Subsea Fiber
in the Energy Industry
10 Greg Berlocher
The Energy Industry has a long history of using fiber optic cable. For many years, fiber optic cable has been sent down well bores to collect data on the rock formations below the Earth’s surface which trap deposits of oil and natural gas. Some of the first fiber optic transmission networks were laid inside abandoned pipelines; the buried pipe reduced the cost of installation and served as armored conduit. Fiber is now the standard communication medium in refinery and other plant settings. The use of subsea fiber optic cable doesn’t enjoy as wide spread usage as in other facets of the Energy Industry, but its adoption has shown signs of growth. What is the outlook for subsea fiber in the Energy Industry? What will fuel its adoption rate? And what projects are best suited for subsea fiber optic networks?