Monthly Archives: February 2021

Stena IceMAX, the world's first dynamically positioned, dual mast ice-class drillship (photo courtesy of Stena Drilling)

By The Maritime Executive 02-04-2021 01:03:12

In a first of its kind effort for the offshore exploration sector, Stena Drilling announced that it is establishing the framework for what they are calling decarbonization exploration. Working with UK-based dCarbonX they are looking to develop the new sector to realize opportunities linked to the global energy transformation.

Stena, an independent drilling contractor that has been developing new technologies including an ice-class drillship, signed a strategic framework agreement with dCarbonX, a UK start-up founded in 2020 focusing on geothermal, subsurface energy storage, and carbon sequestration. The companies said they will work together to engineer solutions to discover and develop subsurface assets for combinations of geothermal energy, molecular energy storage, and carbon sequestration.

This innovative partnership dovetails well with the work Stena is doing in sustainability, research into cleaner fuels and emissions reduction, said Erik Ronsberg, CEO of Stena Drilling. By employing the skills that our company has built up over the years and utilizing our drilling units to explore for geothermal energy, CO2 and other gas storage locations which dCarbonX have identified, we will be able to play a positive part as the first Decarbonization Exploration Driller working towards a low carbon future.

While geothermal exploration is an established business, expanding the sector into other opportunities connected to the broader efforts at sustainability and energy transition related to decarbonization might provide a new lifeline in the offshore sector. The offshore industry, including exploration and drilling operators, have been hard hit by the long-term downturn in the traditional oil sector.

Stena Drilling is the obvious strategic partner for our future offshore Decarbonization Exploration activities given its world class fleet of modern drillships and semi-submersible offshore drilling units, said Tony OReilly, CEO of dCarbonX. Stenas corporate commitment and demonstrated track record in safety, environmental stewardship, and innovation are further compelling reasons for this partnership. We look forward to working with Stena on delivering our exciting forward program of GeoEnergy projects.

Stena Drilling, which is a subsidiary of Stena AB, operates four ultra-deep water drillships and two semi-submersible midwater drilling rigs.

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Stena Drilling Seeks to Expand Offshore Drilling into Decarbonization - The Maritime Executive

February 5, 2021

Credit: C-bed/MarineTraffic.com

Offshore accommodation provider C-bed has said it has won two contracts for its Service Operation Vessel (SOV) Wind Innovation to support rsted's offshore wind projects in the UK.

"With a double contract to support offshore wind developments in the UK, C-bed secures full activity into 2022 for its Service Operation Vessel (SOV), Wind Innovation," C-bed said.

The Wind Innovation SOV offers 80 single cabins and option of a total of 105 guests living on board.

Per C-bed, wind Innovation is already in full operation on the first of the two assignments with rsted at the Hornsea One offshore wind farm. During March, Wind Innovation will then continue to the second and more extensive cable termination project at the Hornsea Two offshore wind farm.

"Providing the daily logistics and accommodation for the Hornsea Two offshore workers becomes C-beds 28th individual offshore project and at the same time marks an industry landmark," C-bed said.

Hornsea Two, which is located 89km off the Yorkshire coast and will span an offshore area of 462km, becomes the Worlds largest offshore wind farm once complete in 2022. Hornsea Two will have a capacity of 1.4GW, enough to provide clean power to well over 1.3 million homes.

During the project, C-bed will use the Port of Immingham as a base port for crew change and loading of fresh supplies.

Offshore installation works kicked off last year at the Hornsea Two project. In total, 165 monopiles and transition pieces will be installed at sea in preparation for the sites 8.4 MW turbines. With a height from sea level to blade tip of 204 m, the turbines will also feature new 82 m long blades.

Hornsea Two

Credit: rsted

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C-bed Wins Offshore Accommodation Deal with rsted in UK - Offshore Engineer

Most of the ocean is unknown. Yet we know that the most challenging environments on the planet reside in it. Understanding the ocean in its totality is a key component for the sustainable development of human activities and for the mitigation of climate change, as proclaimed by the United Nations. We are glad to share our perspective about the role of soft robots in ocean exploration and offshore operations at the outset of the ocean decade (2021-2030).

In this study of the Soft Systems Group (part of The School of Engineering at The University of Edinburgh), we focus on the two ends of the water column: the abyss and the surface. The former is mostly unexplored, containing unknown physical, biological and chemical properties; the latter is where industrial offshore activities take place, and where human operators face dangerous environmental conditions.

The analysis of recent developments in soft robotics brought to light their potential in solving some of the challenges that industry and scientists are facing at sea. The paper offers a discussion about how we can use the latest technological advances in soft robotics to overcome the limitations of existing technology. We synthesise the crucial characteristics that future marine robots should include.

Today we know that industrial growth needs to be supported by deep environmental and technological knowledge in order to develop human activities in a sustainable manner. Therefore, the remotest areas of the ocean constitute a common frontier for oceanography, robotics and offshore industry. The first challenge then is to create an interdisciplinary space where marine scientists, ocean engineers, roboticists and industry can communicate.

The offshore renewable energy sector is growing fast. By definition, wind and wave energy is better sourced from areas of the seas with a high energy content, which translates into wave dominated environments. In such conditions, operating in the vicinity of an offshore platform is dangerous for personnel and potentially destructive for traditional robots.

Recent development in soft robotics unveiled novel, bio-inspired maneuvering techniques, fluidic logic data logging capabilities and unprecedented dexterity. These characteristics would enable data collection, maintenance and repair interventions, unfeasible with rigid robots.

Traditional devices, often tethered, rigid and with limited activity range, cannot tackle the environmental conditions where ocean exploration is needed the most. The devices needed for ocean exploration require an innovative payload and delicate sampling capabilities. Soft sensors and soft gripping techniques are optimum candidates to push ocean exploration into fragile and unknown areas that require delicate sampling and gentle navigation. The inherent compliance of soft robots also protects the environment and the payload from damage. More importantly, recent studies have highlighted the potential for the manufacturing of soft robots to be entirely biocompatible and, hence, to minimise the impact on the natural environment in case of loss or mass deployment.

In a nutshell, soft robots for marine exploration and offshore deployment offer the advantage, over traditional devices, of novel navigation and manipulation techniques, unprecedented sensing and sampling capabilities, biocompatibility and novel memory and data logging methods. With this study we wish to invite a multidisciplinary approach in order to create novel sustainable soft systems.

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Soft robots for ocean exploration and offshore operations: A perspective - Robohub

General Electric (GE) is tapping into the knowledge and expertise from its aviation and healthcare businesses to advance its wind turbine technology. The company is researching the design and manufacture of 3-D printed wind turbine blades, and developing a high-efficiency ultra-light low temperature superconducting (LTS) generator.

GE Research, GE Renewable Energy, and LM Wind Power (owned by GE Renewable Energy) have recently been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to research 3-D printed wind turbine blades, with the GE team building on its materials and composites expertise in the aviation industry.

The GE business units will partner with the Oakridge National Lab and the National Renewable Energy Lab on the 25-month USD 6.7 million project to develop and demonstrate an integrated additive manufacturing process for novel high- performance blade designs. The project, which will focus on low-cost thermoplastic skin coupled with printed reinforcement, will deliver a full-size blade tip ready to be structurally tested, as well as three blade tips that will be installed on a wind turbine.

We were the first to introduce lightweight composite fan blades in our jet engines more than two decades ago. Today, with our business partners and leading National Laboratories, were bringing that experience and more to deliver a more advanced wind blade to take wind power to the next level of cost and performance, said Todd Anderson, Principal Investigator at GE Research.

In mid-January, GE Research Lab was awarded additional USD 20.3 million from the DOE to build and test a prototype of a high-efficiency ultra-light low temperature superconducting (LTS) generator, leveraging innovations from GEs MRI business.

The generator will be tailored for offshore wind and scalable beyond 12 MW.

The aim of this project is to develop a more powerful generator for offshore wind turbines, while minimising the size and weight of the generator design. In addition, the use of superconducting magnets would also eliminate the need for rare earth materials, essential ingredients in the permanent magnets currently being used in offshore wind turbines.

With MRI, we have worked over many decades to increase the magnetic field of the superconducting magnets to deliver better image quality. In wind, were seeking to strengthen the magnetic field of the magnet to make generators that deliver more wind power with higher efficiency.And with both applications, the goal is to enable these improvements while minimizing their size and weight, saidDavid Torrey, a Senior Principal Engineer and Project Leader on the Superconducting generator project.

For the LTS generator project, GE first received a grant from DOE in 2019, together with three other projects developing next-generation drivetrain technologies.

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GE Using Aviation and MRI Expertise to Advance Wind Turbine Technology - Offshore WIND

TipRanks

Weve got a full month of 2021 behind us now, and a few trends are coming clearer. The coronavirus crisis may still be with us, but as vaccination programs expand, the end is in sight. With President Trump out of the picture, and the Democrats holding both Houses of Congress and the White House, politics is looking more predictable. And both of those developments bode well for an economic recovery this year. Looking back, at the year that was, we can also see some trends that stayed firm despite the pandemic, the shutdowns, and the supercharged election season. One of the most important is the ongoing rollout of 5G networking technology. These new networks bring with them a fuller realization of the promises inherent in the digital world. Faster connections, lower latency, higher online capacity, clearer signals all will strongly enhance the capabilities of the networked world. And it wont just be mundane things like telecommuting or remote offices that will benefit 5G will allow Internet of Things and autonomous vehicles to further develop their potential. There is even talk of medical applications, of remotely located doctors performing surgery via digitally controlled microsurgical tools. And these are just the possibilities that we can see from now. Who know what the future will really bring? To this end, we pulled up TipRanks database to learn more about three exciting plays in the 5G space. According to the Street, we are likely to see further interesting developments in the next few years as this technology takes over. Skyworks Solutions (SWKS) The first 5G name were looking at, Skyworks, is a semiconductor chip manufacturer that brought in $3.4 billion in total revenues for FY2020. Skyworks, which is a prime supplier of chips for Apples iPhone series, saw a massive 68% year-over-year increase in 1QFY21 revenues the top line reached $1.51 billion, a company record, and also much higher than analysts had forecast. Much of Skyworks fiscal Q1 sales success came after Apple launched the 5G-capable iPhone 12 line. Strong sales in the popular handset device meant that profits trickled down the supply line and Skyworks channels a disproportionate share of its business to Apple. In fact, Apple orders accounted for 70% of Skyworks revenue in the recent quarter. iPhone wasnt the only 5G handset on the receiving end of Skyworks chips, however the company is also an important supplier to Koreas Samsung and Chinas Xiaomi, and has seen demand rise as these companies also launch 5G-capable smartphones. Finally, Skyworks supplies semiconductor chip components to the wireless infrastructure sector, specifically to the small cell transmission units which are important in the propagation network of wireless signals. As the wireless providers switch to 5G transmission, Skyworks has seen orders for its products increase. In his note on Skyworks for Benchmark, 5-star analyst Ruben Roy writes: SWKS significantly beat consensus estimates and provided March quarter guidance that is also well ahead of consensus estimates as 5G related mobile revenue and broad-based segment revenue continued to accelerate In addition to continued strength of design win momentum and customer activity, we are encouraged with SWKS confident tone relative to the overall demand environment and content increase opportunities. In line with his comments, Roy rates SWKS a Buy along with a $215 price target. At current levels, this implies an upside of 20% for the coming year. (To watch Roys track record, click here) Roy is broadly in line with the rest of Wall Street, which has assigned SWKS 13 Buy ratings and 7 Holds over the past three month -- and sees the stock growing about 15% over the next 12 months, to a target price of $205.69.(See SWKS stock analysis on TipRanks) Qorvo, Inc. (QRVO) Qorvos chief products are chipsets used in the construction of radio frequency transmission systems that power wifi and broadband communication networks. The connection of this niche to 5G is clear as network providers upgrade their RF hardware to 5G, they also upgrade the semiconductor chips that control the systems. This chip maker has a solid niche, but it is not resting on its laurels. Qorvo is actively developing a range of new products specifically for 5G systems and deployment. This 5G radio frequency product portfolio includes phase shifters, switches, and integrated modules, and contains both infrastructure and mobile products. Qorvo posted $3.24 billion in total revenues for fiscal 2020. That revenue represents a 4.8% year-over-year increase and the companys sales have been accelerating in fiscal 2021. The most recent quarterly report, for the second fiscal quarter, showed $1.06 billion in revenues, a 31% yoy increase. Rajvindra Gill, 5-star analyst with Needham, is bullish on Qorvos prospects, noting: Qorvo reported strong sales and gross margins as 5G momentum rolls into CY21 on atypical seasonality... The company is planning for 500M 5G handsets to be manufactured in 2021, with an incremental $5-7 of content/unit from 4G to 5G. Management believes that ultra-wideband adoption will be a key growth driver in for smartphones going forward..." To this end, Gill puts a $220 price target on QRVO shares, suggesting room for 31% upside in 2021. Accordingly, he rates the stock a Buy. (To watch Gills track record, click here) What do other analysts have to say? 13 Buys and and 6 Holds add up to a Moderate Buy analyst consensus. Given the $192.28 average price target, shares could climb ~15% from current levels. (See QRVO stock analysis on TipRanks) Telefonakiebolaget LM Ericsson (ERIC) From chipsets, well move on to handsets. Ericsson, the Swedish telecom giant has long been a leader in mobile tech, and is well known for its infrastructure and software that make possible IP networking, broadband, cable TV, and other telecom services. Ericsson is the largest European telecom company, and the largest 2G/3G/4G infrastructure provider outside of China. But that is all in the background. Ericsson is also a leader in the rollout of Europes growing 5G networks. Ericsson is involved in 5G rollout in 17 countries in Europe, the Americas, and Asia, and its product line includes infrastructure base units and handsets, giving the company an interest in all aspects of the new 5G networks. Ericssons revenue performance in 2020 was not notably distressed by the corona crisis. Yes, the top line dipped in Q1, but that was in line with the companys historical pattern of rising revenue from Q1 through Q4. While the companys 1H20 revenues showed small yoy declines, the 2H20 gains were higher. In Q3, the $6.48 billion top line was up 8.7% yoy, and Q4s $8.08 billion revenue was up 17% from the prior year. The companys shares have also performed well during the corona year, and show a 12 month gain of 64%. Raymond James 5-star analyst Simon Leopold bluntly assigns Ericssons recent gains to its participation in 5G rollouts. Japan's awaited 5G roll-out has started. Share gains continue as Ericsson benefits from challenges facing its biggest competitors and more operators embrace 5G it seems obvious that Ericsson should be gaining market share... Competitor Nokia shunned the Chinese 5G projects, citing profitability challenges, yet Ericsson appears to be profiting in the challenging region. Leopold rates this stock an Outperform (i.e. Buy), and his $15 price target implies an upside potential of ~14% for the year ahead. (To watch Leopolds track record, click here) The Raymond James analyst, while bullish on ERIC, is actually less so than the Wall Street consensus. The stock has a Strong Buy consensus rating, based on a unanimous 5 reviews, and the $16.50 average price target indicates 25% growth potential from the share price of $13.19. (See ERIC stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for 5G stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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Kris Ohleth Named Executive Director of the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind - Yahoo Finance

The move is part of the Biden administrations plan to speed up development of renewable energy on federal lands and waters.

The Biden administration said on Wednesday it would restart permitting for the first key offshore wind farm in the United States, reversing a Trump administration decision that cancelled the process late last year.

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) said in a statement it would resume an environmental review of the Vineyard Wind project as part of the administrations broad plan to speed up renewable energy development on federal lands and waters.

BOEM is committed to conducting a robust and timely review of the proposed project, Director Amanda Lefton said in the statement.

In December, Vineyard Wind requested a pause in the federal permitting process while it determined whether changes to its design were necessary because of a switch in turbine manufacturers, prompting BOEM to terminate its entire review.

Former President Donald Trump had promised to support the nascent US industry as part of his energy-dominance agenda, but the allowing of Vineyard Wind to go ahead was delayed repeatedly in part due to concerns its turbines would interfere with commercial fishing.

Vineyard Wind is a joint venture between Avangrid Inc, a unit of Spains Iberdrola, and Denmarks Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. The project is 15 miles (24 kilometres) off the coast of Massachusetts. Once constructed, it is expected to provide power to more than 400,000 Massachusetts homes.

Were very pleased, Vineyard Wind said in a statement. We look forward to working with the agency as we launch an industry that will create thousands of good-paying jobs while also taking meaningful steps to reduce the impact of climate change.

The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, a fishing industry group, said it hoped the resumption of the permitting process would provide new opportunities for the public to weigh in on the project.

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Change in the air: US to restart review of big offshore wind farm - Aljazeera.com

(Courtesy Department of Interior)

Offshore staff

WASHINGTON, D.C. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) says it intends to resume the environmental review of Vineyard Winds proposed offshore wind project.

BOEM Director Amanda Lefton said: BOEM is committed to conducting a robust and timely review of the proposed project.

On Jan. 22, 2021, Vineyard Wind submitted a letter rescinding its temporary construction and operations plan (COP) withdrawal and requesting that BOEM resume review of the 800-MW wind energy project offshore Massachusetts.

The proposed project would be located about 12 nautical mi offshore Marthas Vineyard and 12 nautical mi offshore Nantucket in the northern portion of its lease area.

Vineyard Wind had paused the departments consideration of its proposal while it reviewed whether the use of Haliade-X turbines warranted any modifications to the COP.

Vineyard Wind is a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.

It still expects to reach financial close in the second half of 2021 and to begin delivering energy to Massachusetts in 2023.

(Courtesy Vineyard Wind)

02/04/2021

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BOEM to resume environmental review of Vineyard Wind - Offshore Oil and Gas Magazine