF device (WS1) successfully tested, it will be necessary to collect sediment and target marine invertebrates. Work Package 4:This workstream will involve determination of benthic invertebrate behavioural and physiological responses to a range of electromagnetic fields that are produced by HVDC cable systems under different environmental (seasonal) conditions. Research on marine organisms has shown that species sensitivity to disturbance may be exacerbated at different times of the year due to variations in food supply or temperature variations that may be causing additional stresses on an organism"s physiology. Therefore, experiments will be set-up to answer key questions. Work Package 5:The impact of HV submarine cables of marine organisms. Key findings across all deliverables will be presented in a workshop with NGET staff. A discussion on implications for consenting of submarine projects will be presented, motivated by the results of experiments undertaken in work stream 5. Guidance will also be provided on the interpretation of extant literature on the impact of EMF on marine organisms. Consequences of project findings for future installations, e.g., Eastern Link and Southeast HVDC, will be summarised. This is a research project to understand the EMF impact generated by HVDC cables on the seabed species. Over the 2-year project, we will construct a device to produce EMF for ecology experiments, carry out literature review on impacts of EMF on Marine Organisations, collect organisms and set up the experiments, quantify the marine organism response to EMF, and provide the recommendations based on the outcomes of the study. As a responsible business, NG must identify the potential risks to marine life due to the EMF impact and the mitigation techniques that can reduce the impact.National Grid in parallel with this research are in the process of issuing group wide guidance on EMF marine impacts. The outcomes of this research will feed into this guidance. This research will help us in addressing the two main recommendations from the Crown Estate OWEC workshop as well as managing this risk to the business in the following ways:Understanding EMFs from marine cables to inform consenting impact studies.Literature review to inform current consenting impact assessments.   Address stakeholders concerns about uncertainty in the science and gaps in knowledge.Provide high quality research where currently there is considerable uncertainty.Ensure as abusiness we are adequately addressing environmental impacts of our proposed marine projects whilst enabling the transition to Net Zero.

High voltage cables produce electromagnetic fields (EMF) external to the cable due to the current flowing through their metallic components, primarily the main conductors. Accurately quantifying and understanding the impact of anthropogenic EMF on marine life is important from a project consenting perspective to ensure that the transition to net zero through the increased use of interconnector systems does not result in ecological harm. This project will focus on the effects of EMF on marine sediment dwelling invertebrates and intends to identify organism sensitivity to EMF by quantifying organism changes in species behaviour, physiology, and associated effects on ecosystem properties.

02/10/24