Planning approval has been given for a new depot at Galway Harbour to connect underwater internet infrastructure to the mainland.
Deepsea Fibre Networks intends to build a terminal with two telecommunications cabins and one support cabin at the Docks to monitor underwater internet cables connecting European countries along the Atlantic Coast with the US.
This depot is meant to serve as a landing point for infrastructure in the proposed PISCES Cable System, (Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Connecting Europe System).
It is proposed as an upgrade to a single storey telecommunications terminal which was approved in June of 2018.
When built, the PISCES network will provide “improved telecommunications infrastructure from the United States to Europe and Ireland”.
The equipment which will be housed in the depot relates to the monitoring and maintenance of that network off the west coast.
It will contain a Network Operations Centre to monitor the PISCES network, along with other Atlantic internet cable systems, potentially.
It will also be used to support underwater vessels making repairs to the cable network, and house parts used for those repairs.
The compound will also contain two emergency generators with independent fuel tanks.
The city council granted planning permission with a total of 11 conditions attached.
The first condition emphasised that this permission applies only to “the Telecommunications hereby approved”.
“Any other works including cable connections are subject to separate procedures”.
It is intended that the internet cabling itself will land at Ballyloughane beach, and be brought to this depot underground.
More planning applications related to this project are expected to follow, including for underground ducting from Ballyloughane to the Harbour.
