Monthly Archives: August 2021

OFFSHORE WIND AMERICAN MANUFACTURING ACT OF 2021 INTRODUCED IN THE U.S. SENATE

On 11 August 2021, Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ)introducedthe Offshore Wind American Manufacturing Act of 2021, a bill to create two new tax credits for domestic offshore wind manufacturing facilitiesan investment tax credit and a production tax credit.

The investment tax credit would provide a 30 percent tax credit to build, upgrade, or retool domestic manufacturing facilities that are predominantly used to manufacture or process offshore wind components or vessels. The credit would apply to construction, reconstruction, and acquisition costs as well if the facility would be repurposed to manufacture offshore wind components or vessels.

The production tax credit would provide a tax credit for each component or vessel an eligible facility produces, provided the component or vessel is placed into service or sold. For components, the amount of the credit is determined by the rated capacity of the completed offshore wind turbine multiplied by a designated value for each type of component. For instance, a tower (or subcomponents thereof), would qualify for a credit calculated by multiplying the rated capacity by 3 cents, whereas a nacelle (or subcomponents thereof), would utilize a multiplier of 5 cents. Vessels would qualify for 10 percent of the sale price. The production tax credit would phase out in years 2029 and 2030, and would be eliminated for components or vessels placed into service or sold after 31 December, 2030. To qualify for either credit, all laborers and mechanics employed by contractors and subcontractors that help manufacture the products at the eligible facility are paid the prevailing wage for similar work in that locality, as determined by the Secretary of Labor.

On 13 August 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded US$82.6 million in funding to 44 projects designed to increase energy efficiency and lower consumers energy bills. According to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Americans spend about $100 billion every year on wasted energy from buildings, heating and cooling units, and advancements that make both existing and newly constructed buildings more energy-efficient save[s] consumers money and reduce[s] the climate impacts of the places we live and work.

Spanning 20 states, the awarded projects include efforts to develop: an isothermal compressor that can reduce the energy consumption of refrigerators by an average of 40 percent; demonstrate the effectiveness of battery-integrated appliances to shift electrical loads on utility grids in response to demand; and collaborate between home manufacturers, product suppliers, and customers to develop cost-effective solutions for net-zero-energy manufactured homes.

On 13 August 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)announcedthat it is considering a lease sale for the Wilmington East wind energy area located in the Long Bay area, offshore North and South Carolina. BOEM is currently preparing a supplemental environmental assessment and is seeking public comments through 12 September 2021.

The announcement follows closely on the heels of North Carolina Governor Roy Coopers June 9thexecutive orderdirecting agencies in his administration to develop wind-energy infrastructure off the states coast. Section 1 of the order lays out targets for energy production from wind energy, noting that the state will strive for development of 2.8 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy resources off the North Carolina coast by 2030 and 8.0 GW by 2040.

On 11 August 2021, the California Energy Commissionannouncedthat itadoptedthe 2022 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Energy Code) for newly constructed and renovated buildings. The Energy Code applies to residential, nonresidential, high-rise residential, and hotel and motel buildings. The CEC expects the revised standards to increase energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of buildings, thereby helping California meet its long-term climate and emissions goals.

The revised standards include four majorchanges. First, they will encourage electric heat pump technology, a technology that may provide substantial increases in energy efficiency while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Second, the standards will establish electric-ready requirements for single-family homes, requiring these buildings to have dedicated circuits and infrastructure to accommodate installation of electric appliances. Third, they extend solar photovoltaic (PV) system standards and introduce battery storage standards for additional building categories, including select businesses. Finally, the Energy Code updates ventilation standards.

The revised Energy Code is notable in that it establishes combined solar PV and battery standards for certain businesses and civic facilities, including retail and grocery stores, restaurants, schools, theaters, auditoriums, and convention centers. The code revisions also establish new energy efficiency standards for commercial greenhouses, with this provision primarily directed to commercial cannabis growing operations.

Maeve C. Tibbetts and Oretha A. Manu also contributed to this article.

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US Senate Introduces Offshore Wind American Manufacturing Act - The National Law Review

Photo courtesy Shane Adams/Dreamstime

Offshore staff

WASHINGTON, DC and NEW ORLEANS The Biden administration has filed notice that it is appealing a federal judges order that blocked its suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and waters that include the Gulf of Mexico.

An auction of federal leases in the Gulf was halted in March as a result of the moratorium, and created uncertainty for one scheduled in November.

In a statement issued on August 16, the Department of the Interior said it would continue onshore and offshore oil and gas leasing as required by US District Judge Terry Doughty, while it challenges the judges decision before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

Doughty sided with Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and officials in 12 other states. Those states said the administration bypassed comment periods and other bureaucratic steps required before such delays can be undertaken and that the moratorium would cost the states money and jobs.

The Interior Department statement re-emphasized the administration position that the pause is needed; it contends that federal oil and gas leasing programs are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions.

Earlier that same day (August 16), a dozen oil industry trade groups, led by the American Petroleum Institute, filed a new lawsuit challenging the leasing pause, joining at least three other related cases proceeding in federal courts.

The appeal comes just ahead of a court deadline for the administration to explain how it was complying with Doughtys June 15 order that leasing should resume. The Interior Department has not yet issued public plans for new lease sales or rescheduled any lease sales.

Even as the Interior Department said that it would resume leasing, it made clear that it intends to pursue significant changes in the leasing program: Federal onshore and offshore oil and gas leasing programs are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions and growing climate and community impacts, the agency said in its August 16 statement. Yet the current programs fail to adequately incorporate consideration of climate impacts into leasing decisions or reflect the social costs of greenhouse gas emissions, including, for example, in royalty rates.

08/21/2021

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US Department of Interior says oil and gas leasing will resume - Offshore Oil and Gas Magazine

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Almost a decade ago, Equinor recognized that the cost structure for new offshore field developments on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) was unsustainable. The company set out to reduce costs by at least 25%, and discussions began with service providers about how to achieve this step-change in efficiency.

At the same time, Baker Hughes had been advocating for greater collaboration in the North Sea to achieve better performance at lower cost.

By the time the Johan Sverdrup well construction tender was released in early 2015, Equinor had created a new fully integrated business model aimed at reducing costs and drilling days per well by 50% within three years.

This new model was based on having one main service provider to collaborate closely with the operator and rig contractor to collectively close the gap to the perfect well.

Based on this model, Equinor awarded a long-term, integrated drilling and well service contract for Johan Sverdrup to Baker Hughesthe first large-scale contract of its kind on the NCS. Odfjell Drilling was awarded the main rig and rig services contract.

Initially there was trepidation about achieving the projects ambitious objectives. The three companies created a shared vision to build support and align employees across the partnershipONE Team: Perfect Well Deliveries.

The Johan Sverdrup integrated project was a masterful success that proved the value of integration and collaboration. As a result, in 2017, Equinor expanded its vision and launched tenders to transition all their rigs and assets on the NCS to the integrated model.

With learnings from Johan Sverdrup and new technology and remote operations on the rise, this was the chance to push the integrated approach and transform the offshore industry even further.

The personnel optimization model called Integrated Operations Level 3 (IOL3) is a new way to leverage the advantages of having one service provider. The concept behind IOL3 is to move any task not physically required to take place at the wellsite onshore.

The goal was to reduce the core crew offshore by 50%, which would radically reduce structural costs, shrink the operational carbon footprint, and improve safety, all while maintaining and even improving service delivery.

To meet the challenge, Baker Hughes reconsidered and fundamentally changed its approach to wellsite roles, and replaced them with new, multi-skilled roles that leveraged more than one technical discipline.

In October 2019, Baker Hughes became the first oilfield service company to transition a rig to IOL3. Baker Hughes shifted half its offshore rig personnel to its ROC in Stavanger. No longer isolated on the rig, these specialists collaborated with other experts in new ways to make better, faster decisions at critical moments in the well construction process. By working remotely, they also avoided the safety risks of working offshore.

To date, Baker Hughes has transitioned 10 rigs to IOL3 and another three are in transition. About 120 Baker Hughes employees have relocated from rigs to onshore, reducing 900+ helicopter trips, thereby reducing emissions from travel.

At the same time, operational excellence continues. In July 2021, a record-setting well in the Troll field was celebrated by Equinor, Odfjell Drilling, and Baker Hughes. Records include the longest well drilled (10,042 m) and the longest horizontal section (8,033 m).

Baker Hughes is building on its success with Equinor. Earlier this year, bp announced the Clair Alliance, a tripartite agreement with Baker Hughes and Odfjell Drilling to transform well construction activity using IOL3 at the Clair Field, U.K.

Ultimately, Baker Hughess goal is to expand the IOL3 model to all its integrated projects worldwide.

The ability to reduce emissions, while improving safety outcomes and operational performance serves as a proof of concept that sets the standard for sustainable offshore oil and gas projects in the 2020s and beyond.

Marianne Davenport serves asvice president of Europe and North Sea at Baker Hughes and Chris Jones is the vice president of North America Offshore at Baker Hughes.

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OTC 2021: Setting the Standard for Sustainable Offshore Oil and Gas Projects - hartenergy.com

In a textbook case of unintended consequences, the White House called on OPEC+ to increase oil production to alleviate high oil prices while, almost at the same time, saying they were appealing an injunction blocking their arbitrary pause of new U.S. oil and gas lease opportunities.

The plea comes as inflationary energy prices are hitting American consumers. According to recently released Labor Department data, oil prices are up more than 40 percent this year and average gasoline prices have been above $3 per gallon since May. As National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan correctly noted, Higher gasoline costs, if left unchecked, risk harming the ongoing global recovery.

Seven months ago, the Biden administration enacted the arbitrary pause on new Federal oil and gas lease sales. Two months ago, a Federal judge ruled against the pause, confirming that the Department of the Interior is required by law to expeditiously develop Americas energy resources, including the obligation to schedule and hold offshore oil and gas lease sales.

Earlier this month the Department of the Interior said it would proceed with new leasing consistent with the injunction but would still appeal the decision.

American offshore oil and gas production provides no shortage of benefits to the American people. The region supports more than 345,000 high paying and accessible jobs and generates spending and investments in every single U.S. state.

My organization, the National Ocean Industries Association, released a new report this month taking a closer look at the multitude of jobs and investment associated with Gulf of Mexico energy production. In 2019, the Gulf supported $28 billion in investment, 1.8 million barrels of oil production per day, and 345,000 jobs throughout the country.

More than 200 types of jobs are directly involved in offshore oil and gas projects. These jobs are high paying and have an average salary nearly 30 percent higher than the national average.

Jobs and spending for offshore oil and gas projects begin well before a lease is signed with the Federal government. Geologists, computer scientists, petroleum engineers, finance professionals and others are needed during before the leasing process begins.

Without the certainty offered by regular and predictable lease offerings, offshore oil and gas jobs face tremendous risk.

Along with Gulf of Mexico jobs and spending, American emissions and climate progress will take a hit without continued access to new opportunities. Offshore oil production has the lowest carbon intensity of the oil producing regions. An Obama administration review of the current Federal offshore leasing plan determined GHG emissions would be higher without these lease sales because energy production would be outsourced to foreign counties resulting in a higher carbon footprint.

Not to mention, billions of dollars in revenues from offshore oil and gas production have funded critical conservation and recreation programs, including investments in economically distressed urban areas.

U.S. government efforts should strive to prevent the substitution American offshore production with barrels from high emitting foreign sources, such as Russia, with weak environmental oversight. Trying to limit responsible Federal oil and gas leasing is a massive, unforced error by the Biden administration that undercuts American jobs, businesses, national security, and emissions and environmental performance.

As oil and gas prices continue to rise, the U.S. must take steps to avert potential inflationary risks and proactively ensure affordable energy for all walks of life, especially low-income communities. However, the best policy solutions for Americans wont be found abroad, they are here in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Gulf of Mexico is an incredible American energy, economic and environmental and emissions success story, one that policymakers would be wise to embrace.

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Comment: Stop the foot dragging on offshore oil and gas leases - Houston Chronicle

NEW BEDFORD As sections of ocean off the coast of New York nearauction to offshore wind developers, local fishermen have calledon the federal government to do a better job not only engaging with the fishing industry, but also heeding its concerns and implementing its recommendations.

At stake for fishermen, wind developers and the Biden administration is the New York Bight an area of shallow waters between Long Island, New York, and the New Jersey coast.Within the bight, commercial fishermen fish for scallops,summer flounder and surf clams, among other species.

In June, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced a proposed sale ofmore than 600,000 acresof the bightfor offshore wind development. Before the public comment period for the proposed saleclosed on Aug. 13, the U.S.Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management held virtual meetings with fishermen, during which many shared their frustration and concern.

During ameeting on Aug. 6with BOEM officials,city officials and fishermen from along the East Coast shared concerns about engagement, accountability, transparency and safety.The top BOEM official, Director Amanda Lefton, appeared virtually and spokedirectly to local representatives. The meetingtook a hybrid format with more than 100 people via Zoom and about 20 people at the city's Fairfield Inn.

"We understand that the fishing community across the coast has been frustrated by a perceived lack of more efficient engagement by BOEM and by the offshore wind industry," Lefton said in her opening statement. "We know that youre concerned not just for your industry and livelihood, but also for the ecosystem health of these areas."

She also acknowledged an "accelerated pace" at which the New York Bight leasing process is proceeding.

DavidFrulla, an attorney who works with industry groupFisheries Survival Fund, told the Standard-Times it was "notable" Lefton was present at the meeting and directly responding to attendees.He said in his recollection, there hasn't been communication at this levelbetween the BOEM director and fishermenincluding during the Obama and Trump administrations.

In a letter sent April 28to Lefton, Mayor Jon Mitchell wrote thewind energy areas, particularly the Central Bight and Hudson South,were established on "significant" scallop fishing grounds. He proposedthe removal of a five-mile strip along the easternboundary of Hudson Southto minimize fishery impacts.

During the meeting, Lefton and another BOEM officialacknowledged the industry's calls fora buffer zone in that area, with one official sayingthey are considering a bufferand looking forward to receiving supporting information for the request.

Blair Bailey, general counsel for the Port of New Bedford, told BOEM officials that it appears to the fishing industry that fishermen have a greater burden to prove something than other stakeholders.

He said when they requested a buffer, the "immediate" response from BOEM was a request forthe city to provide scientific support.He said the city can and will provide it, but that BOEM's response "doesn't seem to apply" to others who provide input.

"When somebody doesnt want to see a turbine from their house that's on shore, that wind energy area disappears," he said. "But when the fishermen say, 'We need this area, therefore we need you to move things or change things,' the response doesnt appear, again from the outside, to be as quick and as accepted as the input from other people."

'A one-stop shop': Officials tout New Bedford's future offshore wind training facility

Eric Hansen, a retired New Bedford scallop fishermen who owns and operates a few commercial vessels, told the Standard-Times that wind development in the bight is "very concerning." He said every scallop fishermanon the East Coast uses the bight because they have allocations to catch a certain amount of scallopsfrom an access area there.

For the 20th consecutive year, New Bedford was the nation's top-earning fishing port.Scallops account for 84% of the port's value of landings, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The trip from New Bedford to the bight can take 12 to 20 hours and last one to two weeks, Hansen said. The amount of scallops caught in the bight annually can vary, but he said it makes up a "significant" portion of a scallop fisherman'scatch.

Top-earning port: New Bedford is nation's top-earning port for 20th consecutive year

Regarding potential turbine impacts on scallop habitats, Hansen told officials viaZoom that scallop larvae drift in currents and that currents change when structures are placed in the water.He also said structures would create habitats for mussels and snails, which are competitors and predators, respectively, of scallops.

"That's why we're asking for a five-mile buffer," he said. "To protect a very significant portion of the scallop harvest on the East Coast."

Hansen and another New Bedford scallop fisherman, Jay Elsner, also shared their concerns with BOEM officialsabout wind development's impact on scallop surveys.

Elsner told officialsthe turbines would likely keep survey vessels out of the lease areas. He said an inability to survey certain scallop populations would lead to an absence of data on population size, whichwould then affect how fishery regulators set catch limits.

Lefton, in response to Elsner, said BOEM is working with the National Marine Fisheries Service (also known as NOAA Fisheries) on an approach so that surveys can continue with minimized impacts.

Local scientists are alsoactively working to understand the potential impacts of offshore wind developmenton long-standing scallop surveys.

Meet the women of New Bedford's Waterfront: Scientists analyze data to support fisheries

Development in the New York Bight fits into the larger picture of the Biden administration's goal of deploying 30 gigawatts (or30,000 megawatts) of offshore wind power in the United Statesby 2030.

The Biden-Harris Administration has made fighting climate change, which is already having major impacts on marine ecosystems, a center piece of their agenda," Lefton wrote in a statement to the Standard-Times. "Offshore wind represents a big part of the solution. BOEM is actively seeking ways that we can advance the Administrations renewable energy targets at the same time that we are working with the commercial fishing community and other ocean users to avoid, minimize or mitigate impacts to their operations.

The technical potential for current offshore wind leases in the country is 25 GW, assuming 12 MW turbines spaced1 nautical mile apart, a BOEM official told the Standard-Times.Leases for which BOEM has received project proposals represent about 19 GW of energy.

'America's leader in offshore wind': What Vineyard Wind final approval means for New Bedford

Both estimates do not include the energy potential from the bight. If the wind energy areas in the bight are approved and leased, they would have the potential to generate more than 7 GW of renewable energy, the officialsaid.

The 25 GW technical potential is for lease areas located from Massachusetts to North Carolina. There are currently no leases in the Pacific Ocean becausethat area is still in the early stages of the renewable energy process, the official said.

During the meeting, Hansen said wind energy doesn't have to "all come from here," stating there is space in the Gulf of Mexico and West Coast to meet the administration's energy goals.

Right now there's a big fear of the unknown," he said. "We have to go slow before we ruin everything."

In March 2021, following the Biden administration'sannouncement of wind energy areas in the bight, Mitchell said in a statement thatNew Bedford has "much at stake" and that the city would support wind farms not only in Massachusetts, but also in the bight.

Offshore wind: Staging facility coming to New Bedford waterfront

He said most of the seafood caught in the bight, by dollar value, lands in New Bedford and that while some "tailoring" of boundaries may be necessary to avoid fisheries, the announcement represented "substantial progress."

By mid-June, after BOEM issued its proposed sale notice with the mapped wind energy areas, Mitchell said it was "disappointing" the agency refused to adopt "even the slightest refinements proposed by commercial fishermen."

"BOEM missed an opportunity to strike a fairer balance between the interests of the fishing and offshore wind industries," he said in a statement.

In August, Mitchell was still in direct contact with BOEM regarding development in the bight.Neil Mello, Mitchell's chief of staff, confirmed the mayor had a phone call with Lefton before the Aug. 6 meeting.

"The way that offshore wind development proceeds in the New York Bight is of critical importance to the Port of the New Bedford, so it behooves us to present as strong a case as possible to the federal government that fishing interests should be given priority consideration in ocean leasing decisions," Mitchell said in a statement to the Standard-Times last week.

MoreMeet the women of New Bedford's Waterfront: She finds safety and security for fishermen

BOEM expects toissue a final sale notice withlease sale specificslater this year, after thereview of public comments is completed. As of August, the agency forecasts a lease sale in late 2021 or early 2022.

Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, amembership-based coalition of fishing industry associations and companies, in a statement last week said it was encouraged by the responses from BOEM and Lefton during and after the meeting.

"RODA greatly appreciates Director Leftons reply and applauds her efforts to open a door to direct communications with fishing communities," read the statement.

Frulla said the situation is hopeful.Similar to RODA's comments, he noted the engagement from BOEM during the recent meetingwas at a level he has notseen before. However, hesaid the question remainsas to whether engagement with the fishing industrywill turn into action on its concerns.

Standard-Times reporter Anastasia E. Lennon can be reached at alennon@s-t.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @aelennon1. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

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New Bedford fishermen, officials question New York offshore wind areas as auction nears - SouthCoastToday.com

Last January, President Joe Biden signedanexecutive orderthat directed federal agencies to procure carbon pollution-free electricity."Now, developers are rushing to figure out where its safe and efficient to install offshore wind farms as thedepartments of Energy, Interior and Commerce revealed they were aiming forU.S. offshore wind capacity to hit 30 gigawatts(GW) by end of this decade.

Bedrock, a Richmond, California, start-up, has come up with an innovative solution for this search. It aims to map the seafloor using electric autonomous underwater vehicles (e-AUV) to find where it may be suitable and viable to install offshore wind farms, a report from CNBC reveals.

If the technology seems familiar it's because we have already seen something quite similar.Terradepth, a startup based in Austin, Texas, reported how it could soon send its autonomous submarine, Abraham, out to explore the oceans in a bid to democratize knowledge of the world's oceans.

In a press release, Terradepth explained that the initial phase one tests of Abraham "conclusively demonstrated that the companys uncrewed submersible could collect underwater data, process the data, understand features of import, and automatically retask itself with no human intervention."

Bedrock co-founder and CEO Anthony DiMare explained to CNBC how his new technology is somewhat similar. Bedrock's submarines forgo the need for traditional marine surveys that would require large ships and heavy sonar equipment, cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and take up to a full year to produce results.

Instead, his companys electric mini-subs use lighter-weight sonar and other sensors and send their collected data to Bedrocks cloud-based service that is usable right away from a PC.

Bedrocks electric submarines are also eco-friendly as they run on lithium-ion batteries. But that does not limit them in any way as they can conduct surveys up to 985 feet (300 meters) in depth.

Finally, Bedrock is not just about scouring sites suitable for offshore wind power. It also has another lofty goal. On the firm's site, Bedrock states that the firm is "committed to providing the world with a free, publicly available map of our worlds oceans, 50x more detailed than the current best public map available."

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Autonomous Subs to Map the Seafloor For Suitable Offshore Wind Farm Locations - Interesting Engineering

Our local weather is still fairly quiet today. We dont have any tropical systems nearby. Instead there is high pressure to our southeast with a stationary front to our north. Fred is pretty much just a rainmaker over the Ohio River Valley.

The bulk of the rain form Fred will stay to our northwest. However, well be clipped by a few showers and storms later today. A few spots of heavy rain will be possible, but the showers themselves should be pretty hit-or-miss. High temps will run up to near 90 degrees, but the heat index will be in the upper 90s. Well have similar weather tomorrow, but Fred will be dissipating over the Great Lakes. There will be a few showers and storms. Otherwise well have a mix of sun and clouds with high temps near 90. Well have a higher chance for rain on Friday.

There will still be lot of deep humidity in the region. Plus, a weak disturbance will roll over us overhead. High temps will be more in the upper 80s.

In the meantime Tropical storm Henri is churning to the southwest of Bermuda. Tropical storm Grace is strengthening southwest of the Cayman Islands.

Tropical storm Grace will head west towards the Yucatan Peninsula today. By tomorrow morning it will move over or very near Cozumel, Mexico. It is forecast to be a category 1 hurricane by that time.

After crossing the Yucatan and briefly weakening Grace will move back over the warm waters of the Bay of Campeche. This will likely allow for restrengthening. It could become a hurricane again before making another landfall over eastern Mexico.

In the central Atlantic we have tropical storm Henri. This is to the southwest of Bermuda, and it is moving generally west. It has also been strengthening, and it is now forecast to become a hurricane in a few days.

The storm will eventually hook around to the northwest, north, then northeast. Before it looked like the track was sure to keep it offshore. Now the western edge of the cone of uncertainty touches part of the northeastern U.S. and Nova Scotia, Canada.

The models have been trending west too. (which is not good).

It still looks like it would stay away from our region, but well have to watch this trend closely. Id be a little more nervous about it if I lived up around Nantucket. Either way I do think well still get some decent swells/waves here from Henri. For now Im thinking there could be some 4-5 waves over the Outer Banks on Saturday, but that could change.

Check back for updates on these features.

One last thingNOAA released a statement a few days ago saying that July 2021 was the hottest month on record. No surprise considering some of the regional temps smashed records over a few parts of the globe.

Meteorologist: Jeremy Wheeler

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Blog: Freds Rain (Mostly) Stays West. Henri Will (Probably) Stay Offshore. - WAVY.com

Asapart ofstrategic growth, Waterworks Offshore ConceptsGmbHhas announced ageographical expansionandopening of the Waterworks Offshore Concepts Corp. U.S. branch office in Southwest Florida.

The U.S. hasdefined clear and ambitious goals for offshore wind and while the first commercial-scale windfarm is already permitted, plenty of projects are in the pipeline especiallyonthe East Coast. Since Waterworks has been active in the U.S.market for a couple of years now, conducting business with valued partners such as shipowners, energy companies and brokers, the company is looking to create local content and be present for its clients.

The demand for new, Jones Act-compliant vessels to serve offshore wind will be very high in the coming years. Waterworks can support its clients inship finance,newbuilds, M&A and project-based brokeringand consulting where complimentary.

Through itsU.S. office Waterworks will be able tostay close to its clients base between the Gulf of Mexico and the AtlanticOcean.

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Waterworks Offshore to open U.S. office in Florida - WorkBoat

Upper bidding price limit for the first phase set at TWD 2.49/kWh (approx. EUR 0.076/kWh).

Taiwans Ministry of Economic Affairs has now officially announced the offshore wind allocation plan for the ten-year period between 2026 and 2035, during which a total of 15 GW of new capacity will be added.

While the draft regulation for Taiwans 3rd round of offshore wind auctions was in discussion, it was reported that 1.5 GW of offshore wind capacity would be added each year from 2026 until 2035, instead of previously planned 1 GW adding 15 GW instead of the initially proposed 10 GW during that period.

Of this, a total of 9 GW of offshore wind was proposed to be added until 2031, with further 6 GW of capacity planned to be hooked to the grid from 2032 to 2035.

The official announcement now published by the Ministry is in line with this, but the government now also said that the first, 9 GW stage would be added in three phases from 2026 to 2031.

As for the allocation of the 6 GW of offshore wind capacity in the second stage, for the period from 2032 to 2035, it will refer to the results of the first stage selection, also taking into account international technological development and other relevant information to plan the details of the tender.

Those applying to participate in the tenders will first go through a performance ability review, with only those selected after the review eligible to participate in a competitive tender. The capacity will be allocated to winning parties based on the bid price and the wind farm connection date.

To qualify for the auction, projects must have agreement to the site (including nine opinion letters), preliminary approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment (conditional), and Taipower Grid Feasibility.

The capacity to be allocated for a single offshore wind farm and to a single developer is set at 500 MW, plus additional 100 MW of capacity, depending on conditions such as wind farm integrity, development benefits, domestic industrial capacity, and grid-connection capacity.

The upper limit of the bid price for the first phase of the development is TWD 2.49/kWh (approximately EUR 0.076/kWh) and the lower limit is TWD 0/kWh. For the subsequent development periods, the average of all the winning bid prices in the previous period will be used as the upper limit of the price, while the lower limit of TWD 0 will be maintained.

According to information available earlier, auctions for offshore wind farms with commercial operation dates in 2026 / 2027 are planned to be held in 2022, with the first bidding round planned for June 2022.

For offshore wind farms that would start operating in 2028 / 2029, Taiwan would launch bidding in 2023 and for projects that would enter operation in 2030 / 2031 an auction would be held the following year.

Auction timeline for offshore wind farms that would be up and running from 2032 to 2035 would be decided later.

Taiwan has so far allocated 5.5 GW of capacity through the first two offshore wind auctions held inAprilandJune2018. The projects awarded capacity then are scheduled to be up and running by 2025.

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Taiwan Finalises 15 GW Offshore Wind Allocation Plan for 2026-2035 - Offshore WIND

Japanese company PowerX plans to design and build an automated Power Transfer Vessel to carry electricity from offshore wind farms to shore.

The Power ARK 100 is a 100 TEU trimaran specially designed for transferring renewable energy in Japans coastal waters.

Upon its completion in 2025, Power ARK 100 will carry 100 grid batteries, equating to 200 MWh of power which is equivalent to the total electricity consumption of 22,000 Japanese households in a day, PowerX said.

The vessel will be able to travel up to 300 kilometres when running only on electricity and will be able to unlock long-distance, intercontinental clean power transmission when it is powered by both electricity and sustainable biodiesel fuels, the company said.

PowerX will also build a gigawatt-scale battery assembly facility in Japan to mass-produce batteries for the Power Transfer Vessels. The factorys annual production capacity will achieve 1 GWh by 2024, and will eventually reach 5 GWh by 2028, PowerX said.

The Japanese government plans to develop 10 GW of offshore wind capacity by fiscal 2030 and 30-45 GW by fiscal 2040.

According to PowerX, Japan is surrounded by deep coastal waters which limit the potential range for setting up offshore wind farms. PowerX intends to change how the world consumes and transfers renewable energy by providing a unique solution that can lift the restriction on power generation location, which will allow a greater flexibility for offshore wind farm locations, especially for an island country like Japan, the company said.

Excerpt from:

Transporting Offshore Wind Electricity by Automated Ships - A New Concept Emerges in Japan - Offshore WIND