‘Populist hobby horses rather than tackling the cost of living crisis’ Mayor responds to Queen’s Speech – Hackney Citizen

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Hackneys mayor Philip Glanville has responded to the Queens Speech, delivered by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, which outlines the Governments agenda for the next parliamentary session.

The speech contained 38 bills (pieces of proposed legislation) on topics including regeneration, policing, Brexit, education and energy.

Mayor Philip Glanville said: Three years after the Government first said it would level up the country, todays speech shows ministers still have no idea what it means in practice.

First, it was removing peoples say over local developments and attacking the right to protest or vote, and now its reheated planning and regeneration reforms that will do nothing to tackle Hackneys housing crisis.

If the Prime Minister believes he can rebalance the economy after Brexit by dressing up a few boarded-up shop fronts and making it easier to change street names, it shows the failure of his ambition.

Instead of tackling the cost of living crisis, todays proposals showed the Government seems more bizarrely preoccupied with needlessly privatising Channel 4 or rewriting the Human Rights Act doing nothing to tackle inequality or support families struggling in Hackney.

We welcome moves to reform business rates, tackle illegal schools and new SEND standards, all areas we have campaigned on, but these measures will only be effective with adequate funding for local government to provide frontline services after 12 years of austerity.

We will study the detail of these bills and respond when they are presented to Parliament, but others like the ban on conversion therapy dont go far enough,.

Three years after first announcing a ban on Section 21 no-fault evictions for private renters, we remain concerned that action has again been kicked down the road into a new parliamentary session, and call on ministers to bring forward legislation as soon as possible.

With the end of the lockdown evictions ban, soaring rents and weak protections for renters the Government can and must do more for those living in the private rented sector and squeezed by the cost of living crisis.

We support the Generation Rent campaign to strengthen this Bill, action by London Renters Union locally and highlight this report by Shelter that shows homelessness due to these no fault evictions is up 37 per cent.

From the delivery of new council homes to tackling climate change there are so many missed opportunities. At a time when Hackney is setting a bold agenda for action, all I can see is dither and delay.

The lack of meaningful policy in [the Queens] Speech showed a Government prioritising populist hobby horses over action to tackle the major issues facing Hackney and the country.

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'Populist hobby horses rather than tackling the cost of living crisis' Mayor responds to Queen's Speech - Hackney Citizen

Letters to the editor: May 6: ‘Pierre Poilievre is making a populist statement that the government plans to control society.’ Politics and digital…

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Federal Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre holds a campaign rally in Toronto, on April 30.Chris Young/The Canadian Press

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Re Canada Isnt Facing The Same Threat As The U.S. (May 5): In the 1970s and 1980s, Henry Morgentaler performed numerous illegal abortions and was arrested and tried more than once. Juries knew he broke the law but acquitted him anyway. The law had to be changed.

The best policy for the Conservatives is to affirm statements that, while some members may oppose abortion on moral grounds, the party will take no action to enact a law prohibiting them, as any such law would be unenforceable.

T.S. Ramsay Guelph, Ont.

Re When Lying Becomes Normalized In Politics, Democracy Suffers (May 4): Very true and rampant in the United States today, but not yet so much in Canada. Why should we care?

We elect politicians based on a series of facts and promises in their campaigns. As citizens, we pay their salary and retirement benefits.

If they lie, they are gaming the system. There should be an easy and straightforward mechanism to remove liars. In the private sector, employees are often fired for lying on their rsums. Should politicians be exempt? No.

Recalls may be the answer. To work, they would need to be manageable. Waiting until politicians run for re-election should not be the answer to redressing political wrongs.

Gary Raich Westmount, Que.

Re Poilievre Has A Point On Digital Currency (May 3): A central bank digital currency would be an alternative to cash and live alongside existing payments such as debit and credit. It would be built with privacy safeguards, equal to or stronger than those we have with banks.

Pierre Poilievre is making a populist statement that the government plans to control society. But he seems to miss the point that a CBDC would help those who are less fortunate and do not make full use of retail bank services, while having minimal impact on the rest of society who do not wish to use it.

Norman Shaw Associate professor, Ted Rogers School of Retail Management, Toronto Metropolitan University

I believe cryptocurrencies exist to monetize greed in the digital world, and it is nonsense to argue that bitcoins purpose is to displace currencies on any meaningful level.

I have yet to order a pizza with bitcoin. Libertarians and civil-rights proponents notwithstanding, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies seem to exist to allow unfettered speculation, with a side hustle of money laundering.

Ron Beram Gabriola, B.C.

Having all our financial data directly in the hands of the government is a frightening thought. Is the implication that banks are somehow more trustworthy than the government?

In a capitalist democracy such as Canada, the government represents our collective interest, while financial institutions represent only their shareholders financial interests.

Brian Lowry Fredericton

Re Every Canadian Should Have A Primary-care Medical Home (May 3): My primary-care clinic functions on a capitation system. It is paid an annual fee for each patient. Appointments are never rushed. Generous vacation schedules and time for medical education is built in.

However, the wait time to see my doctor is currently more than six weeks. If I have an urgent problem, I simply cannot be seen in a timely manner and a trip to emergency is the result.

Family medicine should be seen as appealing to medical graduates. Medical schools should take responsibility for ensuring that family medicine is seen as a go-to specialty that is financially rewarding and intellectually stimulating.

Without change, the Canadian health care system may look more like that in the United States, with devalued primary-care providers and growing emphasis on specialty care with all its costs and access issues. Giving family doctors more money remains only part of the solution.

Iain Mackie MD; division of general internal medicine, University of British Columbia; Vancouver

Regarding overflowing ERs and hallway medicine: Crowded emergency waiting rooms, ambulances unable to off-load patients and our vulnerable elderly warehoused for days in hallways are direct products of insufficient hospital bed capacity and home care.

By all means, lets fix primary care. But lets not believe that can solve the problem of delayed access to emergency care for the majority of Canadians.

Alan Drummond MD; co-chair, public affairs, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians; Ottawa

Nurse practitioners are underutilized outside of hospitals. They have the training, empathy and understanding to assist the public seeking answers or direction for a health care issue.

Working in hospital-affiliated outside clinics or alongside family doctors in expanded offices, a nurse practitioner could recognize a problem, provide initial care and direct a patient to an appropriate test or other health professional.

Throughout my surgical career, nurse practitioners contributed greatly to my patient care on the ward, in clinics and in affiliated health facilities.

Bernard Goldman CM; emeritus professor of surgery (cardiac), University of Toronto

I worked for a number of years as a registered nurse with a family health team in Ontario.

This was an excellent example of co-ordinated care: physician coverage seven days a week augmented with nurses and nurse practitioners, occupational therapists, podiatrists, psychiatrists, chronic disease specialists and geriatric specialists for our aging population comprehensive care in one spot.

This worked well for the 40,000 or so patients on that roster. Why cant we extend this to the rest of our population?

Policies and systems that work should be studied for effectiveness, then implemented and quickly, before the crumbling of our system worsens.

Angie Mackie RN, North Vancouver

Re Pensions Hold On To European Firms That Carry Russian Gas (Report on Business, April 30): I am an Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System member who is disappointed to hear about the pipeline investment associated with Russian gas. I am bothered by the thought of my retirement savings funding Vladimir Putins war in Ukraine, with fossil fuels that worsen the climate crisis.

Europe is rapidly investing in renewables to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and contribute to a sustainable future. It seems like renewables would be a better investment area for OMERS in the immediate time frame.

Paul Burns Toronto

Re Leafs-Lightning Game Delivers Realistic News (Sports, May 5): A more succinct headline might have been: The Leafs are back!

Michael Vollmer Burlington, Ont.

Letters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Globe and Mail. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Try to keep letters to fewer than 150 words. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. To submit a letter by e-mail, click here: letters@globeandmail.com

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Your brothers keeper – Philstar.com

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Whoever wins our election today has overwhelming problems to face on day one. Assuming the winner is sincere in running this country well and not to the ground, the first order of business is how to get us to think and act as one nation.

We are badly polarized and for similar reasons that America is also rather polarized these days. At the base of it is economics The rich have become richer and the gap between rich and poor is now wider than ever.

A large segment of our population is feeling increasingly deprived and frustrated. The economic impact of the pandemic made everything worse. They are ripe for the picking of populist politicians entertaining anti-democratic thoughts.

Indeed, there are observations made about a raging democratic recession around the world that populist politicians are stoking. Trump, for example, cultivated people Hillary Clinton described as despicables on his way to the White House.

The South China Morning Post cites a Pew poll of 38 countries conducted in early 2017 that found about 47 percent of those surveyed deemed to be less committed to democracy.

The tendency as measured by their willingness to support representative democracy or the alternatives of military or one-man rule or rule by experts is more pronounced in Asia.

SCMP reports that in the Philippines, 67 percent said they were willing to consider alternatives to representative democracy.

Political scientist Richard Heydarian notes that countries such as the Philippines have been making clear economic progress at the national level, but have not distributed its fruits equitably.

In the resulting emerging market populism, populist leaders promise quick solutions to seemingly intractable problems, such as access to healthcare or education, or the quashing of corruption and crime.

In the Philippines and I believe in some parts of Asia, such populists will appeal to the rising aspirational middle classes, Heydarian said.

This disgruntled constituency, according to Heydarian, includes people who went to second-tier universities, have stable jobs, and drive SUVs but still feel their social mobility has been hampered by a lack of access and connections that the elite possess. They have achieved some measure of success, but are not there yet.

I picked up a few government statistics from a PIDS paper by Dr. Jose Ramon Albert that describes the environment we are in.

First of all, Dr Albert said we should ultimately get bothered that around three out of every 20 Filipinos (16.6 percent) are from families with incomes below P 10,727 a month (if the family is a family of five), and that one in 20 (5.2 percent) even are part of families with incomes 30 percent less than this threshold (around P 7,528 a month).

As of 2018, the estimated poverty rate in the Philippines, based on the 2018 FIES, is 16.8 percent (equivalent to an estimated 17.7 million Filipinos in poverty out of a total of 105.8 million Filipinos in 2018).

Beyond poverty is income distribution.

The non-poor, Dr. Albert points out, is a very big portion of society, with a lot of inherent heterogeneity.

Filipinos in a family of five would be in the middle class if their monthly family income falls between P 23,000 and P 140,000 in 2018 (or around P 25,000 and P 150,000, respectively in 2020 prices).

Expenditure patterns tell us that the low-income class spends about three-fifths (56.9 percent) of its total expenditures on food, while total food spending for the middle- and high-income classes are about two-fifths (42.8 percent) and a-fifth (22.9 percent) of total expenditures, respectively

It is so socially volatile that many have little protection against shocks, such as job losses and food insecurity. Life for the vast majority of Filipinos can be very challenging.

According to SWS, the estimated number of jobless Pinoys is 11 million in December 2021 and 11.9 million in September 2021. Then there is the large army of underemployed, many of them unable to qualify for available jobs due to inadequate skills.

Thats the other big problem. Leni Robredo said there is a need to declare a state of crisis in education largely because of the substandard quality of education being provided in public schools. International assessments have placed us at the very bottom of a long list of countries in math, science, and reading.

Education already gets a lions share of the national budget, but apparently thats not enough. The UN recommends allocating six percent of the countrys GDP to education. We are only allocating three percent of GDP now.

We can go on with many more big concerns, but it is clear that the government and the private sector must work together.

Big business may complain and say they are already paying taxes. True, but we are in an all-hands-on-deck situation here now with the potential of a social volcano eruption at Alert level 2 or 3.

It is time the conglomerates get serious with their corporate social responsibility programs and bring it beyond PR values. Their business survival depends on social stability. There are many urgent needs.

There is hunger. The national Social Weather Survey of Dec. 12 to 16, 2021, found that 11.8 percent of Filipino families or an estimated three million, experienced involuntary hunger being hungry and not having anything to eat at least once in the past three months.

There is housing. It is a perennial problem and the private sector should start to help. With property conglomerates making money hand over fist and creating new billionaires regularly, this is something they should help solve.

There are many other examples and we can discuss them in future columns. Suffice it to say that we are all our brothers keepers. We are all responsible in making sure no Pinoy goes hungry, has a roof over his head, and every Pinoy kid gets the education he or she needs to break out of poverty.

Or risk our democracy being hijacked by populist politicians who will take advantage of our peoples willingness to give up some freedoms for the promise of a better life.

Boo Chancos email address is [emailprotected]. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco

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Your brothers keeper - Philstar.com

Johnson is neither a charismatic failure nor a tragic figure. He hasn’t made the political weather simply because he has been oversold – British…

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Ben Worthy and Mark Bennister argue that Boris Johnson as Prime Minister was overvalued and oversold.

Boris Johnsons leadership has again come under scrutiny in the wake of the local elections, which proved to be at the far end of pollsters worst case scenarios. Initially, the reaction from Conservatives in England was relatively subdued, though by Saturday one unnamed MP was muttering that the Prime Minister was killing our traditional vote and others that partygate was coming up on the proverbial doorstep. Significantly for a Prime Minister who made himself Minister for the Union, the Scottish and Welsh Conservatives squarely blamed Johnson and his scandals. Ministers are now having to publicly insist their leader is still an asset.

How, in the space of three years, are we here? Johnsons story as Prime Minister can be told through one of two narratives. One approach, lets call it the Shakespearean tale, is of hubris and nemesis. This is a very human story of a populist and popular politician with a common touch, brought down by their personal failings, all very apt for a leader throwing out threats from King Lear. It is the rogue who finally got caught, or the gambler who bet the house and lost. A second way of understanding Johnson, we can call the tides of fortune tale, is about context, and tells of a Prime Minister whose sunny optimism and sloganeering strengths on Brexit became weaknesses in the face of a deadly pandemic.

These two stories strike at the heart of how we think about leaders, and straddle the age-old question asked by Machiavelli, as to whether it is personality or context that matters in leadership. Do leaders manage to change the political weather or whatever their perceived power and authority are they stymied by forces beyond their control?

Depleted Leadership Capital

Each of these stories implies that Johnson was once strong and is now weak. However, using the idea of leadership capital, a rather different picture emerges. Leadership capital is the idea of a leader having a stock of capital or authority that they can spend or lose over time. It is based on three core elements: skills, relations, and reputation. Much was made of Johnson appearing to have deep stocks of leadership capital, and having the weather-making power to remake British politics however he wished. After months in power in 2019, one journalist claimed that Johnsons short period of time has been revolutionary, and his resounding victory means he can remake the country.

However, there is a different story of fragility and oversell, rather than fallen greatness or changing tides. To pick out a few strands, on close investigation his communication, popularity, and party relations are all more brittle than they had appeared.

Fragile Skills

Johnsons communication skills were always seen as his major source of power, though his skills were very far from the oratory traditionally expected. His set-piece speeches have been bizarre failures, whether a frantic diatribe delivered at such a pace that the audience looked bemused at a party conference or a key a speech to the CBI, which many hoped would set out a vision for levelling up, that instead focused on Peppa Pig World.

His influence, and supposed reach, lay in this informal style, coupled with an ability for self-mockery. His approach attracted attention, distracted opponents, and helped avoid difficult questions, often simultaneously. They also helped seal his outsider-ness while also sending messages to certain voters. Yet somewhere between 2019 and 2022, Johnsons style became subject to diminishing returns an inverse Midas touch. His informal style proved particularly unsuited to the pandemic response, from his continued hand-shaking to allegations of much worse off-hand comments. His false accusations over Keir Starmer around Jimmy Saville exposed his darker side, provoking dissent in his own party. At the same time, voters became increasingly unhappy with the lies, distortion, and untruths that seemed part and parcel of his approach.

Fragile relations

Theres a similar fragility to his popularity. Johnsons claim to Heineken status and electoral appeal rests on his time as Mayor when he twice won in a Labour-controlled city.

Yet data tell an interesting story of over-sell in Downing Street. As this YouGov analysis explains, since the 2019 General Election, there has been something of a myth surrounding Boris Johnson that he is (or was) apopularPrime Minister on which very little wouldstick. Theresa May was more popular than Johnson ever was, and his unpopularity has now plumbed depths Mays never reached. His popularity has always been relative, not absolute: it was dislike of Red Ken and Jezza that lost it, not love for Boris that won it. The myth of Johnson as a different and popular politician was pushed along by media portrayals of a man who supposedly did quadratic equations to relax, and Conservative MPs hoping it was true.

This is not to say Johnsons presence didnt count at certain points. There was clearly a Boris effect in 2016 and one study of Brexit concluded that he had a particularly important effect if you liked Boris then even after controlling for a host of other factors you were significantly more likely to vote for Brexit. Again in 2019, Johnsons impact was important but in a rather more narrow way of attracting parts of the leave vote, and was less about his popularity and more Jeremy Corbyns unpopularity.

But by 2022, Johnsons electoral coalition of Red and Blue Walls, supposed to be the basis of new settlement in English politics, looks now increasingly fragile and unstable. After the 2022 local elections, it appears the Blue Wall is crumbling under the pressure of the Lib-Dems. In the famous Red Wall, as this Sky News analysis explains, the average voter didnt like Boris Johnson any more than in other parts of the country. It was just that there were Leave voters there in higher numbers.

Fragile Reputation

A final area of brittleness is his own party, which is as divided as the voting coalition which created it. Johnson should have presided over a group of MPs grateful for his election victory and getting Brexit done. His MPs have proved to be appreciative of nothing, making his current 73-seat majorityextraordinarily shaky. He has faced rebellions on a whole range of issues, from NHS parking charges to lockdown laws. Instead of a Prime Minister passing laws and making changes to embed a reputation, there were continual U-turns and shifts. Since October 2021 and the Owen Paterson vote, relations have soured with the Conservative Parliamentary Party, with only events putting off a leadership challenge over the rumbling partygate saga.

Johnson is neither a charismatic failure nor a tragic figure. He hasnt made the weather simply because he has been oversold. As others have pointed out, Johnsons time in office increasingly resembles Berlusconis: a supposed outsider promising change, coming to power amid a politics in deep flux, and sitting atop an unwieldly coalition and polarised country. Both were masters of over-promising and saying much (often controversially) but doing little. They even share a love of (unbuilt) bridges. But like Berlusconi, will it be scandal that finally removes him?

___________________

About the Authors

Ben Worthyis a Senior Lecturer in Politics at Birkbeck, University of London.

Mark Bennister is Associate Professor in Politics at the University of Lincoln.

Featured image credit: by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street on Flickr underCC BY-NC-ND 2.0 licence.

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Johnson is neither a charismatic failure nor a tragic figure. He hasn't made the political weather simply because he has been oversold - British...

Pakistan’s new fault lines: Political polarisation and defiance of institutions – asianews.network

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May 10, 2022

ISLAMABAD PAKISTANS enduring political fault lines are well known. But newer ones have emerged to make the political environment more challenging if not combustible.

Key among the more long-standing fault lines are ceaseless government-opposition confrontations and the countrys persisting structural economic problems, which the lack of political consensus has left unresolved. These have been consequential for the country and have undermined both the evolution of democracy as well as economic and political stability. They continue to be perpetuated by tediously recurring conduct and policies.

New fault lines may resemble long prevailing ones but are distinct in many ways. The most obvious is the political polarisation that today characterises the country. There are few if any precedents of this even though divisive politics is not new. This polarisation has divided people, society and families as never before along intensely partisan lines. The brand of populist politics practised by PTI, with its either-with-us-or-against-us stance, has drawn rigid political battle lines especially with its leaders now casting all its opponents as venal, unpatriotic and pawns of foreign powers. Its narrative of being ousted from office by a foreign conspiracy finds ready believers among its base of angry urban youth who are willing to discard facts. This narrative also helps to delegitimise opponents in the eyes of its followers. The xenophobic nationalism purveyed by its leaders is sowing further division in the country.

Polarisation and the narrative defining its contours has meant that politics has assumed the form of ferocious political warfare in which opponents have to be eliminated from the political scene in a terminal conflict and not competed with, much less accommodated. This take-no-prisoners approach has erased any middle or meeting ground and ruled out any possibility of bridging the divide. Extreme partisanship is making the working of the political system near impossible.

True that democracies elsewhere are also floundering in the face of intolerant populist forces polarising their societies. But that only testifies to how democratic systems are being challenged because of weak commitment to democratic norms by demagogues, rising intolerance and lack of restraint in politics. In fact, democracy is rendered dysfunctional when denuded of the essential ingredients to make it work tolerance, consensus and accommodating the interests and views of others. The danger Pakistan faces today is of democratic backsliding.

An aspect of the countrys polarised politics is how this has injected a toxic quality into political conversation and debased what passes for debate. The language and political narratives deployed by party leaders increasingly flout the basic norms of civility.

Politics has, of course, never been polite in Pakistan. The 1990s, for example, saw a good deal of political name-calling, character assassination, and accusations of disloyalty to the country, with top leaders frequently dubbed as security risks. But the political culture today has sunk to even lower depths of incivility.

Provocative rhetoric and statements that routinely fail the truth test are made with abandon and with no regard for the consequences. The no-holds-barred vilification of opponents has also meant insults have become a principal political weapon. The weaponisation of politics has spawned a culture permeated by incendiary allegations and norm-breaking behaviour. The political fabric is now in danger of being perverted on a more lasting basis.

Weaponisation of politics has spawned a culture of norm-breaking conduct.

There is no doubt that social media has amplified the countrys polarisation and reinforced this political fault line. Again, this is part of a broader worldwide trend. Demagogues and their followers elsewhere have vigorously used digital platforms for political gain by purveying misleading information to manipulate opinion. Here the social media has become a new arena or war zone for a political battle aimed mostly at maligning opponents and disseminating sensational revelations about them.

Recent weeks have seen malicious campaigns by supporters of the former ruling party not only against leaders of the coalition government but also against the countrys military and judicial authorities. Accusations of no less than treachery have been made against almost anyone who doesnt support this party.

Anonymity on digital platforms gives party activists deniability and frees their trolls from fear of any retribution. That encourages them to continue efforts to create an alternate reality by spreading false information. The foreign conspiracy/imported government narrative, for example, has been trending on Twitter for weeks even though it doesnt rest on a shred of evidence.

Apart from influencing gullible minds, social medias magnifying power generates paranoia by such messages and promotes a hollow form of nationalism in this post-truth environment. By playing off and reinforcing polarisation, messages spread through digital channels that call out others as traitors, are not just deeply offensive but also corrosive of the political system.

This brings up another new political fault line. Defiance of institutions be it the judiciary, parliament or the Election Commission, when they do not deliver decisions that suit a particular political party, encourages disrespect for them, breeds cynicism and widens divisions in society. This is now happening on a scale rarely witnessed before.

Supreme Court judges have been the target of criticism by PTI leaders who have also demanded the resignation of the chief election commissioner. This has translated among the partys supporters into a blanket rejection of these institutions and refusal to accept their decisions. The most damaging consequence of this is that it rules out resolution of political disputes through institutional means.

Unwillingness to play by the rules is hugely destabilising for the political system. It can also sow public disorder and lead to a chaotic situation that poses a danger to the democratic system itself. This, sadly, is where the current political situation may be headed today.

We have seen in other parts of the world, including our neighbourhood, populist demagogues show contempt for their nations constitution and its institutions and upend democratic norms. The question is whether Pakistans fragile democracy can survive such assaults at a time when social cohesion itself is at risk from old and new fault lines.

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Pakistan's new fault lines: Political polarisation and defiance of institutions - asianews.network

Total, Duke are winners of latest U.S. offshore wind auction – Reuters

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May 11 (Reuters) - France-based TotalEnergies and U.S. power company Duke Energy Corp (DUK.N) each won offshore wind leases in federal waters off the coast of North and South Carolina on Wednesday, the Interior Department said in a statement.

The auction generated $315 million in winning bids, split between Duke at $155 million and TotalEnergies at $160 million. It was TotalEnergies' second U.S. offshore wind lease secured this year.

The sale is part of a broad U.S. government push to put wind turbines in federal waters along every U.S. coastline. U.S. President Joe Biden has said the nascent offshore wind industry will create good-paying jobs while creating the carbon-free electricity needed to combat climate change.

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"Today's lease sale is further proof that there is strong industry interest and that America's clean energy transition is here," Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement.

Combined, the leases cover 110,091 acres (44,552 hectares) in the Carolina Long Bay area. Once developed, they could generate 1.3 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, or enough to power half a million homes, according to the Interior Department.

The auction total was far less than the $4.37 billion in high bids generated at a February wind auction for leases off the coast of New York and New Jersey. Northeastern leases were widely seen as more attractive due to the region's high power prices and state mandates to procure offshore wind power.

TotalEnergies paid $795 million for a lease at the New York Bight auction. The company could not immediately be reached for comment.

A trade group noted that the Carolina sale's winning bids were 17 times higher than a winning bid in the same region five years ago.

"With three separate wind projects now in the area, and potentially more on the way, the Carolinas are positioned to be the next American offshore wind hub," National Ocean Industries Association President Erik Milito said in a statement.

The auction marked Duke's first foray into the U.S. offshore wind market. The company is the owner of regulated utilities in North Carolina, and is working with state regulators to achieve a state goal to reduce power sector emissions by 70% below 2005 levels by 2030.

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Reporting by Nichola Groom, additional reporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Kirsten Donovan, Bernard Orr and Bill Berkrot

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Total, Duke are winners of latest U.S. offshore wind auction - Reuters

rsted Trials Turning Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations Into Safe Havens For Corals – Sustainable Brands

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The first-of-its-kind ReCoral by rsted project aims to implement a non-invasive approach for restoring the health of coral reef ecosystems by growing healthy coral colonies on the foundations of offshore wind turbines.

Danish sustainable energy company rsted is planning a world-firstattempt to support coral reefs by growing corals on offshore wind turbinefoundations. Together with Taiwanese partners, the company will test the conceptin the tropical waters of Taiwan this summer. The goal is to determinewhether corals can be successfully grown on offshore wind turbine foundationsand to evaluate the potential positive biodiversity impact of scaling up theinitiative.

According to the UN EnvironmentProgramme,coral reefs provide habitat for an estimated 32 percent of all marine speciesand benefit 1 billion people worldwide, directly or indirectly. But increasedsea temperatures due to climate change and common chemicals in products such assunscreenare threatening the survival of tropical coral reefecosystems,adding to the global biodiversity crisis.

Climate change is becoming the biggest driver of biodiversity loss, and asubstantial expansion of offshore wind is central to tackling these interlinkedcrises. Governments are planning a significant build-out of green energyinfrastructure at sea; if done right, rsted believes the expansion of offshorewind energy needed to fight climate change can also integrate solutions thatsupport and enhance oceanbiodiversity.

The ReCoral byrstedproject aims to implement a non-invasive approach for collecting surplusindigenous coral spawn as it washes ashore and for growing healthy coralcolonies on the foundations of nearby offshore wind turbines.

Increased surface temperatures in shallow waters can lead to coral bleaching.At offshore wind farm locations further offshore, temperatures are more stabledue to vertical mixing in the water column, preventing extreme temperatureincreases.

The idea behind ReCoral is that the relatively stable water temperatures atoffshore wind farm locations will limit the risk of coral bleaching and allowhealthy corals to grow on wind turbine foundations. Corals will be grown closeto the water's surface to ensure sufficient sunlight.

In 2020, biologists and marine specialists in rsted teamed up with private andacademic coral experts to mature and test the concept. In 2021, the ReCoral teamsuccessfully grew juvenile corals on underwater steel and concrete substrates ata quayside test facility for the first time. The first trial will begin in Juneat the Greater Changhua offshore wind farms in Taiwan to test the concept inopen waters on four separate wind turbine foundations.

Governments are preparing a significant expansion of offshore wind energy;and Im confident that if done right, the offshore wind build-out can supportand enhance ocean biodiversity, says Mads Nipper, Group President and CEO ofrsted. If we succeed with ReCoral and the concept proves to be scalable,this rsted innovation could create a significant positive impact on oceanbiodiversity.

Together with the Penghu Marine Biology Research Center in Taiwan, rstedhas developed a non-invasive methodology for coral seeding, in vitrofertilization, larvae transport and larvae attachment to wind turbinefoundations. Rather than removing anything from existing coral ecosystems,ReCorals non-invasive approach relies on the collection of surplus coral-eggbundles that wash up on shorelines and would not otherwise survive.

If the trial is successful, rsted will explore opportunities for scaling up theinitiative with the ultimate aim of using additional coral larvae generated atoffshore wind farm locations to restore and enhance threatened near-shore reefsystems. Scaling the initiative could also be critical in helping rsted achieveits ambition to deliver a net-positive impact onbiodiversityacross all of its new energy projects, from 2030 at the latest.

Were excited to take part in such a great initiative and partner up with theworlds most significant player in offshore wind, says Hern-Yi Hsieh,Director of Penghu Marine Biology Research Center. Environmental protectionand marine biodiversity will continue to be one of the key topics of the worldin the coming decade. Were honored to participate in the project, and we lookforward to more such initiatives in the future.

The ReCoral concept could be applied to offshore foundations of any kind intropical waters around the world. rsted will share learnings and the techniqueswith the broader coral conservation community and with other wind farmdevelopers, expecting that the findings will be useful regardless of whether theReCoral pilot succeeds.

Published May 10, 2022 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST

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Italy working on incentives for offshore wind projects – Reuters

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A wind turbine is pictured in the southern German town of Schonach, January 6, 2008. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

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MILAN, May 11 (Reuters) - The Italian government is working on incentives to boost the roll-out of offshore wind facilities, Italys energy transition minister said on Wednesday.

"Incentive mechanisms are in the programming phase," Roberto Cingolani said, answering questions from members of parliament.

Besides subsidies, Cingolani said offshore wind would also receive grants from Italys national Recovery Fund plan.

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Rome is keen to speed up the build-out of renewable energy plants to help achieve climate goals and cut its reliance on Russian gas.

It has introduced a series of measures aimed at simplifying the permitting process to attract investors.

Cingolani said last year more than 60 developers had expressed interest in building offshore wind farms. These include ERG (ERG.MI), Eni (ENI.MI), Saipem (SPMI.MI), EDF-owned Edison (EDF.PA) and Fincantieri (FCT.MI). read more

The overall generation capacity was well above the 2030 capacity target laid out in Italys latest energy plan.

"There has been an openness of operators to invest (in offshore wind) that is way above expectations, he said.

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Reporting by Stephen Jewkes; Editing by Lisa Shumaker

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Norway to ramp up offshore wind in drive to go green – Reuters.com

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General view of the Walney Extension offshore wind farm operated by Orsted off the coast of Blackpool, Britain September 5, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble

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OSLO, May 11 (Reuters) - Norway unveiled plans on Wednesday for a major expansion in offshore wind energy by 2040, aiming to turn a country that has built its wealth on oil and gas into an exporter of renewable electricity.

The centre-left government, which has come under fire from environmentalists for continuing to support the oil and gas industry, set a target to develop 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity by 2040.

"This would nearly double our power output," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told a news conference.

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Norway, which says the world still needs its oil in gas during the transition to a cleaner energy future, believes developing offshore wind will allow it to build on the know-how of its existing energy industry.

A wide range of utilities, oil and gas firms and engineering companies have lined up to develop offshore power projects in Norway, including Equinor (EQNR.OL), Shell (SHEL.L), BP (BP.L), Orsted (ORSTED.CO) and Eni (ENI.MI). read more

Norway needs more power for domestic consumption, but the new plan far exceeds the expected demand from households and industry.

"A significant portion of the electricity will be exported to other countries," the government said in a statement.

To date, Norway has opened two North Sea areas for development of up to 4.5 GW of bottom-fixed and floating offshore wind, with a first tender for 1.5 GW expected later this year. read more

Licensing rounds for new acreage will be held at regular intervals from 2025 onwards, the government said.

Grid connections would be considered on a case by case basis and could feature hybrid cables, which connect to several markets at the same time, or direct cables to single destinations, so-called radial cables, to Europe and Norway.

Industry executives, labour unions and some opposition parties had also called for a longer-term target to help provide predictability for supply chain investments in Norway.

The domestic energy industry, which had criticised the government for moving too slowly, welcomed the government's ambition.

"This will lay the foundation for industrial ocean wind development," the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association said in a statement.

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Reporting by Nora BuliEditing by Terje Solsvik and Mark Potter

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Norway to ramp up offshore wind in drive to go green - Reuters.com

SBM Offshore’s turnkey business drives jump in quarterly revenue – Reuters

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May 12 (Reuters) - Oil and gas services group SBM Offshore (SBMO.AS) on Thursday reported a 89% jump in first-quarter revenue, as the Dutch firm benefitted from the sale of stakes in two floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels.

SBM's turnkey business, which builds and sells floating production and storage vessels to oil and gas firms, saw its revenue grow 269% to $565 million in the quarter, driven by a higher contribution from the divestment of a 45% interest in FPSOs Alexandre de Gusmo and Almirante Tamandar.

Chief Executive Bruno Chabas said the group continued to adapt to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased pressure on the global supply chain resulting from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

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A global rush to secure more oil and gas after Russia's invasion of Ukraine is reshaping energy markets and creating supply bottlenecks.

The company posted revenue of $970 million for the first three months of 2022, compared with $513 million a year earlier.

The group also confirmed its full-year guidance for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of about $900 million and a revenue of above $3.1 billion.

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Reporting by Anait Miridzhanian and Elena Vardon; editing by Milla Nissi

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SBM Offshore's turnkey business drives jump in quarterly revenue - Reuters

Oregon fishermen protest offshore wind farm proposal in Coos Bay – Jefferson Public Radio

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Members of the fishing industry are planning a protest Tuesday night to voice their concerns over offshore wind development in Oregon, and to ensure they are involved in choosing the location of turbines.

Offshore wind energy production remains fairly untapped throughout the country. No offshore wind farms have been built off the West Coast. That could soon change with President Biden's goal of developing the equivalent of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind turbines by 2030.

Three of those gigawatts could be built off the Oregon coast, enough to power over two million homes. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM, is the federal agency that leases ocean waters for oil drilling and renewable energy production.

BOEM recently began calling for commercial wind energy producers to show their interest in developing offshore wind in Oregon. The agency identified over 10,000 square miles of ocean it says are ideal for wind farms.

Those miles are split into two "call areas", one west of Brookings and the other off of Coos Bay.

While these wind farms could help the state meet its green energy goals, commercial fishermen have concerns about the effects these wind farms will have on fish stocks.

We are talking about the ocean frontier, says Mike Graybill, a marine biologist and the former manager of South Slough Reserve in Charleston. And we are talking about, in Oregon, one of the most productive ocean areas on the planet, that already is a source of very, very important economic activity and is also an important source of our global food supply.

Graybill says hes been looking into what effects wind farms may have on the wildlife in the region. He says its important to look at these effects thoroughly because the West Coast is a prime location for fishing.

The West Coast lies in an eastern boundary current, where high winds blowing parallel to the coastline creates an upwelling current, forcing nutrient-dense water up to the surface.

Just five of these eastern boundary currents around the world produce almost a quarter of the worlds marine fish catch. The other four are off the coasts of Chile, Somalia, Northwest and Southern Africa.

Everything from plankton to whales to seabirds to fish is associated with the fact that when wind blows over the oceans, it moves the water, says Graybill.

That means offshore wind farms and fishing will likely clash, as both industries are connected, in some way, to wind.

Were very concerned that its going to lead to environmental and cumulative impacts that arent even being evaluated at this point, says Lori Steele, director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association. Steele helped to organize Tuesday's rally.

A map of the call areas identified by BOEM off the Oregon Coast for potential wind energy farm development

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Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Steele says the fishing industry isnt opposed to alternative energy. But, she says, the push for offshore wind energy isnt being done responsibly and alternatives, such as onshore wind or solar farms, could be just as effective and cheaper than offshore wind.

While 10,000 square miles of ocean for wind farms seems like a lot, that entire area wont be used for offshore wind. BOEM says the call areas are a broader identification where the agency is interested in leasing out to wind farm developers, and the actual size of the wind farms themselves will be smaller.

That call area will also be whittled down as the agency goes through the public comment period and identifies areas where wind farms may not be feasible, or where they would conflict too much with the fishing industry.

BOEM says coordination with the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is already ongoing, and discussion will continue to help further reduce conflicts between wind power and fishermen.

According to Graybill, offshore wind turbines design makes fishing around them difficult and the locations must be picked carefully.

Graybill estimates up to 750 miles of cable could be needed to hold 200 wind turbines in place in deep water. The turbines float in the water and are each anchored by three cables attached to the seafloor.

You wont be able to tow a net that has 700 miles of mooring cables and 350 miles of electrical cables, he says.

In Europe, where offshore wind has been in place since the '90s, fishermen frequently clash with energy companies to share the sea. They argue the exclusion zones around wind farms means more fishermen are competing for less space.

BOEM says itll continue to work with the fishing industry throughout this call process to avoid conflicts.

The agency is accepting public comments through June 28th. Members of the public can also look at interactive maps on BOEMs website showing the specific call areas, and overlays of fish populations, existing underwater infrastructure and more.

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Oregon fishermen protest offshore wind farm proposal in Coos Bay - Jefferson Public Radio

Gov. Baker proposes $3.5 billion legislation to bolster offshore wind – Cape Cod Times

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BUZZARDS BAY The Massachusetts Maritime Academy welcomed Gov. Charlie Baker Tuesday afternoon, along with Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, and other state energy officials to talk about a $3.5 billion bill to revitalize Massachusetts in a post-pandemic world. They specifically focused on the parts of the legislation regarding clean energy investments.

Massachusetts has a vital role to play in the offshore wind industry, Baker said in comments to a group of about 80 people, half of whom are cadets at school.

The big goal here is to make sure that we dont miss the opportunity to be a national and, in some ways, a global leader in offshore wind, he said. He highlighted the states achievements in scientific research, such as being a major player in the development of COVID-19 vaccines. He said that Massachusetts could be a hub for the transition from fossil fuel-based energy to clean energy.

After the governorasked a cadet why Tuesdays were special at the academy, (its the day chicken patties are served in the cafeteria), Bakerspoke about new legislation filedby the Baker-Polito administration.

A new industry: Competition fierce for offshore wind's a 'once in a generation opportunity'

FORWARD, or An Act Investing in Future Opportunities for Resiliency, Workforce, and Revitalized Downtowns, would be funded with $2.3 billion of ARPA money and about $1.256 billion in capital bond authorizations. Much of the bill focuses on using this money to strengthen infrastructure, revitalize downtowns, support climate resiliency and preservation efforts, and bolster workforce efforts such as unemployment funding.

Part ofthe money in the bill $750 million would be dedicated to clean energy, including money for higher education and workforce training forthe clean energy industry.

Job opportunities: What you need to know about offshore wind jobs, training and business opportunities

The offshore wind industry cannot only boost the economy by providing jobs,it could helpMassachusetts to reach its net-zero emissions goal, Baker said. Currently,there are three proposals to provide 1.6 million homesacross the state with energy from offshore wind, he added.

He spoke about the need for thousands of people to work in the offshore wind industry and highlighted the importance of educational institutionssuch as Massachusetts Maritime Academy, in training the next generation of skilled workers. In fact, part ofhis proposed legislation wouldappropriate $10 million to Massachusetts Maritime Academy for workforce training for the offshore wind industry.

'Pioneering a new era': Markey, Keating experience Mass Maritime's wind energy efforts

When offshore wind began to emerge in this space where maritime meets energy, Massachusetts Maritime stood at the forefront, Rear Admiral Francis McDonald, president of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, said.

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center CEO Jennifer Daloiso said a well-trained, diverse workforce would be needed since the offshore wind industry is being built right off of the South Coast.

After the speeches concluded, attendees journeyed outside to view a wind liferaft crew demonstration.

Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Bethany Card, earlier had said that she hopes education inoffshore wind becomes a part of the traditional curriculum, just like rescue and sea training.

Contact Asad Jung at ajung@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @asadjungcct.

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Awarded Contracts Power Start of NJ’s First Offshore Wind Project – The SandPaper

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Engineering, procurement and construction contracts have been awarded for New Jerseys first offshore wind farm, to be constructed south of Long Beach Island, off the coast of Atlantic City.

Ocean Wind 1, a joint venture between rsted and Public Service Enterprise Group, is expected to be operational in 2024 and will produce enough electricity to power more than 500,000 homes, deliver thousands of jobs and ramp up supply chain initiatives, like the EEW monopile manufacturing facility at the port of Paulsboro, all while helping the state meet its clean energy goals, the companies said in a joint statement announcing the contracts.

JINGOLI Power LLC, based in Lawrence Township, and Missouri-based Burns and McDonnell Engineering Co. Inc. won the contracts, which include the installation of two high-voltage substations and nearly 9 miles of underground cable that will connect the offshore wind farm to onshore electric grids at two landfall points,

The awarding of these contracts mark significant milestones in moving the states first offshore wind project forward, said Grant van Wyngaarden, head of procurement for rsted North America. We are focused on doing all we can to meet the states timeline for delivering the Ocean 1 project, hiring locally, creating job opportunities, and encouraging supply chain growth to help the offshore wind industry mature in New Jersey.

Engineering for the project began during the first quarter of this year. Construction could begin as early as September 2023.

Together, these contracts will support the creation of approximately 275 family-sustaining jobs in New Jersey, including more than 200 high-paying, union construction jobs, the companies said.

Burns and McDonnell is slated to install a substation in Upper Township, including an interconnection to a nearby Atlantic City Electric substation. It will also construct a substation at the former Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Lacey Township, once the nations oldest operating commercial nuclear power plant. An interconnection will be run to a nearby First Energy substation. The company will also install an underground export cable from the landfall to the onshore electric substation.

Under its contract, JINGOLI Power is expected to install an underground expert cable from the landfall to B.L. England, the site of the onshore electric substation in Upper Township. The company will also engineer, procure and install a duct bank/manhole system to house the export cables, officials said.

Ocean Wind 1 proves we dont have to choose between creating good jobs and fighting climate change, said Joseph R. Jingoli Jr., CEO and co-founder of JINGOLI Power. We can do both. Were extremely honored to have been selected.

In addition to awarding contracts for Ocean Wind 1, rsted recently announced a project labor agreement to construct the companys U.S. offshore wind farms with an American union workforce. The agreement is with North Americas Building Trades Unions and is the first of its kind in the country.

The National Offshore Wind Agreement sets the bar for working conditions and equity, injects hundreds of millions of dollars in middle-class wages into the American economy, according to a statement announcing the agreement, which includes all of rsteds contractors and subcontractors for its offshore wind projects from Maine to Florida.

Sean McGarvey, president of NABTU, called the agreement unprecedented and historic not just for the workers, but also for future energy needs.

This partnership will not only expand tens of thousands of career opportunities for them to flourish in the energy transition, but also lift up even more into the middle class, he added.

Industry projections expect offshore wind projects to directly create roughly 80,000 jobs with millions of union work hours and tens of thousands more in indirect careers in manufacturing, maritime work, logistics and clean energy technology.

The National Offshore Wind Agreement we signed with NABTU sets the industry standard from the beginning. Were going to build an American offshore wind energy industry with American workers, family-sustaining wages, and robust and equitable training programs to achieve this critical vision, said David Hardy, chief executive officer of rsted Offshore North America.

Gina G. Scala

ggscala@thesandpaper.net

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Awarded Contracts Power Start of NJ's First Offshore Wind Project - The SandPaper

Hexicon and Elia to Optimise Floating Offshore Wind Farm Transmission Connection – Offshore WIND

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Sweden-based Hexicon and Elia Grid International (EGI) have joined forces to connect the wind energy produced by floating offshore wind farms to the onshore grid.

Under the agreement, the partners will develop concepts and projects to integrate large-scale floating offshore wind farms into the onshore power systems.

By doing so, the two companies expect to create the opportunity to harvest the full potential of floating offshore wind to provide clean energy to millions of households and accelerate the energy transition.

The five-year-long cooperation consists of two phases, covering the provision of expertise during the projects pre-development and development phases.

The ability to early plan and design an efficient and robust electrical system is key to the business case and successful projects. Hexicons and EGIs competences are fully complementary and very well matched, said Marcus Thor, CEO of Hexicon.

EGI brings unsurpassed global experience within electrical transmission and large-scale RES integration projects. While Hexicon offers profound deep sea and floating wind knowledge.

According to the partners, they will design the power transmission part of floating wind farms and optimise the connection to onshore power systems.

By solving the technical challenges related to floating offshore wind projects, EGI and Hexicon are hoping to turn floating offshore wind into an attractive market for investors.

Connecting offshore wind technology to the electrical grid system is a complex and costly endeavour. With this cooperation, EGI is committed to providing state-of-the-art expertise and proposing innovative solutions that will unleash the development of cost-efficient, large-scale renewable energy, said Didier Wiot, CEO of EGI.

Potential geographies for the cooperation include the Mediterranean as well as the Baltic and Atlantic Sea basins.

Work is expected to start in June 2022.

Hexicon has its own patented technology TwinWind which consists of a floating foundation with two turbines. The twin-turbine design is said to enable more turbines per sea area, which increases the energy yield and reduces the environmental impact.

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Offshore wind farm bill coming – Kathimerini English Edition

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Greeces declared national target for the installation of offshore wind farms adding up to 2 gigawatts by 2030 has mobilized the interest of international investors as well as some of the countrys biggest energy groups that are patiently waiting for the regulatory framework to open the way for their business plans.

The bill to that effect has been delayed for at least a year, since the original announcements by the Energy Ministry, and it has been six months since the its main elements were presented to the cabinet last November.

In the last couple of months, under pressure from the Finance Ministry too (given that its introduction is among the prior actions required for the disbursement of the second tranche by the Recovery and Resilience Facility), the competent authorities of the Energy Ministry are now scrambling to make the deadlines for the bill to clear Parliament by June.

Kathimerini understands the bill will provide for a mixed model for the development of offshore wind farms, with the state selecting the broader zones for installation and proceeding up to a certain level with the licensing process. Parts of those blocks will then be conceded to interested investors through tenders.

The projects will be selected based on the financial bids regarding their revenues for the energy produced, as is also the case with onshore wind farms and photovoltaics.

According to an Energy Ministry study, the Aegean Sea could host fixed wind farms of some 10 GW, and another 30-40 GW of floating facilities. The ideal areas for the floating farms are considered to be the Cyclades, the northern Aegean (between Limnos and Agios Efstratios), the Dodecanses (between Ikaria, Patmos and Leros), and between Crete and Karpathos.

International market leaders which have partnered with Greek energy groups discern opportunities for their expansion to Greeces seas. Norways Equinor, the worlds biggest offshore wind park developer, was among the first to express an interest in Greece. Terna Energy has reached a deal with Ocean Winds (a venture of EDP Renewables with ENGIE), as has Mytilineos with Copenhagen Offshore Partners.

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Offshore wind farm bill coming - Kathimerini English Edition

Energy Security and Energy Transition: Highs and Lows in the Offshore Rig Market – IHS Markit

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To paraphrase Charles Dickens: these are the best of times,these are the worst of times. The fate of the offshore rig marketis inexorably linked to oil prices. And since Russia made itsincursion into Ukraine in February 2022, Brent has consistentlypushed well above USD 100 a barrel, giving hope to a rig industrythat has been languishing since the offshore downturn in 2014, thata meaningful turnaround lies ahead.

But these are also different times. The last two years has seenthe world turned upside down by the pandemic and the climatecrisis, and this turbulent period has made it increasingly clearthat the Energy Transition is, as planet-busting movie villainThanos calls himself, inevitable. In response to these globalupheavals, pivotal shifts in the social, policy and market arenasare driving fundamental change towards a low-carbon world. The wartoo, has clarified to some countries like Germany that it might bebetter to be weaned off oil and gas.

As it affects the rig market, however, these two forces - EnergySecurity versus Energy Transition - pull in opposite directions. Onone hand, the high oil price and improved economics for oil and gasexploration beckons oil operators to go forth and drill. At thesame time, these C-suite decision makers are facing pressures fromstakeholders, activist investors and the public alike for moreclimate accountability. It is a balancing act for oil companies, tomaintain or increase profitability while decreasing emissions andre-structuring towards a more sustainable portfolio.

In the near term, the choice is clear as energy security is theimmediate concern. With Russian energy supplies uncertain and theneed to alleviate pain at the pumps urgent, governments like theUnited States' have been imploring oil and gas producers toincrease their output. Offshore projects are expected to pick up,but they will take time to put together and cost inflation - forcrew, equipment and other services - is already setting in.

The chart above shows how closely offshore rig demand tracks oilprice over the last decade. The rig market - comprising drillships,semisubmersibles and jackups - fell hard from its last height in2014, but has remained relatively resilient over the last two yearsdespite the logistical chaos caused by the pandemic and the 2020oil price crash. That year alone, there were 79 rig contractcancellations. The lone region that saw demand grow during thistrying period, while the rest shrank, was Latin America, which isrecording strong demand from Brazil, Guyana and Suriname.

The Middle East, too, is forecast to see incrementalrequirements from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emiratespush rig numbers from 126 jackups to about 140 units over the nextyear. On aggregate, for the unfolding 12 months ahead, IHS MarkitPetrodata anticipates worldwide jackup demand to improve fromaround 332 units now, to 361 units; semis from 39 units currentlyto 56 units; and drillships from 63 units to around 72.

Even when the going was tough, many rig contractors took measureof the times and worked to get their rigs 'greener'. Since 2020,they have been exploring different ways to optimise drilling, aswell as utilise alternative energy systems and innovate with newcleantech to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. An example isthe Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system, an emissionscontrol technology that injects ammonia to convert noxious oxidesinto harmless water and nitrogen, now installed on 16 rigs. So far,the progress is mostly limited to rigs working in Northwest Europewhere more governments offer support for such green initiatives. Todate, just 36 out of the over 700 rigs worldwide have greennotations by classification societies.

The momentum for the Energy Transition has already resulted inreduced investments in upstream oil and gas projects, prompting anumber of traditional oil and gas operators like Chevron todiversify into greener ventures like offshore wind. Even yards likethe newly merged Keppel-SembMarine are jumping on the bandwagon.Keppel is spinning off its remaining unsold drilling assets, whilethe new combined entity has pledged to focus on buildingsustainable offerings like floating carbon capture storages andhydrogen-driven vessels.

In the long run, there will no doubt only be more cutbacks ondrilling projects. But in the meantime, the road to a net-zeroworld is a long one. Green tech is still relatively nascent andwill take time to become commercially viable at scale. And withglobal oil inventories at an all-time low, the world still needs tofuel its energy requirements while the world figures out the pathto meet optimistic temperature targets.

For now, the robust oil price will definitely help invigoratethe rig market, even though any up-cycle potential for increaseddrilling will likely be tempered by the opposing push to reduce ourcarbon footprint through efficiencies and power generation.Ultimately, how things pan out will also depend on the geopoliticallandscape after the dust settles when the war in Ukraine is over.Hopefully, it is not one where partisan blocs dominate and lessco-operation takes place, for while such an unstable outcome mayprop up the oil price that supports offshore drilling, it couldwell accelerate the world towards a truly unimaginable worst oftimes.

For more data and insight on the global offshore drillingmarket, usePetrodataRigs by IHS Markit.

Posted 11 May 2022 by Yun Yun Teo, Principal Analyst, Offshore Rigs, IHS Markit

This article was published by S&P Global Commodity Insights and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.

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and Tampnet bring IoT to offshore industries – Ericsson

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With the management capabilities of Ericsson IoT Accelerator, the latest sensors and remote monitoring equipment can be deployed to people and places in a variety of remote offshore use cases and connected in real time.

Frode Stldal, President of Tampnet Americas says: Through our partnership with Ericsson, we are bringing the same IoT connectivity benefits to the offshore industry and enterprises, that land-based companies are benefitting from. In many instances, Tampnet is pioneering new services and business models offshore that are later adopted onshore. Together, we are truly digitalizing the high seas as part of the fourth industrial revolution. These are exciting times for our customers.

Headquartered in Norway, Tampnet owns andoperatesthe largest offshore high-capacity, low latencycommunication networks in the world, including the largest in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.Tampnetsoffshore customersspan the offshore oil and gas, wind energy and maritimeindustries, as well as the carrier market.

More than 8,500 enterprises globally already benefit from the Ericsson IoT Accelerator-powered capabilities offered by CSP partners.

Kyle Okamoto, General Manager IoT, Ericsson, says: Our partnership with Tampnet shows that Ericsson has the capability of delivering IoT management to any enterprise or industry customer, in any work environment. We will work closely with Tampnet to ensure that its customers benefit from Ericsson IoT Accelerator just as we are doing with more than 8,500 other enterprises around the world.

HOW IT WORKS

Through the use of SIM cards, wearables can be deployed to employees, equipment and other assets, enabling instant actions on real-time data and the optimization of planning operations through Tampnets 4G LTE network.

Operations, asset integrity and maintenance teams can collect live data, connect with remote specialists, and turnaround work scopes efficiently with the assurance that all quality checks can be completed and verified in real time.

The level of collaboration possible for day-to-day tasks as well as specialist scopes greatly reduce downtime, improves coordination of people on board and optimizes pre-scope planning, safety and preparation tasks.

PARTNERSHIP

In addition to IoT connectivity management, Ericsson is a long-standing technology partner to Tampnet, providing robust and secure private networks.

Ericsson 4G and 5G private networks - with low latency, high availability, and high performance - are designed to make Industry 4.0 a reality. Ericssons private networks connect industrial sites and assets for greater efficiency and control and people for a safer worker experience.

Meet Tampnet and Ericsson at The Oil & Gas IoT Summit event (12-13 May, Altis Grand Hotel, Lisbon, Portugal)

About TampnetTampnet was founded in 2001 in Stavanger, Norway and operates the worlds largest offshore high capacity communication network in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, serving customers within oil & gas, wind energy, maritime and carrier sectors with first class telecommunications. The company employs more than 100 people, is headquartered in Stavanger, Norway and has offices in the UK, the Netherlands, USA, and Brazil.

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and Tampnet bring IoT to offshore industries - Ericsson

Onshore Wind Farm to Be Built Using Offshore Techniques – Offshore WIND

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Dutch energy company Eneco has started the construction of the Maasvlakte 2 onshore wind farm in the Rotterdam harbour area, with a portion of turbine components to be installed using offshore installation techniques.

The wind farm covers a total length of approximately 7.5 kilometres.

The 2.5-kilometre-long hard sea defences consist of a dyke body with a paved surface on top and large boulders in the surf.

The 5-kilometre soft sea defences consist of beach and sand dunes. The wind turbines on the hard sea defences will be positioned on the land side of the dyke. The wind turbines on the soft sea defences will be erected on the beach in front of the sand dunes.

The first monopiles will be transported to the beach of the Maasvlakte industrial area in May, where they will be installed using offshore techniques, Eneco said.

Preparatory construction works such as dune access points and temporary roads started in February. The first crane locations are now ready for use and the work area is ready to start the construction of the turbines, Eneco said.

This is said to be the first time ever that offshore installation techniques such as using monopiles and driving them into the ground using a hammer will be used on an onshore wind farm project.

Using this innovative construction method is necessary in order to create a sufficiently solid base for the 12 wind turbines that will be located on the beach, Eneco said.

Together with turbine manufacturer Vestas, Ballast Nedam is realising the wind farms 22 wind turbines on both hard and soft sea defences.

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Shell Sets Sights on Offshore Wind in Spain and Portugal – Offshore WIND

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Shell and the Spanish energy company Capital Energy have signed an agreement to analyze the joint development of projects in the offshore wind energy sector in Spain and Portugal.

Leveraging their complementary skills and strengths, both companies will explore opportunities in line with their interest in these countries, especially in the field of floating offshore wind power, Capital Energy said.

Shell has more than two decades of experience in the development of wind infrastructure, as well as more than half a century in the field of marine engineering in the North Sea.

Capital Energy, based in Madrid, has, for its part, ambitious growth plans in this sector, with approximately 2,000 MW under development. The company has also signed several agreements with shipyards and other relevant industrial agents in the Canary archipelago.

This agreement demonstrates our firm commitment to offshore wind power and together with Shell we will not only be able to supply green and affordable energy, but also to promote the socio-economic development of those regions where we operate our wind farms, Pablo Alcn, Head of Offshore at Capital Energy, said.

Spain has recently approved a roadmap for the development of offshore wind which calls for the development of 3 GW of floating offshore wind capacity by 2030.

The country plans to carry out its first offshore wind auction, in the Canary region, in 2023.

The roadmap for offshore wind energy in Spain, proposed in December 2021, represents a great opportunity to explore the development of projects in the country that align with our strengths and strategic ambition to be an integrated energy leader. We are very excited to collaborate with Capital Energy in exploring those opportunities, Natalia Latorre, president of Shell Spain, said.

Portugal reportedly plans to hold its first offshore wind auction this summer, with between 3 GW and 4 GW of floating wind capacity expected to be auctioned off.

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Unique features of the offshore wind market in Japan – Lexology

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The large earthquakes felt earlier this year were an unnecessary reminder of the need for alternative energy sources in Japan. Coupled with the Governments move to shift away from Russian oil, renewable fuels such as offshore wind energy (OSW) have never looked more attractive. However, the developing Japanese OSW market, which has recently seen the entry of several big-name players, presents its own unique challenges.

OSW building momentum in Japan

OSW development in Japan has made serious strides in recent years. In 2018, the precisely named Act on Promoting the Utilization of Sea Areas for the Development of Marine Renewable Energy Power Generation Facilities established the legal framework for occupying outside port areas that have potential for OSW. The Act sets out the stages for the selection, designation and auction of areas for OSW projects (summarised below):

Significantly, 2021 saw the first winners of OSW auctions (Stage 5 above the first stage when an OSW project can be said to have intrinsic value for a developer) announced: in June 2021, a consortium led by Toda Corporation won the first floating OSW auction (for Goto City, Nagasaki Prefecture); and in December 2021, consortia led by Mitsubishi Corporation stunning their rivals and the wider market by offering unexpectedly low tariff rates won all three of the first bottom-fixed OSW auctions (two in Akita Prefecture, one in Chiba Prefecture).

With a number of other areas already designated a promotion zones (Stage 4 above), and an ambitious 30-45 GW target of OSW output capacity by 2040 set by the Japanese Government, the OSW space will be an exciting one to watch in the years ahead.

Unique features of Japans OSW market

In our experience advising international clients on OSW deals, we have noticed the following somewhat distinctive features in the Japan market:

The future is bright for Japan OSW, but new entrants to the market should be aware of the unique challenges to navigate, as well as the opportunities. Both regulation and market practice of the OSW selection process continues to change year-by-year, and we expect the market to continue to evolve in what will be a defining decade for renewable energy in Japan.

Continued here:

Unique features of the offshore wind market in Japan - Lexology