The Westport City Council has voted to approve a long-term lease agreement for a cable landing station in the Cohasset Beach South area in Washington state.
Developed by SEALink Networks (SNI), the cable landing station will be located across 3.5 acres at the Westport Water Plant, as reported by The Daily World.
The local government currently owns the Westport Water Plant parcel.
Whilst the city council voted 4-1 to approve the lease agreement, the Westport Municipal Code requires a second city council meeting on March 31 before the deal can officially close.
In a memo to the city council, Mayor Ed Welter estimated that after 30 years, the city would have received approximately $2.9 million in revenue from the lease agreement, should it be approved.
If it is approved, the project is expected to be completed in late 2027.
SNI has been majority-owned by Alaska Power & Telephone Company (AP&T) since January this year. It confirmed at the time of acquisiton that it was developing a landing station in Westport to improve subsea infrastructure across Alaska.
It is also planning fiber backhaul routes from Westport to Olympia and to Chehalis.
SNI shares its name with AP&T’s two existing subsea cables; SEALink South subsea cable, launched in November, and SEALink, launched in 2023.
SEALink connects Coffman Cove, Lena Point, and Petersburg in Alaska, whilst SEALink South extends from Coffman Cove to Hollis and Ketchikan, also in Alaska.
Reports say that despite Washington being home to numerous subsea cables, the state has not received a new subsea cable for more than 20 years. The last cable to land in the state was in 1999.
