The key facts

  • Up to 14 years in prison and unlimited fines are proposed for deliberate damage to subsea cables and pipelines.
  • Subsea cables carry about 99% of the UK's international data, pipelines — 74% of gas supplies.
  • A 12-week public consultation on the White Paper has been launched.

Government plans

The UK government on Thursday published a White Paper with proposals to modernise legislation that is around 140 years old in order to strengthen the protection of subsea telecommunications cables, energy pipelines and power lines. The reason cited was growing security threats, including, according to the authorities, suspicious Russian activity in British waters.

Proposed measures

Deliberate damage to critical subsea energy and telecommunications infrastructure would carry prison terms of up to 14 years and stricter financial sanctions, including unlimited fines. New security and resilience requirements are planned for subsea telecom companies, obliging them to identify and manage risks to their networks. The government will receive additional powers to instruct operators to take protective measures against threats such as sabotage and espionage. Separately, measures are proposed to protect fibre-optic sensing technology, which can detect activity at sea but poses national security risks if sensitive data leaks.

Importance of infrastructure and quotes

According to the government, subsea fibre-optic cables carry about 99% of the UK's international data, and subsea pipelines provide 74% of gas supplies; power cables support energy imports from Europe and connections to offshore wind farms. Telecommunications Minister Ian Murray called subsea cables the 'hidden backbone of modern Britain' and stated the intention to modernise the laws with tougher penalties, strengthened requirements for industry and new powers to protect national security. Energy Minister Michael Shanks said the legislation would strengthen deterrence and help prevent, detect and respond to threats to energy supplies.

Next steps

The publication of the White Paper opens a 12-week public consultation, during which the government expects to receive views from industry, experts and the public.