Marseille wants to implement a strategy that will make the city a key player in the global Internet infrastructure, while preserving its environment as best as possible.
The municipality of the southern city has just launched a consultative commission whose aim will be to reflect on a “ a planned and regulated installation of submarine cables and data centers in Marseille. » The objective is to continue to enrich digital infrastructures as part of more sustainable development. A responsible strategy that contains several axes.
Marseille aims for the top 5
For those who don’t know, Marseille isn’t just about football. The Marseille city is in fact also a global internet hub thanks to its strategic geographical position. It is currently connected to 17 submarine cables, which connect it to some 53 countries, representing 4.5 billion human beings. It should therefore join the world’s top 5 hubs by next year.
But this important strategic position also brings its share of environmental risks. “ When a cable is abandoned, even if there is no break, it can move and produce exactly the same abrasive effects on the biotope as a metal chain from a ship’s anchor » indicates the deputy in charge of the coast Hervé Menchon. He also notes that the materials made up of the cables can, over the years, degrade and pollute the marine environment.
The creeks must be protected
Enough to fear for the famous Marseille creeks, but also the coralligenous areas. The municipality’s idea is to avoid going through the Prado beaches again, where the cables are found, and which is closer to the Calanques National Park, located to the south of the city.
Hervé Menchon prefers in this context “ that the routes pass through the Grand maritime port of Marseille, [basé plus au nord]because it already has a very hardened coastline, with equipment that is not likely to be modified. »
Consideration will also be given to the development of new data centers, which will require extremely high energy consumption. All of the projects currently in the pipeline will alone represent the annual consumption of 200,000 households. An excessive figure for the municipality.
Source : Madeinmarseille
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