Monthly Archives: May 2020

Icebreaker, the only advanced offshore wind project in the Great Lakes, appears to be dead in the water.

After years of permitting battles, the Ohio Power Siting Board this week approved the Icebreaker project, but itcamewith a project killing catch: The wind farm would be forced to pause its turbines at nighttime between March and Novemberto protect birds and bats, gutting its revenue stream.

The six-turbine Icebreaker project has been under development for adecade by the non-profit Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) eight miles off Clevelands shore.

We still have to evaluate things, but its looking like this could be the final nail in the coffin, LEEDCo president Dave Karpinski said in an interview.

Icebreaker has a chance to lift the turbine restrictions after collecting and submitting monitoring information, but the freshwater project cannot get built in the first place with the restrictions in place, Karpinski said.

Icebreaker was seen as a way to open animportant new regional market for U.S. offshore wind development, as momentum grows along the Atlantic Coast. Dominion Energy is about to startconstruction of the second U.S. offshore wind project off Virginia.

Icebreaker has a number of important backers. Theproject would have been built and operated by Icebreaker Windpower Inc., owned by Fred Olsen Renewables a unit of Norwegian energy and shipping conglomerate Bonheur. Icebreakerwonresearch funding from the U.S. Energy Department, andhas agreements in place to sell about two-thirds of its above-market-rate power to the municipal utility in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. MHI Vestas was slated to supply the 3.45-megawatt turbines.

But the 20.7-megawatt Icebreaker also has some powerful enemies, including Murray Energy Corp., the Ohio-based coal miner, which has bankrolled lawyers representing local residents opposed to the project.

Karpinski said LEEDCo was stunned by the Ohio Power Siting Boards decision, only learning about it from a press release issued on Thursday.

The requirement to turn off the turbines at night known as feathering had come up in earlier permitting discussions, but LEEDCo insisted that such a condition would make the project impossible to finance. Last year LEEDCo reached agreement on that point with the Ohio Power Siting Boards staff, in what was seen as a critical step toward the Boards final approval.

In the end, however, the Board added the requirement requirement back in.

We were hearing things from inside the [Siting Boards] staff that everything was going to come out as expected and be issued in accordance with that agreement, Karpinski said. And lo and behold, it comes out and it was a total surprise that they added that back in. There was no forewarning. There was nothing over the past seven months that said we think this agreement has a problem nothing.

The Ohio Power Siting Board is a quasi-judicial agency with seven voting members, helmed by the chairman of the states Public Utilities Commission, Sam Randazzo.

Matt Schilling, director of the office of public affairs at Ohios PUC, pointed out that the Siting Board itself was not bound by the earlier agreement its technical staff reached with LEEDCo. This is the first and only time the Board has issued any opinion on the case," Schilling wrote in an email. Yes, the OPSB technical staff issued a staff report and signed settlement agreements, however they are not the voting board."

Schilling noted that the Siting Boards approval means LEEDCo can now build the project as long as the conditions are met, adding that its common for project approvals to carry conditions. What happens after the Board issues its decision is then a business decision by the developer.

Schilling said LEEDCo has 30 days to file an application for a rehearing at the Siting Board, and the developer could then appeal thedecision to Ohios Supreme Court.

But Karpinski said those options look like dead ends. The appeal process goes back to the same Board and asks them to reconsider their opinion. We had an agreement with that same organization and they went back on it, he said.

We could appeal to the Supreme Court, but appellate courts look more closely at procedural violations and that kind of thing, not technical opinions on impacts,so we dont see that as being able to prevail. And then its a question of, well how long and how much is that going to take?

Karpinski said that switching off the turbines all night for eight months a year would cost the project 40 percent of its forecast revenue for an unknown period of time.

Theres no question they knew how serious we thought that condition was you could not mistake that, Karpinski said. They knew we thought it was a project killer. So they put it back in to kill the project, is our conclusion.

Im afraid this could be the end, he said. Its a sad day for renewable energy in Ohio. Personally, its a huge disappointment after working so hard and long to try to make something like this happen.

Karpinski said Icebreakers demise is ablow to offshore wind development in the Great Lakes, a region with a number of major population centersincluding Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and, on the Canadian side, Toronto.

"Certainly no ones going to come to Ohio soon after the way this project was treated," he said.

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Final Nail in Coffin for Icebreaker Offshore Wind Project, Developer Says - Greentech Media News

Gas production was temporarily halted on the offshore Leviathan natural gas platform on Saturday evening following an "operational event," said operator Noble Energy.

"All security systems on the platform are working correctly and natural gas production from Leviathan is expected to renew in the coming hours," said the company in a statement on Saturday night.

Sapir added that Noble Energy and the Ministry for Environmental Protection both refused to provide information on the errors to the association. Residents in the area reported burning, severe odors and headaches, according to Sapir.

The Ministry for Environmental Protection reported earlier on Saturday night that no abnormal results were found in air quality tests in the area, adding that the ministry was checking to see if the platform had followed the relevant laws and permits.

Despite opposition from residents of the North and environmental campaigners, the offshore platform commenced full operations on January 6, supplying natural gas to the Israeli market, and to neighbors Egypt and Jordan under two lucrative, long-term deals.

See the article here:

Gas production renewed at offshore Leviathan platform - The Jerusalem Post

Despite closing its physical space during the COVID pandemic, Groundwork is laying the building blocks for a swift recovery thanks to a partnership with a newly New Bedford-based company with roots in Denmark.

The coworking space, which serves as a hub for local entrepreneurs, is working with Aegir Wind Solutions and Edward Anthes-Washburn from the New Bedford Port Authority to establish New Bedford as the First Port of Call for offshore wind, a press release from Groundwork stated.

Aegir Wind Solutions, based in Denmark and New Bedford, is a project management consulting firm that develops local supply chain solutions for the offshore wind industry.

Aegirs founder, Alexander Thillerup, set up American headquarters in New Bedford at Groundwork in January.

Thillerup was impressed by the welcoming and close-knit nature of Groundworks entrepreneur community, and saw potential to establish the coworking space as a landing pad for Denmark-based companies planning to do business in the USA, the release states.

Our coworking space is uniquely positioned to provide services to companies setting up in New Bedford for the first time. While they are not yet ready to lease an office, these companies need to set up a mailing address, hold meetings, and get work done during visits, explained Sarah Athanas, co-founder of Groundwork. On a human level, they are met with welcoming hospitality and introduced to members of our community so they feel right at home doing business here.

Thillerup and his team are adamant about acting local first, and a presence at Groundwork will serve to connect incoming companies with local entrepreneurs who can offer professional services. This will ensure that the local economy benefits from business generated by offshore wind development.

Thillerup explains, Its important to Aegir Wind and myself to be actively engaged in bringing business to New Bedford and at the same time we want the businesses we point in the direction of New Bedford to feel at home and to be serviced and facilitated. Having been welcomed in this business community with that kind of commitment and professionalism has made it very easy for me to go out and promote New Bedford as the First Port of Call for Offshore Wind, so much so that the first three companies have already signed up this week.

Athanas is planning a slow and phased reopening of the coworking space over the summer. In the meantime, she is working closely with Thillerup and Aegir Wind to roll out the welcome mat to several Danish businesses over the next few months.

While offshore wind is a long game and there are still many hurdles to pass, Athanas is optimistic about the future.

At Groundwork, we always say that if you work together, you grow together. Collaborations such as these will be the key to our citys recovery, and Im certain that if we can survive these next few months the future will be very positive.

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Local coworking space looks to Denmark and offshore wind for a bright future post-COVID - SouthCoastToday.com

By Charlene Johnson

Canadas offshore oil and gas industry, like so many industries in Canada, is in crisis. Jobs that may never return are being lost in the thousands. Development projects have been put on hold or cancelled, leaving their futures in a perilous situation. Exploration, the driving force of the industry that has led to billions of dollars in investment in recent years, has been curtailed.

While many Canadian industries have received much needed support from the Government of Canada, our industry still awaits immediate and specific support to help us survive this challenging time. Wage subsidies have been helpful, though we need jobs for those subsidies. Some money for methane, lumped in with billions of dollars for Western Canada, did not address any pressing needs or issues in our offshore.

A long-term solution has not yet arrived.

While the challenges the offshore faces are unprecedented, the solutions are not. For over two months Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industries Association (Noia) has been working with the federal government to explain our circumstances.

As part of this process we have proposed two solutions that have previously, and successfully, been used in our offshore.

First, to compete with other jurisdictions doing the same, Canada needs to offer incentives for exploration offshore.

As noted above, exploration moves our industry forward and in recent years has led to significant investment in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Exploration incentives were employed in the 1980s and led to the current offshore production facilities which are providing exceptional return to our country. It has been done before, why can it not be done again?

Secondly, many projects related to the offshore are idled or deferred, leaving their future in doubt, people without jobs, and massive wonders of ingenuity and infrastructure all but abandoned.

Allowing companies involved in capital projects related to the offshore to avail of the Atlantic Investment Tax Credit, or a similar program, would get these projects moving again, get thousands of people back to work, and also encourage the approval of new projects.

The offshore was eligible for the program until about eight years ago and now would be the time to reinstate that eligibility.

It has been done before, why can it not be done again?

While some may question support for the offshore, we must remember that it does not impede Canadas ability to meet international obligations for climate change. In 2017, the offshore accounted for just 0.23 per cent of Canadas upstream carbon emissions.

Further, Noia supports the objectives of the federal government to achieve net-zero by 2050.

As long as there is a place for oil and there will be for some time yet due to our safety, environmental and human rights records, Canadas oil, not foreign oil, should be used to meet the demand.

We can use the resources acquired during this process, including capital, skills and knowledge, to be global leaders in the transition to renewable energy.

The offshore oil and gas industry is critically important to the future of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the single greatest contributor to the economy and impacts almost every household in one way or another.

During a crisis, to not help an industry that offers so much, is truly only moving the problem further down the road at which time it will likely be addressed with an economic bailout by the Government of Canada that will not produce the economic return that our proposed solutions will.

Once again, on behalf of Noias over 500 members, I ask, it has been done before, why can it not be done again?

Charlene Johnson is Noias chief executive officer. She writes from St Johns.

RELATED:

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GUEST COLUMN: Newfoundland and Labradors offshore needs help to overcome unprecedented challenges - The Guardian

(Yonhap)

The Financial Supervisory Service also pledged to monitor such sales activities online and issued the mildest level of alert to consumers to protect them.

This comes as the online sales promotion of offshore life insurance schemes including retirement plans from outside Korea, such as Hong Kong, became widespread without proper notice to consumers here. An offshore insurance plan refers to a product sold by a foreign insurance firm without a license in Korea.

According to the FSS, the schemes posted online promised the consumers a 6-7 percent interest that compounds each year, a foreign currency arbitrage income, or up to 40-fold return by buying the insurance, which are all deemed illegal. The online posts also failed to explain that buyers of offshore insurance plans are not protected under the Insurance Business Act.

A foreign insurance firm is required to present related documents to the FSS to gain approval to promote and sell its products. But none of the promotional posts spreading online were authorized by the financial watchdog.

The FSS added that a consumer who bought unauthorized foreign insurance products may also be subject to up to 10 million won ($8,100) fine.

By Son Ji-hyoung(consnow@heraldcorp.com)

Continued here:

FSS warns of puffed-up promotion of offshore life insurance plans - The Korea Herald

WIND: North Carolina takes the first step toward what observers say is a crucial study of the states offshore wind manufacturing potential. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: Ohio regulators rule an offshore wind project in Lake Erie can move forward under a condition that turbines not run at night for eight months a year, which the developer says may well be fatal to the entire project. (Energy News Network)

***SPONSORED LINK: Applications are now open for the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship, a yearlong program for high-performing, high-potential military veterans in advanced energy, presented by the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Learn more at http://www.vetsenergyproject.org/fellowship.***

CLEAN ENERGY: Some clean energy supporters say U.S. House Democrats $3 trillion stimulus bill ignores the industrys effort to secure federal aid. (Politico) A bipartisan group of U.S. senators sign a letter asking the Trump administration to extend deadlines for federal renewable energy tax credits due to pandemic-related delays. (news release)

SOLAR: Illinois solar backers are making a last-ditch legislative effort to get more time to spend about $200 million collected for solar projects before it is refunded to ratepayers. (Energy News Network) Amazon says it will add 615 megawatts of solar to its portfolio, including projects in Virginia and Ohio. (Greentech Media)

COAL: Murray Energy defaults on its $440 million bankruptcy financing package, complicating the companys recovery as it seeks support from lenders. (Wall Street Journal, subscription) The Navajo Transitional Energy Company announces a new round of furloughs and layoffs at its Wyoming coal mine. (Casper Star-Tribune)

OIL AND GAS: Emails show the Bureau of Land Management may have violated its own rules in extending royalty breaks to oil companies and continuing lease sales during the economic downturn. (High Country News)

PIPELINES: Legal experts say the recent rejection of a $1 billion natural gas connection to Long Island may be the first time a state emissions law has been used to defeat a pipeline. (InsideClimate News) The first U.S. section of the Keystone XL pipeline is completed in northern Montana while the developer prepares worker housing in South Dakota. (Associated Press)

GRID: FERC approves an overhaul of the PJM Interconnections reserve market, which one member warns will result in higher costs for consumers. (Utility Dive)

STORAGE: An MIT study finds electric vehicle batteries that are no longer roadworthy could still provide grid-scale energy storage for more than a decade. (MIT News)

***SPONSORED LINK: Do you know someone who works hard to facilitate the transition to a clean energy economy? Nominate yourself or someone you know for Energy News Networks 40 Under 40 today.***

UTILITIES: Utility workers press for federal standards to improve worker safety during the coronavirus pandemic. (E&E News)

COMMENTARY: An energy attorney says efficiency investments will be critical to ensure an equitable economic recovery following the coronavirus pandemic. (ROI-NJ)

Excerpt from:

North Carolina advances offshore wind; Ohio project could be dead in the water - Energy News Network

Four US institutions have received USD 1.1 million in grants to conduct fisheries studies which will guide the ongoing development of the offshore wind industry in North America.

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) (USD 496,688), the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (USD 200,000), and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) (USD 400,000) provided the funding for the research.

The first-in-the-nation studies will conduct research on recreational and commercial fisheries, seabed habitat, and comparable offshore wind policies in Europe.

The Grant Recipients

INSPIRE Environmental has received USD 443,450 to conduct a two-year acoustic tagging and tracking study of highly migratory species such as tuna and sharks at popular recreational fishing spots in the wind energy areas, in order to provide new baseline data on highly migratory species.

INSPIRE will also develop standard approaches to synthesizing, visualizing and disseminating high-resolution acoustic and imagery data for mapping of seabed habitat in the wind energy areas. This will advance baseline characterization of the seabed environment and make high-resolution mapped data available to stakeholders in a web-based, vetted and neutral forum.

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMD) has received USD 278,592 to conduct towed net surveys for larval lobster and fish neuston (small fish organisms) throughout the wind energy areas. This 18-month study will provide baseline information on the spatial and temporal distribution of species at their earliest life stage, during which they are transported by tides and currents.

The University of Rhode Island (URI) has secured USD 249,646 to merge electronic and other data on fishing vessel activity into a single data set and apply a machine learning approach to enable lower-cost broad-scale modeling of the probability of fishing activity in a given area. This will allow researchers to identify where and when vessels are actually fishing, as opposed to being in transit.

The New Bedford Port Authority will use its USD 125,000 grant to work with a consultant to conduct a comparative analysis of policies regarding coexistence of commercial fishing with existing offshore wind in Europe and emerging policies in Japan. The study is intended to establish a fact-based and broadly accepted narrative in this area.

Collaborating with our state and federal partners to support these studies will help us better manage fisheries and natural habitats, while positioning the offshore wind industry to stimulate economic development and deliver clean, affordable energy to Massachusetts, said the Governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker.

The Outcomes

The studies are expected to advance the assessment of the interactions between offshore wind development and fisheries in the northeast. The five studies will generate important information and data during the pre-construction period for the regions first offshore wind projects, and will help establish baseline datasets on fisheries and seabed habitat. The studies will also advance new and uniform methodologies for ongoing data collection and analysis.

The continued success of offshore industries in the United States requires strong coordination and consultation with our state partners, said BOEM Acting Director Walter Cruickshank.

The studies announced today will help ensure BOEM has sufficient baseline information to support its environmental assessments of offshore wind projects on the Atlantic OCS.

The initiative will support and inform a broader regional fisheries science and monitoring program being developed under the Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA), an entity established by the fishing community, offshore wind leaseholders, and federal and state agencies.

The studies will be managed by MassCEC in coordination with BOEM, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and Massachusetts and Rhode Island fishery resource agencies.

Offshore wind presents an opportunity to develop an abundant amount of clean, renewable energy while creating jobs and economic opportunity in coastal communities, said MassCEC CEO Stephen Pike.

By taking a proactive, comprehensive approach to environmental monitoring and data collection, we can position the offshore wind industry to realize a more efficient approach to development.

Working with input and guidance from states and other stakeholders through a multi-year planning process, BOEM identified the Massachusetts/Rhode Island Wind Energy Area, located in federal waters on the outer continental shelf. The area was divided into seven lease areas, which were secured by four offshore wind developer teams through competitive auctions.

In August 2016, Governor Baker signed into law energy diversification legislation requiring utilities to competitively solicit and contract approximately 1,600 MW of offshore wind, leading to Massachusetts selection of the 800 MW Vineyard Wind project in 2017 and the 804 MW Mayflower Wind project in 2019.

In 2017, Rhode Island selected a 400 MW project proposed by rsted. In total, six projects have been selected for power sales contracts from the lease area. The projects are at various stages of permitting review, and while each project will have fisheries monitoring requirements relevant to the specific wind farm area, there is wide consensus that studies and monitoring are needed on a regional basis to examine long-term interactions between offshore wind, fisheries resources and fishing activity.

The studies receiving funding address species of interest for both commercial and recreational fishing, across a wide range of wind energy areas. These studies will also provide new and synthesized data where little or none exists today. The technical studies are designed to advance new, lower-cost approaches to mapping fishing activity, while assessing how offshore wind and fishing intersect and are regulated in other regions.

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US to Conduct Fisheries Research to Guide Offshore Wind Development - Offshore WIND

Early Saturday, anglers wanting to give the offshore waters a try were discouraged by a gusty southeast wind. The same wind took its toll on surf fishing, as the beachfront waters were choppy and sandy, not good for fishing.

Henry Abel was one of the anglers hoping to dodge the wind by hitting the water early. Unfortunately, the gusts were hitting 20 knots and too much for his 19-foot boat.

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Winds disrupt offshore, surf and night fishing | Reel Report - Galveston County Daily News