Monthly Archives: February 2020

Opinion | For an Asian century with an Indian stamp – Livemint

Posted: February 27, 2020 at 12:54 am

After many false starts, India and the US appear confident of consolidating their defence ties, upgraded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump to what was described on Tuesday as a comprehensive global strategic partnership". The first of these four words is an addition to the relationships lexicon, the other three having been adopted after Modis parleys with Trumps predecessor Barack Obama in 2014 and 2015. While India-US cooperation is expected to cover a range of fieldsfrom the sharing of logistical facilities to vital informationthe pivotal part would be the access our forces get to some of the most feared military equipment on the planet", as Trump put it. New Delhi is reportedly scheduled to sign deals worth an estimated over $3 billion to buy 24 Lockheed Martins Sikorsky MH-60R Romeo" naval helicopters, called the Swiss Army knives of choppers" for their versatility, and six Boeing Inc.s AH64-E Apache attack helicopters. The former are meant for the Indian Navy, which needs to enhance its strike capability if it is to hold sway across the high seas of the Indian Ocean and further east.

The context of the joint India-US intent to keep the eastern hemisphere free and open for seafarers is the aggression displayed in recent years by China, which has sought to project power beyond its littoral as part of what analysts see as its Go" strategy of encircling adversaries. It has not gone unnoticed that Beijing is doubling down on its naval strength and, accordingly, India and the US have stepped up joint military exercises in seas far from the Indian coastline. The convergence of interests on this front is obvious. If Washington views the rise of Chinese might as a challenge to the global world order as set by the West, New Delhi needs to resist any threat posed by a northern neighbour whose sphere of influence looks set to widen in the years ahead. That Pakistan and China are all weather" allies adds urgency to that objective. Moreover, if this is inevitably to be an Asian century, given the economic trends of the times, then India must take on some of the responsibility to ensure it does not diminish the freedoms that were so hard won in the American century of the 1900s.

Even as India gets closer to the US in a common quest to counter Chinese domination of the Asian continent, if not yet the world, New Delhi has begun to reform the command structure of its armed forces to maximize operational efficiency in case hostilities break out. India now has a chief of defence staff to coordinate all three wings of the forces. A plan has been worked out for the creation of theatre commands, by which a single commander will direct all forces in a particular zone of war. An optimal way to mount military missions, however, increasingly involves making the most of data thats gathered, crunched and deployed in realtime, across multiple hardware platforms. Given the expansion of our security relations with the US, it seems likely that the Pentagon will share high-value data with our forces for joint operations. This will be an enabler, no doubt, to meet common goals. But none of this should be at the cost of Indias own security agenda, as determined by a government answerable to the countrys citizens. While strategic partnerships are welcome, what counts for most is strategic autonomy.

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Opinion | For an Asian century with an Indian stamp - Livemint

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A traitor’s trial in ‘Roberto Devereux’: The unprivate lives of Elizabeth and Essex – People’s World

Posted: at 12:54 am

Photo by Cory Weaver

LOS ANGELESMove over, Broadways recently opened musical adaptation of the 1960s wife-swapping movie Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice, which has nothing on Los Angeles Operas company premiere of Gaetano Donizettis opera Roberto Devereux about the 1600s kinky hi-jinks of Bob and Liz and Sara and Duke.

To be more specific, Im referring to the mnage--quatre (to coin a phrase?) between the titular character, Roberto Devereux (aka the Earl of Essex), Queen Elizabeth, Sara (the Duchess of Nottingham), and the Duke of Nottingham in Elizabethan England.

Donizettis tragedia lirica (lyric tragedy) with Salvadore Cammaranos libretto, first produced in 1837 in Naples, is loosely based on at least one play and a publication about actual historical personages. This is one of three Donizetti works depicting Englands House of Tudor, which include the Italian composers operas about Anne Boleyn (King Henry VIIIs doomed wife is alluded to in Roberto as she was Elizabeths mother) and Mary, Queen of Scots.

Film fans who have seen director Michael Curtizs 1939 The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, starring Olivia de Havilland, Bette Davis as the not-so-Virgin Queen, and Errol Flynn as the Earl of Essex, will be familiar with some of Roberto Devereuxs plot points. In the Warner Bros. Technicolor epic Our Man Flynn puts the sex into Essex as he romances the much older Queen Elizabeth I. Privates musical score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, one of Hollywoods greatest movie score composers ever, was Oscar-nominated, and he later used part of the pictures composition in his Symphony in F-Sharp Major.

LA Operas season is rolling right along, despite conundrums that might cause serious setbacks to lesser opera houses. Not even the companys loss of Plcido Domingo as general director and performer (he had been scheduled to appear as the Duke in Roberto) has broken its stride or spirit. Domingos precipitous fall from grace is itself the stuff great opera is made of.

On Robertos opening night, LA Opera was faced with another crisis when one of its female leads was unable to take the stage. With that the-show-must-go-on! pizzazz, before the curtain lifted Feb. 22 on the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion stage, LA OperaCEO Christopher Koelsch announced that due to Davinia Rodrguezs illness, which reportedly prevented her from playing Queen Elizabeth, soprano Angela Meade would replace her. Because of Ms. Meades late addition to the cast, as well as the extensive demands of the role, at the premiere ofRoberto Devereux Meade sang Elizabeth from the side of the stage while Nicola Bowie, the productions choreographer, acted the role in costume and makeup onstage, a practice which, according to LA Operas director of communications, shall continue throughout the shows run.

Antennas raised, I was curious how this unique arrangement would work out under the glare of the operatic medium, live. Would it look like kooky Kabuki theatre? While Ms. Bowie played the Virgin Queen center stage, Ms. Meade was visible singing on stage right standing in front of a music stand with the illuminated score. Instead of ruining the performance, this arguably enhanced the experience with a rather singular mise-en-scne. It called to mind the scenes depicting the introduction of synchronized sound to talkies in Singin in the Rain, as well as Deaf West Theatres use of sign language during plays and musicals (next month DWF is performing an iteration of Jean Cocteaus Orphe at the Odyssey Theater).

With Mexican tenor Ramn Vargas in the title role as the dashing, younger nobleman and soldier, Roberto Devereuxdramatizes his affair with Her Majesty, while hed clandestinely romanced Sara, the Duchess of Nottingham (mezzo-soprano Ashley Dixon plays the part until March 5, fresh off her portrayal of Big Stone in LA Operas Eurydice, and Raehann Bryce-Davis assumes the role March 8-14). To further complicate the infidelities, Sara is married to Robertos best friend and loyal champion, the Duke of Nottingham (Quinn Kelsey in his LA Opera debut).

A traitors trial

To say that complications ensue is an understatement. Compounding all these entanglements, Roberto is charged with high treason due to his actions on the battlefield. Its worth mentioning the specifics of his trial, although it forms only the background to the opera and is not given deep attention in the libretto: The Queen had sent him to lead a military expedition to subdue Catholic Ireland, one of the British gentrys most lucrative colonies, but against her orders, Devereux signed a peace treaty with the Irish rebels. How different history might have turned out had this treaty held!

But Elizabethan England was at its imperial height and no one crossed the Queen lightly: The history students among us will recall that it was under Elizabeth that the British fleet defeated the feared Spanish Armada in 1588, with one victory turning the tide on the Spanish Empire, which never again could compete on an equal basis with the Brits. So Robertos betrayal took place on two levels: the personal/emotional, and the military/political.

Will the Earl of Essex end up with his head on a pike or will he escape the chopping block, at least until the final curtain?

Benot Dugardyns scenic design features a clever mock battle on the high seas between the two fleets to remind us of this critical piece of Elizabethan history. The optical opulence of his scenery evokes 16th-century London. He puts his architectural background to good use, creating a set reminiscent of Shakespeares Globe Theater (the Bard himself makes a cameo appearance onstage). The first and last scenes visually express Elizabeths angst, caused by having the institution of the monarchy thrust upon her. As Shakespeare observed in another meditation on monarchy, Henry IV: Uneasy lies the head that wears the crownand heavy is the heart that must bear it. Not to mention, of course, the multitude of subjects who must suffer under a royal class that inherits privilege and power to reign along with the megalomania and affluenza in the exercise of their rule.

For this production, LA Operas curtain looks like a gigantic picture frame, which is highly apropos, for along with spot-on makeup and wigs, German costume designer Ingeborg Bernerths apparel for Ms. Bowie as Her Majesty closely resembles contemporary paintings of Queen Elizabeth I. The royal raiment brings alive the court, as well as Parliament, of Elizabethan London, transporting us back in time and space, if only for three hours or so. But this production is such a magical time machine that H.G. Wells might well have envied it.

In addition to the unusual dual performance of the Mses. Meade/Bowie as Elizabeth, LA Opera audiences are treated to another rare event, as a female conductor, South Korean Eun Sun Kim, wields the baton, eliciting Donizettis sometimes soaring score from the LA Opera Orchestra (Louis Lohraseb conducts on March 14). In a nod to cultural authenticity, perhaps its on point to have an Englishman direct this production set in Britain, LA Opera veteran Stephen Lawless, who flawlessly oversees this brilliant production, notwithstanding the last-minute casting hiccup. The cast outstandingly sings and acts, with Kelseys Duke movingly emoting as not just a cuckold, but as someone who believes hes been betrayed by his bestie, whose head hed been trying to save in the corridors of Parliament.

Aside from Robertos musings on and depictions of its four main characters sexual peccadilloes, did Donizetti and Cammarano produce what we could recognize today as an anti-monarchical opera, critiquing the divine institution of monarchy itself and the authoritarian, one-person rule we see on exhibit? Perhaps thats a stretch, for both Classical and Romantic esthetics were generally not so much anti-monarchy per se, but rather demanded that monarchs rule justly.

Still, unfortunately, this theme remains as relevant today as it was when the story was set, in the 16th century, and when first produced in 1837. Today, as some political leaders act as if they are above the law, Roberto Devereux remains a cautionary tale.

For its stellar stagecraft and affecting bel canto lyricism, I do indeed heartily recommend that opera-goers see, hear and enjoy Roberto Devereux.

Roberto Devereux is performed Thurs., Feb. 27 and March 5, and Sat., March 14 at 7:30 p.m., and Sun., March 1 and 8 at 2:00 p.m., at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. For more info and tickets call (213) 972-8001 or go to the LA Opera website.

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Illegal on the net – Bandera County Courier

Posted: at 12:54 am

Because they do not register their catches in the countries in whose waters they cast their nets, many industrial fishing fleets operate on a criminal basis. This statement is made by Rashid Sumaila and Daniel Pauly from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver together with colleagues in the renowned science journal Science Advances.

A total of about 7.7 to 14 million tons of fish are taken out of the sea without the knowledge of the responsible authorities, they estimate researchers. This amount adds to the roughly 90 million tons of legal and reported catches each year, says fishing expert Catherine Zucco from the WWF nature conservation organization in Hamburg.

Researchers in Canada base their estimates on a comparison to illegal timber harvesting, which is much better documented. Since catches at sea are easier to transport and hide than wood in the forest and the researchers estimated it very carefully anyway, the actual values could also be significantly higher, suggest Daniel Pauly and his colleagues.

The researchers estimate that a total of 8.9 to 17, 2 billion US dollars are earned from these illegal and unregistered catches. Affected states lose $ 2.2 to $ 4.3 billion in tax revenue annually. The countries of Africa alone lose between 7.6 and 13, US $ 9 billion in economic output each year, report Daniel Pauly and his colleagues. Much of it is caused by industrial fishing, which mostly comes from abroad.

For Asia the loss is even higher in the year: 10, 3 to 20, $ 3 billion. South America follows in third place with between one and 2.3 billion euros. Together, Asia, Africa and South America therefore record 85 percent of this worldwide loss due to illegal and unregistered catches.

But how does fishing work? Eyes of the authorities? In the European Union there is, for example, the landing requirement, according to which species that have been caught online and for which there are quotas must not be thrown back into the sea, but brought ashore and counted against the catch of the fisherman, explains Catherine Zucco.

This regulation is very important because fish that are too small and unwanted species are often caught. If the fisherman throws this bycatch back into the sea, the animals are often already dead or do not survive long. However, because this regulation is hardly monitored, many by-catches are still thrown overboard. Surveillance cameras on board and sensors on the networks could prevent such practices, explains Catherine Zucco.

Dolphins are also repeatedly removed from the nets and thrown back into the water. France's Atlantic coast is particularly affected. Dead dolphins are washed up here again and again. The Pelagis Observatory counted around 670 dead animals on the beaches until last weekend. That was more than in the same period last year, it said.

Last winter the number of dolphins washed up dead had reached record levels and caused dismay. This year, the coasts of the Bay of Biscay are the most affected in particular the departments of Vende and Brittany, according to the scientist Matthieu Authier from the University of La Rochelle, who also works for Pelagis.

Many the traces of fishing gear are visible, they are most likely bycatch by fishermen, according to Pelagis. The scientists are concerned that a large part of the animals killed are not washed up on land at all, but sink to the bottom of the sea so the number of dead dolphins is likely to be much larger. It is estimated that more than 11000 dolphins died off the coast of France in 2019 in the year.

Scientists and animal welfare organizations blame too tight a network of fishermen for the death of the dolphins. The animal rights activists of the Sea Shepherd organization accuse the fishing associations of a scandalous attitude that tarnishes the entire profession, as it says in a message.

These catches made outside the law are added to the legal ones. If catch quotas are set, the unregistered catches are missing and the fish stocks in the sea can be significantly overestimated. This increases the risk of a recession: the correct fishermen then catch less than hoped for, their profits shrink and unemployment threatens. Overall, a few enrich themselves at the expense of the general public, summarize Daniel Pauly and his colleagues this approach.

The WWF and other conservationists use satellite data, for example, to investigate these illegal activities evaluate the Automatic Identification System AIS. These mini-computers radio the name, size and position of the ship to better prevent collisions between ships. This data is also evaluated by a satellite fleet in space, which provides an overview of the activities of the ships at sea.

Since a ship travels completely differently when catching tuna than when catching cod or pegs with a trawl net, conservationists can, for example, deduce the type of catch. But we achieve a lot more transparency on the high seas, explains Catherine Zucco. (with dpa)

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Bristol awarded $861,097 to launch offshore wind training program – Taunton Daily Gazette

Posted: at 12:53 am

FALL RIVER -- Bristol Community College is launching a new program geared toward careers in the United States offshore wind industry, the college announced in a press release Wednesday.

The Baker-Polito Administration on Tuesday announced $14.6 million in funding of Massachusetts Skills Capital Grants to 54 academic institutions, to acquire the newest technologies and most up-to-date equipment to best educate students and expand career education opportunities.

As part of that funding, Bristol was awarded $861,097 for an offshore wind energy training program.

"Bristols recent Skills Capital Grant supports the colleges commitment to being a leader of innovative offshore wind energy training, with cutting-edge technology and expert faculty, Bristol Community College President Laura L. Douglas said in the release. Bristol is proud to provide the in-demand technical skills and safety training required for high-paying careers in this emerging industry.

Bristol Community College's National Offshore Wind Institute will offer basic safety training and basic technical training programs certified by the Global Wind Organization, the release states.

"The Skills Capital Grant will supply the program with the training equipment necessary to offer these specialized certifications and achieve Global Wind Organization accreditation; essential to NOWI becoming a leader in offshore wind training," the release states.

NOWIs basic safety training modules will include first aid, manual handling, fire awareness, working at heights and sea survival. The basic technical training courses will focus on hydraulics, mechanical and electrical concepts, in regard to offshore wind.

Massachusetts Skills Capital Grants are awarded by Gov. Charlie Bakers Workforce Skills Cabinet, which was created in 2015 to strategize how to meet employers demand for skilled workers in every region of the state.

The competitive grants are awarded to educational institutions that demonstrate partnerships with local businesses and align curriculum and credentials with industry demand in order to maximize hiring opportunities in each region of the state. The 2018 Economic Development Bill, filed by Baker and passed by the Legislature, established an additional $75 million in Skills Capital Grant funding.

The US Department of Energy estimates 43,000 new jobs will be created in the offshore wind market by 2030. The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center recently published an assessment of the jobs and economic impacts associated with development of 1,600 megawatts in Massachusetts. That study estimated that over the next decade, offshore wind farms will create nearly 3,000 jobs and generate economic impacts between $1.2 billion and $2.1 billion in the region.

Alan Lowdon has been named director of strategic development for the Bristol program. Lowdon comes to Bristol with more than 20 years of experience in the offshore wind industry. He will formulate and implement the strategic plans for the creation of a Global Wind Organization-accredited offshore wind training center as the centerpiece of the National Offshore Wind Institut, according to Bristol's website.

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Safety culture in offshore oil and gas: National Academies awards grants for project development – Safety+Health magazine

Posted: at 12:53 am

Washington Via its Gulf Research Program, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine has awarded eight grants totaling nearly $7.3 million to projects aimed at enhancing safety culture in the offshore oil and gas industry.

The GRP grants support projects that produce data sets, strategies and tools for measurement to help ensure the safety of workers and the protection of the environment in the Gulf of Mexico. A culture of safety has many characteristics, Kelly Oskvig, senior program officer of the GRPs Safer Offshore Energy Systems initiatives, said in a press release. Through this grants competition, we hope to provide the tools to help strengthen some of those characteristics.

The eight SOES projects are:Bringing High-Reliability Safety Culture Decisions into Focus: Training with Interactive Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping ($684,054), directed by Portland State University, focuses on raising awareness among frontline managers of best practices from other high-risk industries.Employee Well-Being and Mindfulness as Predictors of Process and Personal Safety ($828,113), led by the University of Houston, examines how mindfulness exercises can affect safety culture, employee burnout and well-being, and safety behavior compliance.Safety Reporting Action Program for Offshore Oil and Gas Industry in the Gulf of Mexico ($755,851), led by the University of North Dakota, focuses on offshore oil and gas safety regulators need for a more proactive system for workers to report incidents and near misses.

Measuring and Improving Blended Project-Safety Culture in Operations of Offshore Oil and Gas Facilities ($733,631) is a Texas A&M University-led effort to develop quantifiable measurements of safety culture improvements specific to activity, team and type of offshore installation.Aggregating Essential Exposure Data to Enable Meaningful Analysis of Safety Incident Rates Around the World ($739,992), directed by the American Bureau of Shipping, focuses on developing a comprehensive global offshore incident data set to lay a foundation for predictive modeling initiatives.Development of an Evidence-Based, Multilevel Safety Culture Assessment Battery for the Offshore Industry ($1.1 million), directed by The Group for Organizational Effectiveness, aims to develop a set of evidence-based assessment tools to diagnose, measure and track individual safety readiness; a teams safety assumptions, values and beliefs; team leader and team member behaviors; and an organizations safety practices and policies.EMPOWER Safety Dashboards: Evaluate, Measure, and Promote Offshore Worker Engagement and Readiness ($943,008), led by Texas A&M, aims to develop and test field-friendly measurement tools and design, develop and evaluate a dashboard called EMPOWER (Evaluate, Measure, Promote Offshore Worker Engagement and Readiness).Developing an Integrated Offshore Energy Industry Safety Culture Evaluation, Benchmarking, and Improvement Toolbox ($1.4 million), directed by ABS, focuses on developing a roadmap to evaluate and improve organizational safety culture, reduce unsafe behaviors, enhance individual performance, and reduce near misses and incidents.

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Azinam and Panoro take interest in Africa Energy’s offshore reserve – Offshore Technology

Posted: at 12:53 am

]]> Azinam will operate the prospect where Panoro Energy has taken a share of equity. Credit: Panoro Energy.

Namibian oil and gas exploration firm Azinam has announced it will operate the South African A-J1 oil discovery, previously held by Africa Energy. London-headquartered Panoro Energy will also take a share of the block.

The AJ-1 reserve lies in Block 2B off South Africas west coast. The block is 300km north of Cape Town in the Orange Basin, with water depths ranging from 50 to 200 meters over its 3,604km2 area.

Africa Energy owned 90% of the block, with the remainder held by Crown Energy. Under two separate agreements, it has farmed out a 50% stake to Azinam, who will become the operator of the block. At the same time, Panoro will buy a 12.5% share.

The reserve contains 349 million barrels of oil, with a tested flow of 191 barrels per day. Azinam plans to drill a well up-dip of the discovery later this year.

Recent 3D seismic data has identified significant potential in six prospect areas at depths of up to 800m shallower than the original well.

Panoro said the next proposed exploration well, Gazania-1, will be drilled into the Gazania and Namaqualand prospects.

Azinam managing director Daniel McKeown said: With A-J1 having flowed oil to surface and with the benefit of a significant database of well and seismic information, Azinam believes that Block 2B has the potential to provide South Africa with its first major offshore oil production.

McKeown said: In 1988 the A-J1 well offshore South Africa encountered significant quantities of oil in 150m water depth and only 25km from shore. With the benefit of new 3D seismic, we can see that A-J1 drilled the down-dip section of a potentially much larger oil accumulation in a number of prospects.

Azinam entered the Orange Basin in 2018 taking stakes in Block 3B/4B and Nearshore Block 3B/4B, under an agreement with Ricocure.

Panoro holds exploration and production assets in Africa with oil production from fields in Tunisia, Gabon and Nigeria.

Panoro CEO John Hamilton said: This farm-in to Block 2B is in line with Panoros renewed strategy of acquiring minority high-impact exploration interests close to existing discoveries and with clear routes to commercialisation.

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Illinois’ in-person sports gambling rule could send people to offshore sports books, industry player warns – The Center Square

Posted: at 12:53 am

When Illinois residents begin to place bets on sporting events this year, an online gaming venue official warned that in-person registration restrictions could push people to illegal, offshore gambling outlets.

A number of states already offer legal sports wagering. Illinois officials have said they plan to roll out a sports wagering program before the NCAA Mens Basketball tournament begins in March.

But illegal, offshore gambling sites already are available anywhere with an internet connection. Unlike Illinois new gambling laws, those sites wont require gamblers to leave the couch.

For 18 months, sports wagering in Illinois must first be registered inside of casinos and racetracks and other establishments that will have some of the first sports betting licenses, something Yaniv Sherman, head of commercial development at online gambling service 888 Holdings, said will impede the new market from swaying people away from offshore gambling sites.

If youre sitting at home, you have the choice of betting with an illegal operator or driving 45 minutes into a casino and registering a bet on your mobile device, its a no-brainer, he said.

He pointed to the differences between New Jersey, which immediately opened up online wagering, and New York and Rhode Island, which limited their programs in a way similar to Illinois.

Retail is just a lot smaller, the way casinos are located, Sherman said. Theyre deliberately placed outside of the metro areas.

His organization is interested in offering services to Illinois residents, but plans to wait until the moratorium nears an end to consider it. It would be vying for one of the three allowable online-only licenses the Illinois Gaming Board has yet to release. The 18-month delay stems from a 2015decisionby Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan that daily fantasy sports sites DraftKings and FanDuel had broken state law when they offered their services to Illinois residents.

Sherman said many of these offshore gambling organizations have become so ubiquitous that theyre looked at as a part of the legal gambling industry.

News broke last week of a federal indictment of several Illinoisans accused of operating an illegal offshore gambling ring. One of the accused is Casey Urlacher, mayor of Mettawa in Lake County and brother of Hall-of-Fame Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.

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Senator Rubio confident Trump administration will extend Florida offshore drilling ban – Reuters

Posted: at 12:52 am

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) talks to reporters following a classified national security briefing of the U.S. Senate on developments with Iran after attacks by Iran on U.S. forces in Iraq, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 8, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Marco Rubio on Tuesday said he was confident the administration of President Donald Trump will extend a ban on oil and gas drilling off Florida, despite its enthusiasm for opening much of the countrys coasts to petroleum development.

I expect that the Trump Administration will not act to oppose or defeat my efforts to extend the offshore drilling moratorium in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico beyond its current expiration in 2022, Rubio, a Florida Republican, said in a statement.

In December, Rubio lifted a hold he had placed on the confirmation of Katharine MacGregor as deputy secretary of the Interior Department. He had voiced concern that MacGregor, a proponent of Trumps expansive oil and gas production policy, would work to lift the ban off Florida.

Florida Senator Rick Scott, Rubios fellow Republican, also opposes drilling off the state. Not extending the ban would face fierce opposition by coastal tourism, real estate and environmental interests in Florida.

The U.S. Senate will not likely pass a permanent moratorium on the drilling, Rubio believes, so he has sponsored a bill to extend the ban through 2027.

Trumps offshore drilling plan, which MacGregor helped develop, was sidelined after a court ruling blocked drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic, but it could resurface after Novembers U.S. presidential elections.

Since lifting the hold on MacGregor, Rubio has been in touch with the White House regarding the drilling moratorium. He now plans to back MacGregors confirmation as No. 2 at the Interior Department and will talk about his support in the Senate this week, his office said.

The White House referred questions about Rubios comments to the Department of Interior. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing Tom Brown

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Total Hiring to Boost Offshore Wind Teams in Denmark and U.K. – Yahoo Finance

Posted: at 12:52 am

(Bloomberg) -- French energy company Total SA is hiring in the U.K. and Denmark to prepare to compete for government contracts for offshore wind farms.

The move adds to evidence of oil majors seeking to enter the wind business as governments everywhere look to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and spur cleaner forms of energy.

The Paris-based company is preparing to bid into an auction due to start later this year for an offshore wind farm in Denmark with an expected cost of about 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion), according to a job post on the companys website. Giant renewable-power projects at sea are drawing increased interest from energy companies of all kinds, especially oil majors that are attracted by the scale of investment and security of returns.

Total has spearheaded the oil industrys move into renewables by pushing more than $5 billion in technologies from batteries to onshore wind and solar farms since 2015. It has yet to win an offshore wind tender.

The French company had stakes in 3 gigawatts of renewable-power capacity at the end of last year. Its seeking to double that in 2020 and targets 25 gigawatts by 2025.

The Danish project, known as Thor, is set to be between 800 megawatts and 1,000 megawatts, located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) off Denmarks west coast in the North Sea. Developers who want to bid for the project will qualify later this year and then submit bids.

Total is also hiring a number of people in the U.K., with job descriptions that include design and engineering for fixed-bottom or floating offshore wind projects in the U.K. and internationally. Last year, Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne said the company planned to participate in an upcoming auction for offshore wind sites in Scotland.

A spokesperson for Total had no immediate comment.

--With assistance from Francois de Beaupuy.

To contact the reporter on this story: William Mathis in London at wmathis2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net, Lars Paulsson

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ENGIE-EDPR Offshore Wind Joint Venture Clears Another Hurdle – Offshore WIND

Posted: at 12:52 am

The European Commission has approved the acquisition of EDPR Offshore Espaa by ENGIE and EDP Renovaveis.

EDPR Offshore Espaa is a Spain-headquartered subsidiary of the EDP Group active in the offshore wind industry globally. The company would be the exclusive vehicle of both parties for offshore wind farm activities worldwide.

The European Commission has concluded that the proposed concentration would not raise competition concerns due to its limited impact on the market.

French energy company ENGIE and EDP Renewables, also a subsidiary of the EDP Group, agreed to create a co-controlled 50/50 joint-venture in fixed and floating offshore wind.

EDP Renewables and ENGIE are combining their offshore wind assets and project pipeline in this new entity, starting with a total of 1.5GW of projects under construction, including the 950MW Moray East in the UK, the 25MW Wind Float Atlantic in Portugal, and the 487MW SeaMade in Belgium.

The agreement also includes 3.7GW of projects under development, including the 800MW-950MW Moray West in the UK, the Trport and Noirmoutier projects with a combined capacity of 992MW in France, the 30MW Leucate also in France, the 1,336MW Mayflower in the USA, and the 400MW B&C Wind.

The two companies have previously cooperated as consortium partners on theDieppe Le TrportandYeu Noirmoutierfixed offshore wind projects in France andMoray EastandMoray Westin the UK. EDPR and ENGIE are also partners in two floating offshore wind projects inFranceandPortugal.

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