Monthly Archives: January 2020

Renewable energy statistics just keep topping each other. Solar power is getting cheaper. Battery storage capacity is getting better. And wind farms are getting bigger.

2019 saw the worlds biggest (at the time) offshore wind farm come online, as well as construction of the biggest offshore wind farm in the US off the coast of Atlantic City.

But a new figure blows all of these out of the water. Last week, British renewable energy developer SSE announced construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm off the eastern coast of England in the North Sea.

With a capacity of 3.6 gigawatts (GW), Dogger Bank will be three times bigger than the worlds biggest existing wind farm, the nearby 1.2 GW Hornsea One.

Located near a seaside town called Ulrome, which is 195 miles north of London, Dogger Bank will have three separate sitesCreyke Beck A, Creyke Beck B, and Teesside Aeach with a 1.2 GW capacity, and construction is slated to take two years.

The project is a collaboration between SSE and Equinor, a Norwegian energy company.

Hornsea One, which is still under construction and estimated to be done later this year, will power up to a million homes. That seems small in comparison to the figure SSE has estimated for Dogger Bank: its three sites together will allegedly be able to power up to 4.5 million homes.

Its important to note that 4.5 million U.K. homes is equivalent to far fewer homes in the US, as we Americans use embarrassingly more energy than the British; our annual average electricity consumption per household in 2018 was 10,972 kWhalmost triple the U.K.s 2017 household average of 3,760 kWh. Makes you wonder if we couldnt scale back on our giant appliances, around-the-clock air conditioning, and ever-ready hot water.

Besides being the biggest wind farm in the world (unless an even bigger one is announced before its done? At the rate these things are popping up, that wouldnt be surprising), Dogger Bank will also be one of the first to use the worlds biggest turbine. GE Renewable Energys Haliade-X was tested in the Port of Rotterdam last summer; its 260 meters (853 feet) tall (almost the same height as the GE building in Rockefeller Center) and its blades are 107 meters long (351 feet, just a tad shorter than an American football field).

Once those blades are twirling in the North Seas winds (and twirl they willwind speeds in this area average 16-22 miles per hour; the top 3 windiest cities in the US seem breezy in comparison with speeds from 13.1-13.9 mph), each Haliade-X will be able to produce 12 megawatts of power.

Offshore wind has taken off over the past few years, and will continue to grow as the technology it requires becomes steadily better, cheaper, and more efficient. The new turbines being built now already generate three times as much energy as turbines from just five years ago; thats an impressive pace, and means the expense of building wind farms are much more worth companies while.

Theyre worth our while, too. Given the ecological and climate disasters increasingly filling our news feeds, its safe to say we cant increase our renewable energy development fast enough.

Image Credit: Image courtesy of GE Renewable Energy

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World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm Will Power 4.5 Million Homes - Singularity Hub

In November 2019, New Zealand passed a law that committed the country to carbon neutrality by 2050. In January, 2020, it passed a law banning new permits for offshore oil and gas drilling. This move will help the country meet its goal of carbon neutrality.

The law applies to new permits in the area. New Zealand has numerous existing permits, some of which expire in 2030. Prime Minister Jacinda Arden said of the new law, Were striking the right balance for New Zealand were protecting existing industry, and protecting future generations from climate change. Greenpeace New Zealand also praised the law calling it a huge win for our climate and people power. 50,000 people signed a Greenpeace petition calling for the ban.

Offshore drilling is dangerous to plants and animals in the ocean, along with being a source of greenhouse gas emissions. Kevin Hague, Chief Executive of Forest & Bird Conservation Group, said in a statement, Half the worlds whale and dolphin species visit or live in New Zealand waters, from the critically endangered Mauis dolphin to giant blue whales Today, these sensitive creatures are made safer from the threat of oil spills and the sonic barrage of seismic testing. Keeping New Zealands oil and gas in the ground reduces everyones risk, and tells the world were serious about reducing our contribution to climate change.

You can sign this petition to end offshore drilling in the United States.

Read more about oil drilling and offshore oil drilling in One Green Planet, check out these articles:

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New Zealand Bans Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling - One Green Planet

The United States will likely spend more money developing offshore wind capacity than offshore oil and gas within the next five years, according to a new study.

Installed offshore wind capacity off the coast of the United States could reach 20 gigawatts by 2030, generating annual investments of $15 billion in another five years, according to Rystad Energy,the Norwegian based energy research firm.Onegigawattprovides enoughpowerfor about 700,000 homes.

Annual spending on U.S. offshore oil and gas projects is expected to average $14.8 billion between now and 2025, according to Rystad.

RELATED:Next year will be tipping point for wind in Texas

Six gigawatts of offshore wind projects in U.S. waters are already slated for development and are expected to cost more than $20 billion over the next five years. By the middle of the decade -- if regulators continue to give the green light to offshore wind projects -- annual investment is expected to top $15 billion, according to Rystad.

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Wind power could be dominant offshore energy focus within 5 years - Houston Chronicle

Boardwalk Tram Ad Content Concerns Reviewed

OCEAN CITY Resort officials this week to send out a request for proposal (RFP) for municipal bus and Boardwalk tram advertising, but there appears to be a reluctance to consider the latter.Last week, the Transportation Committee forwarded a favorable recommendation to the Mayor and Council to send out an RFP outlining the terms of Read more

OCEAN CITY The summer fireworks schedule and potential big-name concerts were part of a larger package of enhanced special events approved this week at City Hall.During Tuesdays meeting, Bob Rothermel of TEAM Productions presented a line-up of special event enhancements for the summer of 2020 including fireworks at the beach downtown and at Northside Read more

SNOW HILL While there are some opportunities ahead, a consultant advised officials this week that bringing high speed internet to rural portions of Worcester County could be a decade-long effort.Joanne Hovis, president of CTC Technology & Energy, presented the results of a six-month broadband feasibility study to the Worcester County Commissioners on Tuesday.We recommend Read more

OCEAN CITY Motorists accessing Ocean City via the Route 50 Bridge can expect headaches for the next month seven days a week as the State Highway Administration (SHA) embarks on the next phase of rehabilitation of the Harry Kelley Bridge.SHA crews on Thursday morning began shifting traffic lanes on the bridge in order to Read more

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01/20/2020 | Hundreds Attend Offshore Wind Hearing In Ocean City | News Ocean City - The Dispatch

Most New England states have been investing in alternative energy sources for years. But New Hampshire has been slower to act in response to climate change.

Now, the Granite State is looking to be a leader in a major new source of renewable energy: offshore wind.

Listen to the broadcast version of this story.

Turnout exceeded all expectations at the first meeting, last month, of a federal task force on wind development in the Gulf of Maine. One state legislator was heard saying the line to get in rivaled the line for the women's bathroom at Fenway Park.

Governor Chris Sununu welcomed hundreds of people who filled up a huge meeting hall and overflow rooms at UNH.

"Good morning, he said, to a mild response, then: Come on! Look what we're kicking off, this is exciting!"

When it comes to energy reform, Sununu has always focused on minimizing costs to consumers. At the task force meeting, he had a message: the way to get there is with huge amounts of power from high-tech wind turbines floating in the ocean.

"We're not talking about benchtop models, we're not talking about theory, we're not writing papers we want to build something here, he said. Right? We want those electrons to be zipped over back into New England in one way or the other, and we want people to benefit from it."

This big meeting came just under a year after Sununu asked the Trump administration to open up the possibility of offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine.

They formed this task force with stakeholders in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts, to see how wind would work with fisheries, transmission systems, aesthetics and more.

New Hampshire business commissioner Taylor Caswell, whos on the task force, says offshore wind would be a game-changer for business in the state and for displacing the greenhouse gas-emitting fuels that cause climate change. "Part of the complexity of the policy issue has been the sheer size of what we need to be able to accomplish to displace fossil fuels...if, in fact, that's the direction we're going, which I do think it is, Caswell says.

And here we have an opportunity to start talking about renewable energy in gigawatts, he says, as opposed to five megawatts here and four megawatts there."

For scale just a dozen or so of these wind turbines can produce as much electricity as a nuclear power plant.

Short-term shortfalls

But these wind farms are probably 10 years off from reality. Climate activists like Griffin Sinclair-Wingate of 350 New Hampshire say there are lots of other steps the Sununu administration could take now, like supporting solar, hydropower or energy efficiency.

Instead, Sinclair-Wingate says, Sununu has vetoed countless numbers of bills that would have a tremendous impact in developing renewable energy in the state."

Those include expansions of net energy metering that would let towns and businesses save more on their energy costs by building more solar and hydropower.

This legislative session, Sununu has proposed an alternate plan to ones hes blocked in the past but advocates say it wouldnt have enough of an impact.

Sununu often cites economics in opposing state incentives for smaller-scale technologies like solar. But advocates argue that these sectors have major untapped potential to lower costs for consumers and create jobs.

Still, a growing wind industry does provide some unique opportunities like on New Hampshire's Seacoast, which many say could be perfectly positioned as a hub for wind construction offshore.

A source of hope

Key to that vision is the Port of New Hampshire on the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth. It's got deep water, a ready workforce and easy access to highways the wind industry wouldn't have to build a whole new facility here, advocates say, at least not to meet some of its many needs.

State port authority director Geno Marconi says Portsmouth has had a taste of what wind business could be like. Last summer, huge components for land-based turbines were shipped in to this port before they were trucked out to Antrim.

"All that open area where we walked through, we had a lot of the tower sections and everything staged out there, he says, pointing to large, flat sections of the dock between piles of road salt.

These onshore turbines were far smaller than the ones officials hope to install offshore and still, Marconi says, the project took a year to plan.

Michael Behrmann, the business development director for Clean Energy New Hampshire and one of the state's top wind evangelists, has spent a lot of time at the port imagining the future. He even took state and industry leaders to see wind farms in Denmark in 2018.

"We're looking at, by 2040, a trillion-dollar global industry, Behrmann says, citing a recent report from the International Energy Agency. If we could even grab a small part of that for New Hampshire, it would be transformative for our economy."

Behrmann says he's dedicated his career to tackling climate change, and that wind is the best option New England has ever had to make a difference.

"For me, and for a lot of people, the reality of being able to tap into such a large energy resource gives us hope that we can achieve the changes in our energy generation resources that we really need and need to do in a very quick timeframe, he says.

Until that happens, he hopes the state's enthusiasm for wind will spread to the rest of its climate change response, too.

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After Years Of Slow Action On Climate Change, What Sets Offshore Wind Apart For N.H.? - New Hampshire Public Radio

BERLIN (Reuters) - Denmarks Orsted (ORSTED.CO), the worlds largest operator of offshore wind parks, plans to steer clear of super-sized takeovers, its chief executive said on Tuesday, preferring small deals to keep the group among the biggest renewable players.

Im fundamentally convinced that you de-risk your M&A strategy by not overstretching it, Henrik Poulsen told Reuters during the annual energy summit hosted by Handelsblatt newspaper in Berlin.

Id rather make a series of small acquisitions than one big bang where we could stumble, Poulsen said, adding any deals would rather be in the hundreds of millions, similar to recent acquisitions in the United States.

He said any deals would focus on projects in new markets.

Poulsen, Orsteds CEO since 2012, oversaw the groups transformation from a diversified utility with oil and gas activities into the worlds No.1 developer of offshore wind farms.

He said he expected the global green energy sector to be dominated by traditional utilities as well as big oil groups, which have been increasingly moving into the power sector as a way to diversify away from fossil fuels.

Poulsen said that scale was vital and that not all of the groups active in the industry would gain scale quickly enough to remain in the race, which would be a trigger for consolidation.

Well be a lot smarter in probably less than 5 years but when you see the landscape today you can begin to see the future global green energy majors emerge, he added.

Globally, Orsted ranks 10th in terms of installed renewable capacity, behind peers including Spains Iberdrola (IBE.MC), U.S.-based NextEra (NEE.N), Italys Enel (ENEI.MI), Portugals EDP (EDP.LS) and Germanys RWE (RWEG.DE).

Goldman Sachs estimates that the worlds top 10 renewables groups capture only about 15% of the worlds total portfolio, leaving sufficient space for newcomers, including oil majors Shell (RDSa.L), BP (BP.L) and Total (TOTF.PA), to muscle in.

Poulsen said it was his goal to keep Orsted, whose shares have nearly tripled since a 2016 listing, among the worlds leaders in the segment. Currently, the group has a market valuation of 297 billion Danish crowns ($44.1 billion).

Orsted is majority-owned by the Danish government, which holds 50.1% following a 2016 listing, and while Poulsen could not say whether that share could change in the future it was his view that Denmark was quite happy with its position.

Additional reporting by Stine Jacobsen in Copenhagen; Editing by Thomas Seythal, Michelle Martin and Alexandra Hudson

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Offshore wind giant Orsted favors small deals over big M&A: CEO - Reuters

LONDON, Jan. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Visiongain has forecasted that the global Offshore Oil & Gas Decommissioning market will see a capital expenditure (CAPEX) of $8,279 million in 2020. Decommissioning of ageing offshore oil and gas projects has increased substantially over the past few years. Moreover, over 600 projects along the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea and Asia Pacific are likely to be disposed of over the next five to six years. This, in turn, is projected to drive the global offshore oil and gas decommissioning market over the forecast period. Increasing stringent decommissioning regulation are projected to play a crucial role to promote the growth in this market over the next 10 years. Offshore decommissioning is highly complex and potentially has a vast environmental impact. It is also a global industry, and therefore understanding regulations worldwide are essential for companies operating within the market. Crucially, the development of regulation in the offshore decommissioning market has the ability to impact the rate at which the market grows and also how much-decommissioning processes are going to cost.

Read on to discover the potential business opportunities available.

With such established global offshore oil and gas fields, decommissioning becomes increasingly pertinent. As global offshore oil and gas fields mature, ageing structures must be removed. With the average lifetime of an offshore oil and gas field in the region of 25 to 40 years, this leaves many global structures in need of decommissioning. The cost involved in the decommissioning varies from project to project and coast to coast. The majority of costs are associated with the jacket, topside and subsea structure removal phases and well P&A. Decommissioning projects are highly complex, lengthy and expensive; the process involves many different stages and can take more than a decade to complete. With such environmental, economic and social pressures, the offshore decommissioning market is set to drastically increase, creating substantial business opportunities along the way.

There are hundreds of companies who either possess offshore oil and gas assets that will need to be decommissioned over the next decade, or who provide consultancy, engineering and other services to the decommissioning industry. Therefore, the following list of companies is by no means exhaustive. Companies have been broken down into three groups: oil and gas companies with offshore assets; decommissioning contractors; and decommissioning consultancies.

To request sample pages from this report please contact Sara Peerun at sara.peerun@visiongain.com or refer to our website: https://www.visiongain.com/report/offshore-oil-gas-decommissioning-market-report-forecasts-2020-2030/#download_sampe_div

Leading Companies in the Offshore Oil & Gas Decommissioning MarketOil and Gas Companies with Offshore Assets: Apache Corporation BP Canadian Natural Resources (CNR) Chevron Corporation ConocoPhillips Eni ExxonMobil Corporation Petronas PTTEP Australasia Royal Dutch Shell Statoil Total S.A.

Visiongain's global Offshore Oil & Gas Decommissioning market report can keep you informed and up to date with the developments in the market, across four different regions: The Gulf of Mexico and North America, the North Sea, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World.

With reference to this report, it details the key investments trend in the global market, subdivided by regions, capital and operational expenditure and project type. Through extensive secondary research and interviews with industry experts, Visiongain has identified a series of market trends that will impact the Offshore Oil & Gas Decommissioning market over the forecast timeframe.

The report will answer questions such as: How is the offshore oil & gas decommissioning market evolving? What is driving and restraining the offshore oil & gas decommissioning market? How will each offshore oil & gas decommissioning submarket segment grow over the forecast period and how much revenue will these submarkets account for in 2029? How will the market shares for each offshore oil & gas Decommissioning submarket develop from 2019 to 2029? What will be the main driver for the overall market from 2019 to 2029? Will leading offshore oil & gas decommissioning markets broadly follow the macroeconomic dynamics, or will individual national markets outperform others? How will the market shares of the national markets change by 2029 and which geographical region will lead the market in 2029? Who are the leading players and what are their prospects over the forecast period? What are the decommissioning projects for these leading companies? How will the industry evolve during the period between 2019 and 2029?

Five Reasons Why You Must Order and Read This Report Today:

1) The report provides forecasts for the Global Offshore Oil & Gas Decommissioning market, by TYPE, for the period 2020-2030 Well P&A CAPEX 2020-2030 Jackside & Topside Removal CAPEX 2020-2030 Others CAPEX 2020-2030

2) The report also forecasts and analyses the global Offshore Oil & Gas Decommissioning market by Regions from 2020-2030 Gulf of Mexico and North America CAPEX 2020-2030 North Sea CAPEX 2020-2030 Asia-Pacific CAPEX 2020-2030 Rest of the World CAPEX 2020-2030

Among the regions, the North Sea region is estimated to account for 48.65% of the world offshore oil and gas decommissioning market in 2020 while the Gulf of Mexico and North America region is projected to be a second largest region for the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas platforms. The Gulf of Mexico is anticipated to experience a large number of oil and gas platforms being decommissioned over the next 10 years. The North Sea region is projected to be the largest region, and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.5% over the period of 2020 to 2025 and 2.95% over the period of 2025 to 2030.

3) The report reveals global regulations and agreements affecting the Offshore Oil and Gas Decommissioning Industry:

4) The report includes Leading Companies analysis in the Offshore Oil & Gas Decommissioning Market Companies Companies with Offshore Assets Decommissioning Contractors Decommissioning Consultancies

5) The report provides detailed profiles of the leading companies operating within the Offshore Oil & Gas Decommissioning market: BP Plc Canadian Natural Resources Chevron Corporation ConocoPhillips ExxonMobil Corporation Total S.A. Royal Dutch Shell Plc ENI

To request a report overview of this report please contact Sara Peerun at sara.peerun@visiongain.com or refer to our website: https://www.visiongain.com/report/offshore-oil-gas-decommissioning-market-report-forecasts-2020-2030/

Did you know that we also offer a report add-on service? Email sara.peerun@visiongain.comto discuss any customized research needs you may have.

Companies covered in the report include:

Able UKAF GruppenAker SolutionsAllseasAP MllerAtotechBaker HughesBayernoilBibby Offshore LimitedBMT CordahBPBrasil Petroleo LtdaCal Dive InternationalCanadian Natural ResourcesChevron Brasil Oleo & Gas LtdaChevron CorporationConocoPhillipsCutting Underwater Solutions (CUT)DaewooENIEric Faulds Associates LtdExxonMobilGenesis Oil and Gas Consultants LtdHalliburtonHeerema Marine Contractors (HMC)JX Nippon Oil and Gas Exploration CorporationLinch-Pin Offshore Management SolutionsMaamoet SalvageMactech Inc.Maersk DecomMauritania Deepwater Ltd.Oceaneering (Norse Cutting and Abandonment)OptimusPB ConsultantsPerencoPetrobrasPetrofacPetronasPipeline Services InternationalProservRambollReverse Engineering Services Ltd (RESL)Royal Dutch ShellSaipemSapura AcergySchlumbergerStork Technical ServicesSubsea 7TechnipTetra TechnologiesTotal ErgTotal S.A.TSB OffshoreVersabarWeatherford InternationalWild Well ControlWood GroupWorley ParsonsZhejiang

To see a report overview please e-mail Sara Peerun on sara.peerun@visiongain.com

Related reports:

Oil & Gas Subsea Umbilicals, Risers & Flowlines (SURF) Market Report 2019-2029

Multi-Well Drilling Market Forecast 2017-2027

Deepwater Drilling Market Report 2018-2028

Subsea Production & Processing Systems Market Outlook 2018-2028

Marine Seismic Equipment & Acquisition Market Forecast 2019-2029

SOURCE Visiongain

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Visiongain has Forecasted That the Global Offshore Oil & Gas Decommissioning Market will See a Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) of $8279 Million -...

HAMILTON, Bermuda, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. (Teekay Offshore or the Partnership) announced that, effective January 22, 2020, Brookfield Business Partners L.P., together with certain of its affiliates and institutional partners (collectively, the Brookfield Consortium), has completed its acquisition by merger (the Merger) of all of the outstanding publicly held and listed common units representing limited partner interests of the Partnership (common units) held by parties other than the Brookfield Consortium (unaffiliated unitholders) pursuant to the agreement and plan of merger (the Merger Agreement) among the Partnership, Teekay Offshore GP L.L.C. (TOO GP), the general partner of the Partnership, and certain members of the Brookfield Consortium.

The Partnership also announced today certain changes to the Board of Directors and that following the closing of the Merger and the completion of the Partnerships separation from Teekay Corporation, the Partnership plans to change its name to Altera Infrastructure L.P. and to rebrand its consolidated group of companies under the new umbrella of Altera Infrastructure.

Completion of Acquisition by Merger

Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, common units held by unaffiliated unitholders were converted into the right to receive $1.55 in cash per common unit (the cash consideration), other than common units held by unaffiliated unitholders who elected to receive the equity consideration (as defined below). As an alternative to receiving the cash consideration, each unaffiliated unitholder had the option to elect to forego the cash consideration and instead receive one newly designated unlisted Class A Common Unit of the Partnership per common unit (the equity consideration). The Class A Common Units are economically equivalent to the common units held by the Brookfield Consortium following the Merger, but have limited voting rights and limited transferability.

As a result of the Merger, the Brookfield Consortium owns 100% of the Class B Common Units, representing approximately 98.7% of the outstanding common units of the Partnership. 100% of the Class A Common Units, representing approximately 1.3% of the outstanding common units of the Partnership as of the closing of the Merger, are held by the unaffiliated unitholders who elected to receive the equity consideration in respect of their common units.

Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, the Partnerships outstanding preferred units were unchanged and remain outstanding following the Merger.

Unaffiliated unitholders of record as of immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger who are entitled to the cash consideration will receive from the exchange agent, for each common unit held by them, the cash consideration, without interest and net of any applicable withholding taxes, in exchange for the cancellation of such common units. Unaffiliated unitholders who hold their common units in street name through their broker, bank or other nominee will not be required to take any action to receive the cash consideration for their common units, as the exchange agent will arrange for the remittance of the cash consideration with The Depository Trust Company for distribution to the applicable broker, bank or nominee on behalf of such beneficial owners. Any questions concerning the receipt of the cash consideration from unaffiliated unitholders who hold common units in street name should be directed by such holders to their applicable broker, bank or nominee.

Unaffiliated unitholders of record as of immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger who are entitled to the equity consideration will receive from the exchange agent, upon receipt of any documents required by the instructions to Election Form and Letter of Transmittal delivered to such unaffiliated unitholder in connection with the Merger, the equity consideration, in exchange for the cancellation of such common units.

The Partnership also announced today that it requested that trading of its common units on the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE) be suspended before the beginning of trading on January 23, 2020. The Partnership requested that the NYSE file a Form 25 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) notifying the SEC of the delisting of its common units on the NYSE and the deregistration of the common units. The deregistration will become effective 90 days after the filing of the Form 25 or such shorter period as may be determined by the SEC. The Company intends to suspend its reporting obligations with respect to the common units under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, by filing a Form 15 with the SEC in approximately 10 days. Reporting obligations in respect of the outstanding preferred units remain unchanged.

Changes to Board of Directors

The Partnership also announced today the following changes to the Board of Directors of TOO GP:

Bill Utt, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TOO GP, commented On behalf of the entire Teekay Offshore Board, I wish to recognize David for his service as a Teekay Offshore Director since our initial public offering 14 years ago and thank him for the significant contributions he has made to the Partnership during his tenure. Whilst Kenneth will not leave the Board immediately, I also wish to thank him at this time for his input to Teekay Offshore and in particular for his support in the important transition from Teekay Corporation to Brookfield ownership.

Plan to Rebrand as Altera Infrastructure

Following the closing of the Merger, the Partnership also announced that it intends to change its name to Altera Infrastructure L.P. and to rebrand the consolidated group of companies under the new umbrella of Altera Infrastructure. The intention is to start going live with this branding transition from March 24, 2020 and additional details on the effective date of the Partnerships change of name will be communicated in due course.

Ingvild Sther, Group CEO, commented This combination of corporate actions marks a new, exciting chapter for the Partnership. We are establishing a global energy infrastructure services company that will create long term value for its stakeholders. Upholding our uncompromised commitment to operational excellence and safety, we will be relentless in our pursuit of opportunities that lead to strong results and lower emissions. The innovation of the E-shuttle tankers is evidence of the Partnerships ability and willingness to take a leading role as the industry is moving towards a more sustainable future.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes statements that may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although the Partnership believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Partnerships expectations and may adversely affect the Partnerships business and results of operations are disclosed in Item 3 of the Partnerships Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on February 28, 2019, as updated and supplemented by subsequent filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and, other than as may be required by law, the Partnership undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Teekay Offshore Partners L.P.

Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. is a leading international midstream services provider to the offshore oil production industry, primarily focused on the ownership and operation of critical infrastructure assets in offshore oil regions of the North Sea, Brazil and the East Coast of Canada. Teekay Offshore has consolidated assets of approximately $5.2 billion, comprised of 56 offshore assets, including floating production, storage and offloading units, shuttle tankers (including six new buildings), floating storage and offtake units, long-distance towing and offshore installation vessels, and a unit for maintenance and safety. The majority of Teekay Offshores fleet is employed on medium-term, stable contracts.

Teekay Offshores preferred units continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols TOO PR A, TOO PR B and TOO PR E, respectively.

For Investor Relations enquires contact:

Jan Rune Steinsland, Chief Financial OfficerTel: +47 97052533Website: http://www.teekayoffshore.com

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Teekay Offshore Partners Announces Completion of Its Acquisition by Brookfield, Changes to Board of Directors and Plan to Rebrand as Altera...

A RUTHIN-BASED civil engineering company has started work for the worlds largest offshore wind farm.

Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK has commenced construction on onshore works for Dogger Bank Wind Farms near the coastal village of Ulrome, the East Riding of Yorkshire.

Dogger Bank Wind Farms, a joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor, is made up of three offshore wind farm sites, totalling 3.6 gigawatts (GW): Creyke Beck A (1.2GW), Creyke Beck B (1.2GW) and Teesside A (1.2GW).

The offshore wind farm will generate enough renewable energy to power more than 4.5 million homes each year.

Ruthin-based Jones Bros was awarded the contract to install the onshore cable infrastructure for the Creyke Beck A and Creyke Beck B sites.

The works will also involve completing bulk earthworks at the onshore HVDC convertor station locations in East Riding.

The onshore infrastructure includes the installation of approximately 20 miles of electrical cables within ducts.

The ducts will be installed within trenches and where required via drilling under existing infrastructure and natural obstacles.

The completed onshore cable will transport the power generated by the two offshore wind farm sites, Creyke Beck A and Creyke Beck B, from the landfall point at Ulrome to the new convertor stations (one per project) in the south of Beverley.

The works contract also includes vegetation clearance, preparing access junctions and construction of a temporary access road to facilitate the main works, and installation of pre- and post-construction land drainage.

The full works are expected to take approximately two years to complete.

Steve Wilson, managing director of Dogger Bank Wind Farms, said: Getting the first spade in the ground is a significant milestone on any project, but for what will be the worlds largest offshore wind farm, this is a major moment for a project that has already been over a decade in the making.

Dogger Bank Wind Farms will play a critical role in the UKs effort to achieve net-zero through the use of low-carbon fuel sources and were incredibly pleased to work with one of the UKs leading civil engineering contractors, Jones Bros, as we commence construction and start delivering Dogger Bank.

Garod Evans, Jones Bros contracts director, said: We have worked with SSE Renewables on major schemes previously and we are delighted to be developing our partnership through working with them and now Equinor on the onshore works for Dogger Bank Wind Farms.

There will be up to 100 Jones Bros personnel, from management to apprentices and trainees, on site at the height of the works.

This is a really significant project to be involved with and its exciting for us to play a part in delivering support to what will be the worlds biggest offshore wind farm.

Dogger Bank Wind Farms will be home to the worlds most powerful turbine, GEs Haliade-X machine.

All three sites were successful in the UKs September 2019 Contracts for Difference (CfD) auctions.

Originally posted here:

Ruthin firm starts work on the world's largest offshore wind farm - Denbighshire Free Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. It's another busy week at the South Carolina State House as lawmakers consider a variety of bills like offshore drilling bans, distracted driving, and medical marijuana.

Offshore drilling ban

Momentum continues to build for a ban on offshore drilling and related infrastructure in South Carolina's waters and coastal regions.

This week, S.870 made it out of a Senate subcommittee with approval.

S.870 would 'prohibit' the approval of a plan, license, or permit application for infrastructure used to transport crude oil or natural gas from the Atlantic ocean into the state or for oil and gas exploration in the state's waters, according to the bill's language.

You can read it here.

The movement has bipartisan support for a variety of different reasons.

Senator Goldfinch: "The primary reason behind that, the impetus behind that is that there's just really not the available land to provide for those port/refinery activities in South Carolina. If you look at my district alone, from Murrells Inlet to Isle of Palms, 90 percent of that land on the coast is protected in some way, shape or form," said Senator Stephen Goldfinch, (R) Georgetown.

"God put incredible beauty and natural splendor in South Carolina and we've got an obligation to preserve it and maintain it for our kids and our grandkids. That's just how I approach our wonderful, beautiful state and the world that we live in. And then I look at the economics of it. And I say, you know, does it make sense to drill for oil offshore from some of the most beautiful and used beaches in America? Where, tourism is one of our biggest industries," said Senator Vincent Sheheen, (D) Kershaw.

The Governor's office said Governor Henry McMaster continues to be against offshore drilling, saying South Carolina's 'beautiful coastline' is not suitable for the infrastructure required.

Distracted Driving

Also this week, a proposed distracted driving ban made it out of subcommittee with favorable approval.

The bill would make it illegal to drive with a handheld electronic device in hand or use it while operating a vehicle, with few exceptions.

You can read the bill here.

"Spent hours on the phone with mothers who have lost children because of distracted driving and so, through those conversations, I became pretty well acquainted with the human toll of this behavior," said Senator Wes Climer, (R) York.

Climer sent the proposed bill from his subcommittee to the full Transportation Committee, which is expected to begin debate on it next week.

The subcommittee changed some penalties, making it $150 and 0 license points for a first offense and two license points and $300 for a second offense

Medical Marijuana

In a press conference Wednesday, a group of patients, doctors, and others asked the state to pass the Compassionate Care Act.

The act would legalize medical cannabis in South Carolina. Supporters of the bill call it one of the most conservative in the country and say it's not a pathway to legalization of marijuana.

Margaret Richardson has a chronic pain condition and said the new treatments would help.

"Please give us a chance to treat our specific needs, legally. And let us, I repeat, have an opportunity to live life," Richardson said at the press conference.

The Compassionate Care Act remains in Senate committee.

More veterans in nursing

Members of the House are a step closer to making it easier for veterans to become nurses in the state.

They passed a bill Tuesday which would create associate and bachelor-degree veteran nursing programs at higher education facilities across the state.

The measure urges stakeholders to allow veterans to apply relevant military medic education and training towards a degree.

Representative Tommy Stringer said the idea came to him after a doctor's appointment.

"Well we have a significant nurse shortage in the state and it occurred to me we have a lot of military people retiring here, so it made sense that we would take advantage of the training they already had paid for by taxpayer dollars and integrate it into a nursing program," Stringer said.

The bill would still need Senate approval and the Governor's signature to become law.

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Offshore drilling ban, veterans in nursing, and medical marijuana on State House minds this week - WLTX.com