Daily Archives: February 2, 2021

Jacqueline Savitz, Opinion contributor Published 8:00 a.m. ET Feb. 2, 2021

Permanently ending new offshore oil and gas leasing in U.S. waters would prevent the release of catastrophic greenhouse gas emissions, which drive ever larger wildfires, hurricanes and floods.

President Joe Biden hit the ground sprinting on his first day of office. On day one he rejoined the Paris Agreement, and now he has announced a pause on offshore oil and gas leasing. Its exciting to hear the presidents plan to return science to policy decision-making, even advancing his science adviser to a cabinet-level position. These encouraging moves will certainly translate to more effective action on climate.

Oil and gas are killing us. Burning fossil fuels is driving climate change, which is causing a wave of extinction and disasters that devastate property and the environment, and cost human lives. But President Biden has committed to aggressively address the climate crisis, which gives me great hope that we can work together to permanently protect our climate and coasts from offshore oil and gas.

Permanently ending new offshore oil and gas leasing in U.S. waters would prevent the release of a catastrophic amount of greenhouse gas emissions, which are driving ever larger and more intense wildfires, hurricanes and floods. A new report from Oceana estimates that permanent protection against offshore drilling would prevent 19 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and $720 billion in damages to people, property and the environment.

In addition to the climate impacts, offshore drilling also leads to oil spills. We saw what a spill can do to coastal economies when the BP Deepwater Horizon spewed hundreds of millions of gallons into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Today, the likelihood of another catastrophic spill is even greater than it was in 2010. Not only is the industry drilling in deeper waters, but the Trump administration also weakened the too-few safety rules put in place after the BP disaster.

The oil rig Deepwater Horizon on April 21, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard via Getty Images)

While protecting us from offshore oil and gas drilling, President Biden can also restore and strengthen the drilling safety rules that were weakened by former President Trump, ensuring that any existing drilling operations be subject to robust safety protocols, oversight and financial assurances. Combining this with movement toward clean energy, like environmentally responsible offshore wind, would set us up for success in the journey toward a renewable energy future.

Climate change: On climate change, government-centric approach will hurt USA with unintended consequences

These are big first steps, but even more will be needed. One of the most powerful tools we have to help head off the worst effects of the unfolding climate catastrophe is a clean, diverse, and abundant ocean. In addition to permanent drilling protections, we will also need measures to protect habitat for ocean wildlife, and responsible, science-based management of our fisheries to restore them to their previous bounty. This will strengthen our economy and provide additional food security, compliments of a healthy ocean.

A healthy ocean explodes with life billions of carbon-based plants and animals cycle and store tons of carbon. And all that sea life can provide a nutritious source of protein that doesnt require us to trade away arable land, healthy forests or fresh water. If we take care of our fisheries, our oceans could dramatically offset the contribution to the climate crisis that comes from land-based agriculture.

Mitigating the climate disaster will take an all-hands, multisector approach. No one solution will solve this massive problem, but every tool is vital, and the oceans are perhaps more essential than any other.

Offshore drilling fuels the climate crisis and threatens our lives and livelihoods. Ending offshore drilling permanently and shifting to clean energy would be good for our economy, improve the health of our ocean and bolster our fight against climate change. We owe it to future generations to reverse our assault on the natural world and restore its bounty.

COVID and climate change: On COVID-19 and climate change, denialism is deadly

President Biden should be commended for starting strong right out of the gate. A pause is a great first step. But climate change is a threat to every American today and will still be a threat a year from now, and even 10 years from now. Hopefully, this is just the promising beginning of the end. Now is the time to stop the expansion of offshore drilling, forever.

By Jacqueline Savitz, Chief Policy Officer at Oceana, the largest international organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation.

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A pause on offshore drilling is a good first step. Lets make it permanent. - USA TODAY

Offshore EPC investment outlook ($billions)

(Source: Westwood Analysis)

Offshore staff

LONDON Total investments in new offshore field developments last year were the lowest for over three decades, according to Westwood Global Energy Group.

World events led to E&P companies trimming on average 30% from planned 2020 capex and postponing or halting $54 billion of offshore EPC contracts.

In the event, $12.3 billion of EPC contracts were awarded for 32 sanctioned projects, down from $40.3 billion for 80 projects the previous year.

According to Thom Payne, head of Offshore Energy Services at Westwood, five E&P companies accounted for 75% of the award value in 23 projects. The five largest projects, contributing 57% of the overall value, were Woodsides Sangomar off Senegal, ExxonMobils Payara off Guyana, Equinors Breidablikk in the North Sea, CNOOCs Lufeng 14-1/4/8 offshore China, and Petrobras Mero III in Brazils Santos basin.

This year the spending plans of certain players such as Petrobras, Shell, and Woodside could lead to a resurgence in offshore EPC awards. Based on an average Brent price of $50/bbl, Westwood forecasts firm and already awarded contracts of around $29 billion, with a further $12 billion of probable and $4 billion of possible awards in prospect.

Some of these relate to projects deferred last year and which had pre-FID commitment, such as Shells Whale, Equinors Bacalhau and Qatar Petroleums North Field, all of which had started partial construction of long-lead items such as FPSOs or wellhead platforms.

These projects account for $7.7 billion of projected EPC value for 2021. Another $4.6 billion comes from awards concerning backfilling of LNG trains or supporting existing gas sales agreements such as Woodsides Scarborough, Shells Crux and Santos Barossa, all offshore Australia.

NOCs account for 62% of potential awards in 2021 and supermajors 10%, compared with 59% and 20% respectively in 2019.

Payne expected Petrobras to contribute around $6.5 billion of EPC awards in 2021 for its Bzios 5, 6, 7 and 8, Mero 4, Itapu and Marlim Revitalization projects.

02/02/2021

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Offshore engineering, procurement, and construction awards set for revival in 2021 - Offshore Oil and Gas Magazine

Highlights

Storage solution to power price risk: Cooley

Green H2 premium 'can be levied on power price'

Aiming for Eur0.5 million per MW installed

London The UK needs a contracts for difference mechanism for green hydrogen that is harmonized with the existing CFD for offshore wind, ITM Power CEO Graham Cooley told S&P Global Platts Feb. 2.

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Linking the two would offer vital synergies as part of a well-defined net zero policy, Cooley said.

"The fourth CFD round later this year is seeking around 12 GW [likely to be mainly offshore wind]. There is no protection in that auction against negative pricing. If you join the dots you see that energy storage is your instrument for dealing with that risk," Cooley said.

"The way the CFDs work for offshore wind and hydrogen need to be harmonized so one provides the solution for the other. That mechanism is key to a green H2 strategy in the UK."

For hydrogen, the contracts would act to bridge the cost gap between conventional (grey) and green hydrogen "so we can replace its use in industry", the electrolysis manufacturer said.

"The difference between grey and green can be levied on the electricity price," Cooley said.

In December, the government announced a 10-point climate plan, which included a 5 GW target for low carbon hydrogen by 2030 - without specifying production pathways.

UK funding to date, however, has tended towards support of large blue hydrogen projects based on natural gas-based reforming with carbon capture and storage, such as HyNet North West and H2H Saltend.

The Gigastack project on Humberside (Orsted, Phillips 66 and ITM Power) is a rare example of a UK-supported, large-scale green hydrogen project.

A more detailed UK hydrogen strategy is due in the first half of this year, government officials said in January.

"There needs to be a well-articulated difference in the incentives for blue and green hydrogen," Cooley said.

"Green hydrogen is net zero, blue is not. I think you will find that any deployment of blue hydrogen will be towards the end of the 2020s. By that time green hydrogen will be lower-cost and blue hydrogen will be a stranded asset," he said.

While the bulk of green hydrogen production costs related to the cost of renewable energy, Cooley had a positive message on capital costs.

"For 10 MW and above, we are now lower than Eur0.8 million per MW ($960,000/MW)," he said, referring to the all-in cost of an electrolyzer, including systems for power, gas, water and controls.

By 2023-2024, when ITM Power expects to be supplying up to 100 MW systems, the cost will have fallen to around Eur0.5 million a MW, he said.

The company's new manufacturing facility at Bessemer Park, Sheffield has just opened. It will have an annual capacity of 300 MW per annum from opening, expanding to 1 GW per annum by 2024.

"A decision on a second factory will be event-driven," Cooley said. "When we get to 60% capacity in the existing factory, we pull the trigger on a second factory."

Analysts expect ITM Power to be cash positive around 2024.

The company's tender opportunity pipeline currently stands at GBP434 million ($592 million), up 34% since October 2020.

The figure refers to the total number of commercial tenders for which ITM Power has submitted firm bids for turnkey electrolysis projects, including balance of plant, over the last 12 months.

Of the GBP434 million value, GBP284 million is attributable to ITM Power, representing 423 MW of potential awards. The residual value relates to engineering, procurement and construction services provided by ITM's partner, Linde, which has a 17.3% stake in the UK company.

On Jan. 13 Linde said it would build, own and operate a 24 MW ITM Power-supplied PEM electrolysis plant at its Leuna chemical complex in Germany. Production at the unit, the largest in the world to date, is due to start in the second half of 2022.

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UK green hydrogen, offshore wind CFDs 'should be harmonized': ITM Power - S&P Global

Offshore staff

IJMUIDEN, the Netherlands Aker Solutions has contracted Strohm to deliver two gas lift jumpers for an unnamed deepwater project off Sabah, Malaysia.

The company will supply two 150-m (492-ft) long thermoplastic composite pipe (TCP) Jumpers through its Jumper on Demand concept. Launched in 2019, long lengths of its TCP Jumpers are manufactured and held in stock together with a number of end-fitting sets, to support an improved turnaround time for pipe supply, termination and installation in any location around the world.

The Jumper on Demand concept provides operators and installation contractors with lowest installed cost, flexibility of supply, ability to cut to length when needed and schedule de-risking, the company said.

TCP is a non-conductive, non-corrosive flexible pipe that is 80% lighter in weight compared to its metallic equivalents. Its manufacturing process also produces 50% lower CO2 levels compared to that of carbon steel pipe, the company claimed.

02/02/2021

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Strohm to provide thermoplastic composite pipe jumpers for project offshore Malaysia - Offshore Oil and Gas Magazine

OPC rendering courtesy of Eastern Shipbuilding Group

The U.S. Coast Guard has launched a full and open competition for follow-on projects to design and build up to 11 offshore patrol cutters to complement the maritime law enforcement service's national security and fast response cutters.

USCG said Monday it will accept responses to the new OPC solicitation through May 28 and aims to name the winning contractor in the second quarter of fiscal 2022.

Panama City, Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group won a $110.3 million contract in September 2016 to complete lead OPC detailed design work. The company was awarded options two years later to begin the construction project and obtain lead-long time materials for a second OPC. According to ESG, the contract includes options to manufacture up to four vessels.

The follow-on contract will have a fixed-price-incentive-firm structure and covers logistics, training and life cycle engineering services, USCG noted in the request for proposals.

OPCs will account for 70 percent of the branch's offshore cutter fleet once the new vessels reach operational status and will support maritime security operations farther than 12 nautical miles.

The service intends to procure a total of 25 OPCs.

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Coast Guard Solicits Bids for Follow-On Offshore Patrol Cutter Contract - Executive Mosaic Media

Offshore staff

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Petronas Resak platform offshore Kertih, Terengganu, will be Malaysias first platform remotely controlled from land, the company revealed in its Activity Outlook 2021-23.

The currently manned facility is undergoing conversion for remote operations via implementation of automation, robotics, and AI measures. It will transition from full board offshore manning to lean manning and eventually to fully unmanned operation.

To aid the process, staff required to operate both offshore and onshore sites are receiving technical upskilling. Petronas aims to duplicate the transformation process at other platforms, as part of a commitment to bring in remote and autonomous operations throughout its facilities.

(Courtesy Petronas)

The company also listed some of the robotics technologies it has been collaborating on with various developers for integration with its daily operations, toward building Facilities of the Future.

Once these are tested, the company hopes these and other similar technologies will be adopted by vendors when performing tasks at Petronas facilities. Developments include:

Petronas is intensifying efforts to reduce carbon emissions from its operations. It is currently embarking on its first full carbon capture, utilization and sequestration (CCUS) project through implementation of offshore carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

Its first CCS scheme is due to be completed in 2025, and will be the worlds largest offshore CCSproject to date, the company claimed.

Another target is offshore floating wind turbines that can provide green electricity for platforms, despite Malaysias typically low wind speed. The company has entered various collaborations to develop a cost-effective wind turbine system specifically for low-wind speed regions, and expects to initiate a pilot on one of its fields later this year.

02/02/2021

Excerpt from:

Petronas converting offshore Resak platform for remote operations - Offshore Oil and Gas Magazine

by Barby MacGowan 2 Feb 08:09 PST August 19-21, 2021

The 17th edition of the Ida Lewis Distance Race starts Thursday, August 19, 2021 and will keep its expanded format from last year to give competitors more options while the country continues to deal with changes brought about by the COVID 19 Pandemic.

The schedule consists of:

The start for the Offshore Races will be in the East Passage of Narragansett Bay on Friday, August 20th with the first Warning Signal scheduled for 1100. The start for the IN BAY Race will be in the East Passage of Narragansett Bay on Saturday, August 21st with the first Warning Signal scheduled for 1000.

Race headquarters will be located at the Ida Lewis Yacht Club, Wellington Avenue, Newport, R.I., and manned throughout the time of the races.

The offshore portion of the Ida Lewis Distance Race has become a popular late-summer racing tradition, enjoyed by veteran offshore sailors as well as those trying the "overnight sprint" for the first time. It begins off Fort Adams and ends just inside Newport Harbor where Ida Lewis volunteers can site the finish line from their clubhouse on Lime Rock before greeting each team on the water with a congratulatory bottle of Prosecco.

Unique to the Ida Lewis Distance Race, the Race Committee considers weather forecasts to decide from among four courses that range from 112 to 169 nautical miles. The goal is to get all teams back to the dock within 18-24 hours. The courses - incorporating some of the most iconic cruising grounds in New England - are named "The Montauk", "The Block Island", "The Point Judith", and "The Buzzards Bay Tower".

Classes are for boats 28 feet or longer and include IRC, PHRF, One Design, Multihull, Double-Handed, and, new for this year, Mixed Double-Handed (to debut at the 2024 Olympics). The race also Includes Youth and Collegiate Challenge categories.

The Notice of Race has been published here. For questions, contact Race Chairman Pat Kennedy,

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Ida Lewis Distance Race returns with In Bay and Offshore Races - Sail World

KINGSTON, R.I. February 1, 2021 A survey of recreational boaters conducted by a team of University of Rhode Island researchers found that offshore wind farms detract significantly from the boating experience.

Tracey Dalton, the URI professor of marine affairs who led the survey, said that while most respondents indicated that seeing offshore wind turbines far in the distance did not affect their experience, most preferred not to go boating close to the turbines.

There have been a lot of studies looking at the ecological impacts of offshore wind farms, but were interested in what happens when you put a new structure in place in the ocean and how it impacts people that have historically and culturally used that space, Dalton said.

More than 680 boaters with a hailing port in Rhode Island completed surveys in 2018. All owned Coast Guard-certified boats, meaning their vessels were at least 26-feet long. The research was published in December in the journal Marine Policy.

According to Dalton, the survey results were not homogenous among every category of boater. Those whose boating objective was fishing, for example, were less negatively affected by the turbines, perhaps because the turbine structures have been shown to attract sport fish. Non-fishermen and those who had never been close to the Block Island wind farm before indicated their experience was most negative.

We dont really know why they reacted that way, Dalton said. It could be because of navigational concerns or concerns about other boaters being nearby, since the structures attract other users and it can get crowded out there.

The Block Island wind farm is relatively close to shore, she added. Most wind farms that have been proposed along the East Coast are going to be much farther offshore, so its not clear if well see the same issues for those that we see here.

About 1.7 million acres off the East Coast are being considered for offshore wind development in the coming decade, so the results of the URI survey could have significant implications.

As we think about where were going to put wind farms, we have to be careful because were going to displace users, said Dalton. In this case, the boaters dont mind being far from turbines, so as long as theres not a wall of turbines stretched across the ocean, they can move away from them. But managers should be aware of the heterogeneity within the boating population. Fishermen feel differently than those not fishing; those whove been to the Block Island wind farm seem to feel differently than those who havent. The more people visit a wind farm, the more comfortable they might be around them.

If navigation concerns are driving some of the concerns expressed by the boaters, Dalton suggests that those responsible for managing the waters around wind farms consider providing additional training for boaters.

Im also interested in the social carrying capacity of offshore wind farms, Dalton said. Boaters dont want to be in places where there are a lot of other boaters, so one study I want to pursue is looking at how levels of use at wind farm sites are impacting users. Are they attracting so many users that its turning others away?

This study was funded by Rhode Island Sea Grant.

The rest is here:

URI survey finds offshore wind farms reduce value of recreational boating experience - URI Today

For the past week, weve reported on a series of weather systems that conspired to deliver solid surf to the Caribbean and the East Coast. Over the weekend, the islands saw their largest waves of the season so far, plus a reinforcing pulse keeping the surf well overhead to start the week. Our attention now shifts back to the mainland, where a large storm system is swallowing the East Coast. This same system is already helping to improve the conditions down in the Caribbean, while also dumping snow in the Northeast and brewing surf from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Maine.

Live Cam Streams: Snowy Northeast Barrels | Warm-water waves from Florida to Puerto Rico

No snow spotted on Saturday at Tres Palmas. Photo: Darren Muschett

On Monday, while Florida and the Southeast enjoy clean, offshore conditions set up by this large storm centered just off the Mid Atlantic coast, the system simultaneously funnels in moisture thats now precipitating as snow across Long Island and the rest of the Northeast. This is forecast to become the biggest snow event in years for this region, since the system wont really move much over the next day or two. Expect the snow to continue through Tuesday, and even into Wednesday morning across northern New England, before the system finally lifts north and exits through Canada on Wednesday. But amongst the flurries, there will be waves.

Detailed Forecast Analysis: New England |New York |Mid Atlantic | Outer Banks

This week, waves reach from the warm, blue waters of the Caribbean to the cold, snowy beaches of the Northeast. Watch more live streams from around the Northeast.

Look for a solid, well-overhead mix of southerly and easterly surf to come up in the Northeast on Monday and into Tuesday. The south-facing beaches of Long Island and Rhode Island are the prime locations on Tuesday as stiff, northerly offshores settle in for the day. Portions of the Mid Atlantic that face more south than east will be working, as well. Easing but fun surf continues on Wednesday far less challenging than the pumping, snowy surf thats on tap Tuesday. Breaks in northern New England should turn on midweek as the winds trend more northerly once the system is on its way out.

Premium Forecast Analysis: Southeast |North-Central Florida | South Florida | West Florida | Puerto Rico

As noted above, this massive system spans the length of the coast, and Northeast surfers wont be the only ones to benefit. West Florida (in the Gulf of Mexico) sees a few days of head-high and even bigger surf from strong NW flow set up by the system, while East Florida sees easing, long-period swell. Portions of South Florida will also see some quality shorter-period waves generated by the same NW winds that send waves to the Gulf.

Were also watching for a couple more systems to move off the East Coast between now and the start of next week. Stay tuned to your Regional Forecast to see how this activity will affect your surf.

Expert forecasts

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Strong Winter Storm Brings Snow, Offshore Winds and Solid Surf to the East Coast - Surfline.com Surf News

By Dario Mulazzani, DAVI Product & Market Specialist Wind Energy & Heavy-Duty Division.

Located in such a dynamic and extremely powerfulelement as the sea, foundations represent one of the main elementsof any offshore wind farm, accounting for over one-fourth of the total equipmentcost. As they mustsupport the wind turbines, absorbing all the forces and loads and providing asafe and stable base, defining the right typologyof foundation can have a huge impact both on the economicand technical sides.

Offshore wind farms cantypically be placed in a few selected locations only. There are two mainconditions limiting the range of use of this type of installations:

The development of newtechnologies, manufacturing and construction procedures, the increase in thesize of wind farms and turbines together with higher societys awareness ofvisual and environmental impacts, have led to the displacement of theseinstallations further from the coastline than ever before.

Depending on thedepth of the seabed, as well as the surrounding conditions, different foundationsolutions can be used:

There is however a typologythat stands out above the others, both infrequency and range of use: the monopiles, being selected in more than 60% of the worldwide offshore windinstallations. Monopiles are deployed in the majority of depths andenvironments due to main characteristics, as follows:

Inorder to adapt to the needs of new more efficient and demanding wind farms,monopiles design has evolved over the years. Its main dimensions, diameter,thickness and length have steadily increased to be able to support higherand heavier more powerful turbines installed at greater depths.

It has been observed that both the length and the diameter of the piles have evolved proportionally to the power of the turbines, maintaining constant ratios which can be summarized as follows:

For instance, for a 6-7MW turbine (being the most mature capacity to date), monopiles are typically inthe 90-100m length range with diameters and thickness at bottom sections of 9mand 90-100mm respectively for an overall weight often exceeding 1500 ton.

Asmentioned, offshore installation allows for the deployment of larger turbines(both in terms of capacity and physical size), mostly due to constraintsrelated to onshore transportation of the relevant heavy and expansiveequipment: this is desirable as a wind farm comprised of larger turbines willnecessarily require lower investment and maintenance cost per installedcapacity, maximizing the project profitability.

It is hence likely thatoffshore wind turbines capacity will keep increasing with some manufacturersalready bringing to the market 12-14MW turbines (such as the GE Haliade-X,currently being tested onshore). Although the aforementioned ratios are expectedto decrease due to physical limitations, the so called XXL monopiles will weighup to 3000 tons with diameters and thickness at bottom sections rangingfrom 12-14m and 120-140mm respectively.

Other foundation typologies are expected to follow a similar increasing trend.

The manufacturing challenges

All types ofoff-shore foundations are comprised of large plates jointed together and rolledinto cans and cones; such workpieces are then assembled and welded into largestructures which, in the case of Monopile Foundations, can reach up to 120min length. With plates thickness often exceeding 140mm and increasinglylarge diameters (>12m) it becomes critical to minimize the amount ofcircumferential welding required to grow the overall length, often leading tothe selection of increasingly large plates (up to 4.5m in width, withweights often exceeding 150 tons each).

Thus, fabricatorsengaged in the manufacturing of such heavy-duty off-shore foundations will needto face and overcome two main manufacturing constraints, as follows:

For all these reasons, the fabrication of offshore foundations is certainly the most challenging and time-consuming rolling operation.

Stayahead of the Market with DAVI!

Fabricators are hence in need of a technology partner able to deliver high performance and reliable rolling solutions, capable of sustaining the demanding serial production characteristics of this Industry by increasing rolling accuracy, output and operators safety while decreasing downtimes, floor-to-floor processing time and manpower requirements.

Since 2007,when DAVI Wind Energy Division was created, DAVI has been leading theMarket thanks to its cutting-edge technology developed working alongthe most accredited project developers and towers and foundationsmanufacturers.

For instance, tobetter serve the Off-shore Wind Energy Sector, dedicated heavy-duty feeding andhandling equipment are continuously being developed and updated toensure that Fabricators entering the DAVI World are provided with the mostadvanced hardware allowing them to maintain competitiveness in a fastchanging and dynamic environment, requiring more and more challengingworkpieces to be manufactured every year.

To date DAVI isalready the technology partner selected by most major players, with over 300installations dedicated to the Wind Energy Industry worldwide andapproximately 60% of the overall Wind Energy rolling machines marketshare.

Dont miss out, stay ahead with DAVI!

Note:The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Offshore WIND.

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Evolution of Offshore Foundations - Offshore WIND