Cable Route Foreshore Works

Introduction

The Point of Ayr (PoA) Cable Route Foreshore Works includes the laying of a new combined electric and fibre-optic cable to connect the onshore power grid at the PoA Terminal to the New Douglas Offshore CCS Platform in Liverpool Bay. This is needed to supply power and upgraded telecommunications to support the receipt and distribution of CO₂ to the storage sites.

Phase 1 (February to early April 2026) involved installing an underground section of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) conduit under Gronant Dunes originating from the HDD Entry Pit [consented under FUL/000246/23] to a buried HDD Exit Pit at the Mean High Water Springs (MHWS) line.

Phase 2 is due to begin in August 2026 and will focus on the installation of a combined electrical and fibre-optic cable from Warren Farm to Talacre Beach through the underground conduit, and subsequent lay and burial across Talacre Beach and the Foreshore to the Mean Low Water Spring (MLWS) line, located to the north-west of the PoA Terminal.

This phase is expected to last until late October 2026, subject to project progress.

During this phase, the cable will be pulled ashore at Talacre Beach and installed between the beach and the New Douglas offshore platform by a specialist cable laying vessel (CLV).

The cable will be buried beneath the beach and seabed. Once the work is complete, the beach will be restored and no visible infrastructure will remain.

What works are taking place in Phase 2?

The works will involve:

Mobilisation of construction equipment and set-up of temporary working areas on Talacre Beach and at Warren Farm;
Preparation of the beach working area, including installation of a temporary platform, access routes and cable handling equipment;
Installation of a temporary cable route (roller highway) across the beach to guide the cable safely from the sea to the shore;
Positioning and anchoring of a specialised cable laying vessel (CLV) offshore, supported by small vessels;
Pulling the cable ashore from the CLV (known as the “shore pull”) and guiding it through the underground conduit (installed beneath the ground during Phase 1 activities) between Talacre Beach and Warren Farm;
Installation and burial of the cable across th and nearshore area using excavators in short, controlled sections, with immediate backfilling to minimise disturbance;
Continued installation and burial of the cable in the lower intertidal and nearshore area using a specialised cable plough, deployed from the cable laying vessel;
Offshore laying and burial of the cable from the shoreline towards the New Douglas Offshore CCS Platform by the CLV; and
Removal of all temporary equipment and reinstatement of the beach to its original condition, with no permanent infrastructure remaining.