Daily Archives: May 4, 2021

Stateside: Rethinking herd immunity; COVID-19 in the Arab American community; psychedelics therapy – Michigan Radio

Posted: May 4, 2021 at 8:31 pm

Stateside for Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Today on Stateside, whats ahead for Michigan now that its getting harder to find arms for vaccine doses. The head of a Dearborn based Arab community organization talks about mobilizing for that very purpose. We also dig into Michigan foraging. Plus, an advocate for psilocybin makes the case for legal microdosing in Michigan.

[Get Stateside on your phone: subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts today.]

Listen to the full show above or find individual segments below.

Is herd immunity possible? Its complicated, says MSU public health expert

Statesides conversation with Debra Furr-Holden

ACCESS pivots to deliver vaccines to Arab communities

Statesides conversation with Hassan Jaber

Finders keepers: wild Michigan offers a bounty of foraged treats

Statesides conversation with Rachel Coale

Psychedelics as therapy? West Michigan author advocates for further research and acceptance

Statesides conversation with Paul Austin

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Stateside: Rethinking herd immunity; COVID-19 in the Arab American community; psychedelics therapy - Michigan Radio

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Why People Are Taking Psychedelics To Enhance Creativity Thinking – Benzinga

Posted: at 8:31 pm

This article was originally published onThe Bluntnessand appears here with permission.

By Shawn Gold, FounderPilgrimSoul.com

For decades, popular assumptions painted psychedelics in a bad and dangerous light.

Not even research from a leading UK government scientist ranking LSD and psilocybin 20 positions below alcohol ona list of the most dangerous drugscould sway public opinion or policy.

Still,artistsandmusiciansand even Nobel Prize winning scientists like Richard Feynman have persisted with the idea that psychedelics can be instrumental in unlocking their creativity and influencing their subsequent work.

Psychedelics have continually sparked subversive, unconventional, and innovativepieces of creative workthat still leave a lasting impression today.

Music is one of the easiest examples. For instance, The BeatlesRevolver, dubbed their acid album, provided a breakthrough in music composition through the use of tape looping, modified speeds, and reversed vocals and instrumentals.

Since then, the idea of psychedelic use for work has found its way toSilicon Valley, where the act of ingesting small amounts of psychedelics is a known productivity hack.

After comments byBill GatesandSteve Jobsabout their use of psychedelics, the stigma began to fade. In its place we are seeing new research aimed at proving the positive benefits of these substances such as cannabis, psilocybin, and mescaline on creativity and productivity.

While the concept of creativity is abstract, it is ultimately the use of imagination and original ideas to make something out of nothing, or to add new ideas to old things.

Mostly everything, if not everything, on this earth (and in space) is a direct result of somebodys creativity.

Everyone is filled with infinite ideas, all of which are sparked by some form of creativity. And as elusive as creativity may be, science has found a way to quantify and measure it.

The stories rumoring the benefits of psychedelics on creativity may no longer just be stories.Scientific researchmay soon be able to definitively say that psychedelics can result in a direct increase of creativity.

Psychedelics, when commonly ingested, either over-stimulate or suppress the neurotransmitters they most resemble, causing a range of sensations from euphoria to hallucinations. It is in part due to this temporary chemical imbalance that scientists believe psychedelics help enhance creative output.

Astudyon psilocybin, commonly known as magic mushrooms, found that the psychedelic not just disrupted but enhanced participants associative thinking skills, allowing their brains to free associate.

Participants found connections between objects or ideas they normally would have not made, a phenomenon otherwise known as lateral thinking.

The increase in lateral thinking is in part why people often feel that they are thinking outside of the box when on psychedelics.

The link of lateral thinking to psychedelics was further solidified whenanother studyfound an increase in divergent idea generation.

In a short period of time, participants were able to come up with more original ideas and specific solutions to problems.

This seems to suggest that psychedelics may aid in thereduction of self-doubt and inhibitionswhich allows for a sense of openness with the self, promoting the flow of ideas.

The use of psilocybin also increases ideas through thecreation of new synapses. The creation of new synapses allows for new connections to be made between sections of your brain that normally would not interact, boosting creativity and idea generation.

The creation of new synapses is commonly accredited to the flood of visuals and ideas that users get on psychedelics.

However, it is important to note that using psychedelics for creativity does not mean all your ideas will be good, as there are instances ofbad trips, but that's not the point. The point is to produce ideas. It is better to have ten ideas than two really inhibited ones.

Psychedelics are proving to offer many benefits, but consumers must continue to be responsible with their usage.

It is particularly important to be mindful of the immediate environment as well as the amount being taken. Whats more,it is important to experimentto understand ones own comfortability and limits.

Micro-dosing is quickly becoming a popular method of psychedelic usage, especially in Silicon Valley, as it promotes productivity throughout the day.

By micro-dosing, userstake just enoughto reap the creative benefits of psychedelics, but not enough to fully hallucinate, see visuals, or impair their day.

So, if youre a professional whos worried about functionality while at work, micro-dosing might be the route for you.

Another method is commonly known as self-dosing, which is when users begin at a lower dosage and work their way up, depending on their level of comfort.

Self-dosing usually results in a larger dosage intake and as a result, more intense visuals and hallucinations. This technique is primarily used by artists and other creative people as it may be a way of further boosting their creative work.

Regardless of your preferred method, when used safely and properly, psychedelics can be the key to unleashinga wide range of creativity.

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2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Why Companies Are Betting Big On Psychedelic Drugs To Treat Mental Health Epidemic – PRNewswire

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PALM BEACH, Fla., April 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Psychedelic medicine is having a moment. Once dismissed as a "party drug" for its hallucinogenic effects, ketamine is emerging as a novel alternative treatment for depression. For most, psychedelic drugs conjure up images of the 1960's, hippies tripping out on LSD or magic mushrooms. However, early studies are finding that psilocybin the active agent in magic mushrooms could treat addiction, depression, anxiety and mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Similarly, cancer patients with painful anxiety over their illness have found more peaceful acceptance after participating in a study that involved intensive therapy and being given a drug that was once a symbol of the 60's counterculture. Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved esketamine to treat depression, making it the first-ever psychedelic drug to receive the regulatory green light in the US, withUK authorities also givingtheir approval for the ketamine-like druga few months later. Active companies in the markets this week include: COMPASS Pathways plc (NASDAQ: CMPS), Silo Pharma, Inc. (OTCQB: SILO),Mind Medicine (MindMed) Inc.(NASDAQ: MNMD) (NEO: MMED), Red Light Holland Corp.(OTCPK: TRUFF) (CSE: TRIP), Champignon Brands Inc.(OTCQB: SHRMF) (CSE: SHRM).

MDMA, commonly known as ecstasymeanwhile,has been given breakthrough therapy designation by the US regulatorfor post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Against this backdrop, a flourishing new sub-sector of the life sciences industry is emerging. While there are many parallels with the development of the cannabis industry, the trailblazers in the field of psychedelics are keen to stress the differences, particularly with reference to the recreational element of the former. An articlein Proactive Investors said that: "Psychedelics weren't born of the counterculture. They were killed by it," says a report by investment bank Canaccord Genuity, authored by Tania Gonsalves and Scott McFarland, which provides some of the first in-depth analysis of the sector."

Silo Pharma, Inc. (OTCQB: SILO) BREAKING NEWS: SiloPharma(SILO)andZyloTherapeutics,Inc.(ZTI)enterintoJointVentureAgreementtofocusontheclinicaldevelopmentofketamineusingZTI'sZ-podtechnologyforthetransdermaltimereleaseddeliveryoftherapeutics - Silo Pharma, Inc., a developmental stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the use of psychedelics as a therapeutic, today announced that it has entered into a Joint Venture with Zylo Therapeutics. This Joint Venture will utilize Zylo's innovative sustained release topical delivery system that was originally developed at Albert Einstein College of Medicine using Silo Pharma's expertise in the use of psychedelics. The joint venture will initially explore the clinical development of ketamine using ZTI's Z-pod technology, but also provides for Silo Pharma to obtain an exclusive option for the clinical development of psilocybin using ZTI's Z-pod technology as well.

Eric Weisblum, CEO of Silo Pharma stated "This Joint Venture is part of Silo Pharma's vision of bringing ground breaking therapeutics to patients in need. The ability to deliver Ketamine or Psilocybin in a time released manner will allow us to explore both the safety and efficacy of our therapeutics while hopefully diminishing the hallucinogenic effects of psychedelics. We believe that Zylo's patented technology will allow us to reach potential patients that suffer with dysphagia, such as both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients."

JayBlankenship,MD,VicePresidentofBusinessDevelopmentforZylTherapeutics,stated"Weareextremelyexcitedtobeenteringintothis partnership with Silo Pharma, a company with broad-ranging expertise in psychedelics. Ketamine is an incredibly versatile drug thatcontinues to show promise with new therapeutic indications. We look forward to leveraging our proprietary topical delivery technology todevelopalow-dose,sustained-releaseketamineformulationthatisbothsafeandconvenientforpatients." Formoreinformation,visit http://www.silopharma.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE INDUSTRY AND SILO, PLEASE ALSO VISIT: https://psychedelicstox.com/2021/04/26/unique-double-play-biotech-company-offers-investors-true-upside-potential-in-the-psychedelic-space/

Other recent developments in the markets include:

MindMed(NASDAQ: MNMD) (NEO: MMED), a leading clinical-stage psychedelic medicine biotech company, recently announced the publication of the first study on MDMA dosing optimization using personalized medicine. The study took place at the University Hospital Basel Liechti Lab, inBasel, Switzerland. This study provides the first scientific data for predicting responses to MDMA and optimizing dosing. This may maximize the potential beneficial therapeutic effects while reducing adverse responses when treating medical conditions. The study used data from 194 MDMA administrations in ten randomized placebo-controlled studies in healthy subjects conducted by the Liechti Lab at the University HospitalBasel, Switzerland.

Key findings of the study suggest: The dose of MDMA can be optimized using predictors known before dosing including body weight, sex, age, genetics, personality trait measures, and mood before drug administration; The dose of MDMA per kg body weight of the treated person best predicted the MDMA concentrations in the body and also mainly determined the acute subjective response to MDMA; Additionally, genetic testing of the drug metabolizing enzyme CYP2D6 is useful to adjust the dose of MDMA; Persons with low levels of CYP2D6 activity have higher MDMA plasma concentrations and may experience greater subjective MDMA effects and may benefit from a moderate dose reduction; Persons with a greater personality trait of "openness to a new experience" showed greater feelings of closeness and positive drug effects acutely induced by MDMA; In contrast, persons with personality traits of increased neuroticism or anxiety were both more likely to experience fear of ego dissolution and losing control. Similarly, more feelings of anxiety and depression in a person just before MDMA administration predicted more anxiety after MDMA administration; Women and men showed comparable MDMA effects if differences in body weight are considered in the dosing of MDMA; Previous minimal MDMA use, defined as previously using MDMA up to five times, did not influence the MDMA effect; and In summary, personalizing MDMA dosing may help optimize the acute MDMA experience including more positive subjective effects of MDMA and reducing adverse effects of MDMA.

COMPASS Pathways plc(NASDAQ: CMPS), a mental health care company dedicated to accelerating patient access to evidence-based innovation in mental health, welcomed a study publishedin the New England Journal of Medicine(NEJM) yesterday, which showed signals of positive activity in COMP360 psilocybin compared with the standard antidepressant escitalopram, for major depressive disorder (MDD).

The study was designed and conducted by a research team at Imperial College London, using COMPASS's COMP360 psilocybin. This was an exploratory, randomized, double-blind clinical study. Its aim was to compare the efficacy and mechanisms of action of psilocybin with a six-week course of escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), for MDD.

Halo Collective Inc. ("Halo") and Red Light Holland Corp. (CSE: TRIP) (OTC Pink: TRUFF) ("Red Light Holland") recently announcedthat Articles of Incorporation have been filed with the Oregon Secretary of State to form Red Light Oregon, Inc., a 50/50 JV between Halo and Red Light Holland. The JV will be capitalized with US$50,000 from each party and its initial directors will be Todd Shapiro, Red Light Holland Director and CEO, Sarah Hashkes, Red Light Holland Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Kiran Sidhu, Halo CEO and Director, and Katie Field, Halo President. The JV will monitor ongoing regulatory updates regarding Oregon's Measure 109, appoint a management team, and develop a commercialization strategy in due course.

"We are delighted to take this next step with Halo. We now have the entity and team in place to begin laying the groundwork for potential future participation in the Oregon Psychedelic Magic Mushroom market," said Todd Shapiro, CEO and Director of Red Light Holland. "Kiran and his team have extensive experience working with Oregon regulators and we could not be more excited to have them as a partner! We also plan on continually monitoring other future markets opening in the USA as the movement, both socially and from a therapeutic/medicinal level promoting the acceptance of psilocybin via legal, policy and regulatory measures rapidly progresses."

Champignon Brands Inc.(CSE: SHRM) (OTCQB: SHRMF) recently announcedthe publication of an article led by Dr.Roger McIntyre, CEO of Champignon Brands Inc. The article The Rapid Mood Screener (RMS): a novel and pragmatic screener for bipolar I disorder - is published in Taylor and Francis.com.

Depressive episodes and symptoms of bipolar I disorder are commonly misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder (MDD) in primary care. The novel and pragmatic Rapid Mood Screener (RMS) was developed to screen for manic symptoms and bipolar I disorder features (e.g., age of depression onset) to address this unmet clinical need.

DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates FinancialNewsMedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM's market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNM has been compensated twenty six hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press releases issued by Silo Pharma, Inc. by a non-affiliated third party. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

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Why Companies Are Betting Big On Psychedelic Drugs To Treat Mental Health Epidemic - PRNewswire

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Maine fishing interests seek total ban on offshore wind energy – Press Herald

Posted: at 8:31 pm

More than 60 commercial fishermen and their supporters testified Tuesday in favor of a bill that would block any attempt to develop offshore wind projects anywhere along the Maine coast.

The bill would prohibit any state agency from permitting or approving any offshore wind energy project regardless of its location. It was introduced by Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, a commercial fisherman, and co-sponsored by eight other Republican lawmakers.

The testimony on L.D. 101 from lobstermen, their families and town officials from fishing communities drew a clear line in the sand: Any offshore wind development, they told told lawmakers on the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee, would threaten the very survival of their iconic industry and way of life.

In his testimony, Faulkingham said offshore wind was the worst kind of green energy, and went on to list examples that, in some instances, conflated fact and opinion. He said offshore wind was three-to-five times more expensive than market prices, which may have been a reference to a single state-approved contract for the power from a demonstration project off Monhegan. He said offshore wind farms would cover 850 square miles, four times larger than Casco Bay, an apparent reference to a megawatt target set by an ocean energy task force in 2009.

He said offshore wind would enrich foreign corporations with taxpayer money, without noting that the private partnership behind the Monhegan project is investing $100 million on top of $47 million in federal grants. And he called nuclear power and Canadian hydro better options, ignoring the steep opposition and multibillion cost overruns associated with nuclear power and the ongoing fight over building a transmission line through western Maine from Quebec.

It is time to put a permanent halt to offshore wind development, Faulkingham said, calling it a science project.

Asked by a fellow lawmaker if his opposition was a case of not-in-my-backyard, Faulkingham said no.

The massive scale of the turbine platforms, he said, dwarfs land-based solar projects that can be taken down when their useful life is over. With offshore wind, he said, developers willleave these pieces of garbage in the ocean.

Jeffrey Alley, a fifth-generation fishermen from Jonesport who said he grew up on a lobster boat, said the inevitable disruption or prohibition of fishing activity near wind projects would be devastating.

I want to protect my familys fishing heritage and ensure the future of our fishery for generations to come, he said in a written statement.

This sort of testimony overshadowed the comparatively few comments relating to a bill introduced by Gov. Janet Mills and sponsored by Sen. Mark Lawrence, D-York.

That proposed law, L.D. 1619, would establish a 10-year ban on wind energy development in state waters, which extend 3 miles from the mainland. The bill was meant to appease the states lobster industry, which harvests an estimated three-quarters of its catch in state waters.

But Mills proposal, first launched last winter, sank fast and deep with lobstermen. Except for a demonstration project for a single floating turbine expected to be built next year near Monhegan Island, Maines near-shore waters arent a prime target for wind development, although one developer was reportedly exploring a venture last winter. The offshore wind industry here is expected to take shape in deeper, federally controlled waters, where the Mills administration wants to locate a relatively small wind farm dedicated to research.

Mills near-shore pause won support from clean-energy interests as a balanced approach to offshore wind. But fishermen oppose that plan, as well. They say it will threaten an estimated 1,000 lobstermen who make their living in federal waters. The bill doesnt address those concerns.

But despite Tuesdays emotional support for an all-out ban, L.D. 101 faces a steep challenge in its current form. The Legislature is controlled by Democrats. A sweeping offshore wind ban would scuttle one of Mills signature policy initiatives fighting climate change through the carbon-cutting goals set out in the states Climate Action Plan.

A blanket prohibition also would be ineffective, said Chris Wissemann, chief executive of the $147 million joint venture project off Monhegan, New England Aqua Ventus, because the vast majority of wind leases are in federal waters. Instead, he said, the ban would send a message that Maine is closed for business for offshore energy investment.

But what L.D. 101 would stop is economic development, Wissemann said, hundreds, if not thousands, of new jobs, and a burgeoning new industry from developing in Maine. Maines loss would be a gain for Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

More broadly, saidRichard Silkman, a Portland energy expert who recently wrote a book about how to electrify Maines heating and transportation with renewable energy, there would be no way to power the state in the winter without offshore wind.

If this committee or the Legislature more generally acts to prohibit offshore wind energy development as proposed in this bill, Silkman said in his testimony, then it should be honest with Maine people and simultaneously strike all emission targets and related state policy. It is simply not financially possible to meet Maines aggressive climate goals without the development of offshore wind.

Opposition to Faulkinghams bill attracted a predictable whos who of environmental and clean-energy advocacy groups, including the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Environment Maine, Acadia Center and Conservation Law Foundation. Also against it were the Maine Municipal Association, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, labor unions, Maines Public Advocate and the University of Maine, which developed the floating platform technology for the Monhegan project.

But onanother level, Tuesdays testimony also served to highlight an evolving proxy war between political parties leading up to next years race for governor.

Late last week, the Republican Governors Association issued a news release headlined: Mills & Biden team up to destroy lobster industry.

The release noted President Bidens announced goal of speeding up offshore wind development in federal waters and combined it with media coverage in Maine of Mills plan to site a research wind farm 20 to 40 miles offshore.

Bidens & Mills plans to implement their extreme environmental agenda of offshore wind will be a death sentence for thousands of family-sustaining fishing jobs in Maine, the release stated.

It also noted that Mills policy stood in contrast to that of former Gov. Paul LePage, who tried to stifle offshore wind development and who could mount a campaign against her next year.

LePage is alternately admired and derided for his role in prompting aglobal energy company to abandon its plans in 2013 to build a $120 million demonstration floating wind farm at a state-approved test area off Boothbay Harbor. The Norwegian company, formally named Statoil, instead built the project in Scotland, where it has set records for offshore wind operating capacity.

At an anti-wind rally in Augusta last week, fishermen carried signs in support of L.D. 101, as well as logos showing a lobster holding a wind turbine in its claw under the heading, Crush Mills. They listened to speakers that included a representative for a political nonprofit aligned with LePage.

This week, the group posted an action alert on its Facebook page to draw support for Faulkinghams bill.

The delicate environment and significant fishing grounds of the Gulf of Maine should not be the laboratory where global energy corporations like Mitsubishi experiment with offshore wind, the post said in part.

Both bills will see further action by the committee in a work session that is yet to be scheduled.

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2021 Offshore Wind Auction in Germany | Hogan Lovells – JDSupra – JD Supra

Posted: at 8:31 pm

These projects are scheduled to be commissioned in 2026 (at the earliest). The auction round will be completed by 1 September 2021. It is remarkable that for two out of three areas companies hold so called legal entry rights. This paper will outline the 2021 offshore auction round and the potential impact the legal entry rights may have. A detailed outline of the German funding system for offshore wind farms in Germany can be found here.

There is no offshore wind project in Germany without winning an auction. The central model provided for in the WindSeeG interlinks three vital topics for offshore wind farms in Germany with the successful participation in a tender procedure: the public-law permit, the public funding, as well as the grid connection of offshore wind projects. After an award, the respective project owner receives the exclusive right to undertake the procedure for the planning approval (Planfeststellungsbeschluss), which is the required form of permit for the construction and operation of offshore wind farms. Not only the exclusive right to develop the project but also the entitlement to receive funding (in the form of a so called market-premium) is conditional upon the successful participation in the tender procedure. Finally, the tender entitles project to be connected to the grid.

As part of the central model, the state is responsible not only for the spatial planning but also for the pre-examination of potential project sites. In a first step, the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (Bundesamt fr Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie BSH) publishes a Spatial Development Plan (Flchenentwicklungsplan) which includes potential project sites as well as target installation years for projects, locations of converter platforms etc. In a second step, a pre-examination of the sites is undertaken which will further assess the suitability of these areas. In case of a positive assessment, pre-investigated sites will be made available for tenders. In 2021, two areas in the North Sea (N-3.7 with a capacity of 225 MW and N-3.8 with a capacity of 433 MW) and one area in the Baltic Sea (O-1.3 with a capacity of 300 MW) will be awarded in the tender round.

The tender procedure follows a basic principle: The project owner offering the lowest bid value will be awarded. Initially, the WindSeeG intended to cap the maximum bid value based on a dynamic principle and linked the maximum bid value to the lowest successful bid in the 2018 tender rounds. However, since in the 2018 tender, zero cent bids were successful, future tenders would have been capped at zero cent bids. The legislator reacted and determined the maximum bid values for future tenders in order to ensure the future expansion of offshore wind energy. For the 2021 tenders, the maximum bid value is set at 7.3 cents/kWh.

Even if successful in the auction, bidders have to take into account the risk of losing the award due to legal entry rights (Eintrittsrecht) of certain older projects. This rule is designed as a special compensation for project owners that have invested in developing their projects in the relevant areas and which lost their projects with the implementation of the WindSeeG. For two out of three areas that a put out for auction in 2021, companies hold so called legal entry rights which they can enforce after the auction. This means that they can snap away the respective project from a successful bidder by matching the winning bid.

The legal entry rights have been granted to so-called existing projects that did not win in the 2017 or 2018 auctions. These auction rounds were designed for existing projects, which reached an advanced development status by 1 August 2016 and were located in designated areas in the North and Baltic Seas and which were not grandfathered from the changes introduced by the WindSeeG. These projects had to be located in one of the clusters 1 to 8 (North Sea) or clusters 1 to 3 (Baltic Sea) of the Federal Sectoral Plan Offshore (Bundesfachplan Offshore) for the German Exclusive Economic Zone.

Project developers of existing projects are granted a second chance in the central tender procedure if they meet certain requirements. Not only must the projects participated in the 2017 and 2018 tender rounds without success, but also had the developers to follow the relevant procedure back in 2018 (i.e. transfer of relevant documents and information as well as waiver). If these requirements are fulfilled and if the areas, in which the existing projects were planned, are put out to tender the legal entry right can become relevant. The legal entry right is a comparative advantage for the beneficiary. Companies holding a legal entry right can enter the successful bid of third party and then realise their project in accordance with the conditions of the third partys bid. In the 2021 tender, two of the offered areas (N-3.8 and O-1.3) can be dragged away by making use of an entry right. Legal entry rights can be used by notifying the Federal Network Agency at the latest by the end of the calendar month following the announcement of the awards. The award will the be transferred to the existing project leaving the actual successful bidder empty-handed.

Bids can be submitted by 1 September 2021. Bidders are obliged to use templates that have been published by the Federal Network Agency. The results of the tender round are expected to be announced within September. If not successful in 2021, project developers will have further chances over the next years. The BSH already published pre-investigated sites to be opened for tenders between 2022 and 2025 which are all located in the North Sea. The maximum bid value will, however, decrease 6.4 cents/kWh in 2022 and 6.2 cents/kWh in 2023.

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2021 Offshore Wind Auction in Germany | Hogan Lovells - JDSupra - JD Supra

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PETA, Seaspiracy producer call on Biden to reverse offshore aquaculture executive order – SeafoodSource

Posted: at 8:31 pm

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Seaspiracy producer Kip Andersen are calling on U.S. President Joe Biden to reverse a Trump administration executive order permitting the growth of offshore aquaculture operations and practices.

PETA and Andersen said in a letter to Biden that Executive Order 13921 on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth allows for the the proliferation of damaging and deadly offshore fish-factory farms, which "cause substantial suffering to the farmed fish."

The last thing our oceans need is more fish-factory farms leaking pestilence, parasites, and pollutants into the water, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a press release announcing the letters deployment. PETA is asking the president to protect our oceans and everyone who lives in or near them by pulling the plug on this reckless order.

Within the letter itself, Newkirk and Andersen said they delivered the letter on behalf of the nonprofits more than 6.5 million members, and millions of viewers disturbed by the revelations in the documentary Seaspiracy.

In issuing and implementing Executive Order 13921, the Trump administration made it clear that it was intended to reduce the burdens on commercial fishing operations, and it indisputably shifts the cost of planning for such operations to taxpayers and reduces regulatory review of proposed projects despite the extensive harm to fish and the marine environment. Your administration has already taken many actions to stay, suspend, or reverse Trump administration decisions that jeopardize wildlife and the environment, the letter states. We commend you on those efforts and urge you also to revoke Executive Order 13921 to end this damaging policy in order to protect countless fish, other marine animals including birds, the sensitive marine environment, and potentially even human health from significant harm.

Since it premiered on Netflix in March, the 90-minute Seaspiracy has earned steady viewership and criticism from seafood industry stakeholders and scientists. The Marine Stewardship Council, Oceana, the National Fisheries Institute, and others have panned the film as misleading, with NFI likening it to a slickly produced propaganda [piece].

Plant-based seafood analog producers, on the other hand, have seen the film fuel their businesses growth.

We have noticed thatSeaspiracy has made a big impression on people and has contributed to a growing awareness of the importance of plant-based alternatives to fish, Giessen, the Netherlands-based Schouten Europe B.V. Product Manager Annemiek Vervoort told SeafoodSource. This will further increase the demand for fish substitutes.

Photo courtesy ofBiksuTong/Shutterstock

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PETA, Seaspiracy producer call on Biden to reverse offshore aquaculture executive order - SeafoodSource

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New offshore wind farm virtual forum May 18 – The Inquirer and Mirror

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The Inquirer and Mirror

(May 3, 2021) Mayflower Wind, the developer of a proposed offshore wind project 20 miles south of Nantucket, will host a virtual open house from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 18 to provide an update on the projects status.

Upon completion, Mayflower Wind has the potential to generate over 1,600 megawatts of energy, enough to power over half a million homes. The project expects to begin generating energy by the mid-2020s, company officials said.

The presentation and Q&A session will be held via Zoom. Click here to register.

The May virtual open house is the first in a series of free online events to provide project information and a discussion forum for community members and others.

Mayflower Wind is a joint venture between Shell and Ocean Winds.

The Nantucket Select Board will also meet in executive session Thursday to discuss its legal options regarding the proposed wind farm.

Vineyard Wind, the first venture to develop an offshore wind project south of the island, has agreed to pay the town and island nonprofit organizations up to $16 million over the next eight to 10 years as financial mitigation for its proposed 84-turbine offshore wind-energy project 15 miles southwest of Madaket.

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New offshore wind farm virtual forum May 18 - The Inquirer and Mirror

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3D at Depth Strengthens Its Position in the Offshore Integrity and Inspection Industry – PRNewswire

Posted: at 8:31 pm

Additionally, the Hybrid AUV / ROV is equipped as a containerized spread to transform any vessel of opportunity into a survey and inspection platform in less than 18 hours. This allows deepwater assets and offshore wind operators to reduce their costs, risks, and carbon footprint by lowering offshore man-hours, chartering a DP1 or above vessel, and reducing shipping costs by using our containerized spread.

Manning continued, "We are also seeing requirements for inspection campaigns to now include LiDAR technology and the use of our SL Subsea LiDAR laser technology allows us to provide a fully integrated cost-effective path to our customers while maximizing vessel time (much faster than a normal work class ROV spread) on smaller footprint vessels thus reducing carbon emissions and cost."

The 3,000 meter rated dual hull Hybrid AUV / ROV is a hovering supervised addition that takes full advantage of 3D at Depth's patented SL Subsea LiDAR laser with remote sensing technology. This asset encompasses a tightly coupled class-leading inertial navigation package with fixed offsets to the sensor payload, which includes but is not limited to; 3D at Depth's SL3 LiDAR laser, Ultra-High Resolution multibeam echosounder, Sidescan sonar, multiple camera and light solutions, and a methane leak detection sensor. Additional sensors for level 2 inspections such as cathodic protection and flooded member detection are available as optional additions. Furthermore, the sensor payload is fully integrated with customized electronics and software that allows the Hybrid AUV / ROV to act as one tool, enable one set-up, and ultimately require one mobilization for multiple survey deliverables allowing for efficient and integrated operations.

According to the Company, its USBL acoustic positioning system and system communications come from a blend of industry-standard products with high track records in the marine environment for shallow and deep-water communications. This stable and capable platform enhances 3D at Depth's recently announced offshore Geophysical Survey Services division to provide optimized surveys to support medium to deep water (50m - 3000m) offshore development activities. The vehicle's stern also has a higher tolerance for currents with its low profile making it a useful tool for offshore windfarm work where currents are a factor in shallow water operations, and in other scopes including pre- and post- pipeline routes, environmental site surveys, offshore hydrocarbon projects, and civil engineering surveys.

3D at Depth's existing Marine Survey Services and new Geophysical Survey Services are greatly enhanced by having access to the Hybrid AUV / ROV. The Hybrid AUV / ROV being fully integrated with the company's custom software, electronics, and patented SL Subsea LIDAR laser technology greatly improves its usefulness and effectiveness, something which is sure to deliver great value to 3D at Depth's client base.

3D at Depth will host virtual and small in-person demonstrations that are respectful of COVID-19 in Houston during the month of June 2021. Interested parties are asked to express their interest in attending the demonstration by visiting http://bit.ly/3DatDepth-Demo.

About 3D at Depth

3D at Depth, Inc. provides advanced subsea SL Subsea LiDAR laser systems, survey support services, and 3D point cloud collection, visualization, and analysis solutions to help clients optimize marine, underwater, and offshore survey campaigns. Precise, repeatable, millimetric 3D point clouds acquired through patented SL Subsea LiDAR laser technology allow clients to "measure in 3D and manage in 4D" to increase operational efficiencies and reduce downtime. The Company's locations in Australia, Europe, and the United States support customer survey operations around the world. For more information and a broader listing of services visit us at http://www.3datdepth.com and LinkedIn, or follow us on Twitter @3DatDepth.

Media at 3D at Depth

Media Contact:3D at Depth:Alma Alling+1.832-800-4010[emailprotected]

SOURCE 3D at Depth, Inc.

http://www.3datdepth.com

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3D at Depth Strengthens Its Position in the Offshore Integrity and Inspection Industry - PRNewswire

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Equinor, rsted, Boskalis Join AquaVentus Offshore Wind-to-Hydrogen Project – Offshore WIND

Posted: at 8:31 pm

Ten new companies have joined the AquaVentus offshore wind-to-hydrogen project, including offshore wind developers rsted, Equinor, and WindMW, as well as the offshore construction company Royal Boskalis Westminster.

The AquaVentus consortium, which is developing a massive project revolving around green hydrogen production powered by 10 GW of offshore wind installed in the North Sea, now counts 50 companies and organisations.

In the latest group, the initiative also welcomed the certification company DNV, the engineering specialist Offshore Wind Technologies (OWT), the seamless steel pipe manufacturer Vallourec, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), the consultancy company Buckstay, and the logistics service provider Karlsson.

From January until mid-March, eight companies have joined the consortium, including the offshore wind developer EnBWand Linde a hydrogen production, transport, storage and distribution company. EDFs hydrogen-oriented subsidiary Hynamics, Brunsbttel Ports, and the maritime service provider EMS have also been part of the AquaVentus consortium since early this year.

AquaVentus comprises numerous sub-projects along the value chain from the production of hydrogen in the North Sea to transport to customers on the mainland.The projects include the development of offshore wind farms with integrated hydrogen generation (AquaPrimus), a large-scale offshore hydrogen park (AquaSector), a central supply pipeline (AquaDuctus), port infrastructures (AquaPortus), a research platform (AquaCampus), and hydrogen-based maritime applications (AquaNavis).

Under the first sub-project, AquaPrimus, the consortium plans to install two 14 MW wind turbines, each with an electrolyser plant on its foundation platform. The wind turbines would be installed off Mukran, Sassnitz by 2025.

This April, project partners Shell, RWE, GASCADE, and Gasunie signed a declaration of intent to further intensify their collaboration on AquaDuctus, with a feasibility study planned as the next step for the project.

The AquaVentus project was launched last year by some of the biggest players in offshore wind, including RWE, Shell, Siemens Gamesa, MHI Vestas, Parkwind, Vattenfall, and Northland Power.

The projects offshore wind farms, with a total capacity of 10 GW, would be built between the Heligoland island and the Dogger Bank sandbank by 2035, and the electricity they generate would be used to produce hydrogen at offshore electrolysis plants.

From there, hydrogen would be transported to Heligoland and further to the German mainland via the AquaDuctus pipeline system. Some of the hydrogen stored at the AquaPortus in the Heligoland outer port would be used to power vessels.

The AquaVentus consortium estimates that the project could yield up to one million tonnes of green hydrogen annually.

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Equinor, rsted, Boskalis Join AquaVentus Offshore Wind-to-Hydrogen Project - Offshore WIND

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Dogger Bank Wind Farm to Feature Unmanned HVDC Offshore Substations – Offshore WIND

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Dogger Bank Wind Farm, the worlds largest offshore wind project, will use what the developers say is a revolutionary platform design, unveiling the worlds first unmanned High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) offshore substation.

When complete in 2026, the 3.6 GW Dogger Bank wind farm will become the biggest in the world, able to produce enough electricity to power around five per cent of the UKs electricity demand. The wind farm is located over 130 kilometres out to sea.

A joint venture between SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Eni, is leading on the construction and delivery of the wind farm. Equinor will operate Dogger Bank on completion for its lifetime of up to 35 years.

First Offshore Wind Project to Use HVDC Tech in UK

Dogger Bank will be the first offshore wind project in the UK to use HVDC technology to transmit the electricity produced back to shore.

Upon the first installation in Dogger Bank A during 2023, the projects HVDC facility will also become the largest-ever at 1.2 GW, a scale-up from the previous industry benchmark of 0.8 GW, the developers said.

Weve committed to build this project with record low CfD strike prices and the associated benefits this provides to UK electricity consumers, said Steve Wilson, Project Director of Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

We will do this by using the latest technologies to ensure we build and operate the wind farm efficiently, while achieving the highest standards in safety. In order to build this complex infrastructure project competitively, whilst introducing a new technical solution here in the UK, the Dogger Bank project team needed to drive a huge step change in design.

70 Per Cent Weight Reduction

Working closely with platform manufacturer Aibel, the Dogger Bank team were challenged to design the first unmanned offshore HVDC substation in the world.

Removing the need for personnel to stay on the platform meant it was then possible to eliminate elements such as the living quarters, helideck and sewage systems, resulting in a 70 per cent reduction in weight (per megawatt) of the topside compared to previous platforms installed, and cost savings of hundreds of millions of pounds, the developers said.

Traditional methods have been effective at transmitting electricity from wind farms that are closer to shore, but with Dogger Bank being so far from shore, we chose to use HVDC as it is much more efficient to transfer electricity over long distances, Jon Kippenes, Offshore Platform Manager for Dogger Bank, said.

As the first project to do this in the UK we were faced with potentially high costs and uncertainty, but by taking learnings from unmanned installation in Oil and Gas, and working closely with our supplier we have designed an innovative and safe platform with huge reductions in weight. This of course lowers the cost for this project, but also sets a new standard for offshore HVDC platforms. The Dogger Bank transmission concept was turned from being the projects Achilles heel into a competitive edge.

It is expected that re-use of design and execution method may give significant benefits to future HVDC projects of similar transmission capacity.

Dogger Bank A and B is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40 per cent), Equinor (40 per cent) and Eni (20 per cent). Dogger Bank C is a 50:50 joint venture between SSE Renewables and Equinor.

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Dogger Bank Wind Farm to Feature Unmanned HVDC Offshore Substations - Offshore WIND

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