Monthly Archives: January 2022

Northland Power Inc. and RWE Renewables GmbH have agreed to co-develop a cluster of offshore wind projects in the German North Sea with a total gross capacity of 1.3 GW.

The partners signed an agreement to establish a joint venture company through which they plan to jointly develop, construct, and operate the cluster of three offshore wind projects.

The cluster will include the 433 MW N-3.8 (Nordsee 2) site, the 420 MW N-3.5 (Nordsee 3) site and the 480 MW N-3.6 (Delta Nordsee) site.

Northland and RWE hold step-in rights for N-3.8 (Nordsee 2) and N-3.5 (Nordsee 3), while RWE holds step-in rights for the N-3.6 (Delta Nordsee) lease.

In early November, the partners exercised their step-in rights for N-3.8 (Nordsee 2), allowing them to match the awarded bid in the auction and retain the lease.

Northland and RWE Renewables had previously established two special purpose companies, Nordsee Two GmbH and Nordsee Three GmbH, for the development of the Nordsee 2 and Nordsee 3 projects.

Northland currently holds an 85 per cent share in the companies, and RWE Renewables controls the remaining 15 per cent.

With the new agreement in place, Northland will hold a 49 per cent interest in the new joint venture, with RWE holding 51 per cent.

Northland will gain access to the N-3.6 (Delta Nordsee) site, for which RWE has step-in rights for 100 per cent of the lease, while at the same time RWE will increase its position in the N-3.8 (Nordsee 2) and N-3.5 (Nordsee 3) sites.

The projects will be developed and managed on a joint basis by both parties and are expected to achieve commercial operations between 2026 and 2028.

The auction for the Nordsee 3 and Delta Nordsee leases will be held in 2023.

Sven Utermhlen, CEO Wind Offshore, RWE Renewables, said: Germany has set itself ambitious climate targets, thereby establishing a significant growth potential for renewable energies. Offshore wind power plays a central role in this and is indispensable for supporting the decarbonization of industry in particular. RWE is making its contribution to this and is significantly stepping up the pace here. This includes the collaborative delivery of the 1.3 GW offshore cluster with Northland Power, through which we can achieve considerable synergies to deploy at our new wind farms, while at the same time actively supporting the energy transition in our home market Germany.

The size and scale from the formation of the cluster is expected to allow the partnership to unlock synergies.

Specifically, the realization of synergies in development and construction costs, as well as operating costs, are expected to result in enhanced returns for the projects.

Northland also expects to benefit from enhanced offtake opportunities through the formation of the partnership and the cluster to secure offtake agreements for the projects, once complete. The cluster will be in close proximity to the existing 332 MW Nordsee One wind facility in which Northland and RWE are partners already.

The formation of the cluster aligns with our offshore wind ambitions and strategy of growing our position as a global leader in offshore wind, said Mike Crawley, President and Chief Executive Officer of Northland.

We are proud to enhance our partnership with RWE to form the cluster to further strengthen our position in the North Sea. This cluster will provide us with significant size and scale and allows us to support the decarbonization efforts in Germany.

Read more here:

Northland Power and RWE Reforge Step-In Pact Offshore Germany - Offshore WIND

Huisman has won a contract from Denmark-based BMS Heavy Cranes for the delivery of a 3,000mt Ringer Crane, with an option for a second unit.

The crane setup has been optimised for operations in the wind industry.

With the capability to lift components of 1,200mt at heights of up to 225m, and heavy structures of 3000mt at reduced height, the crane will ready BMS for installation of the next generation of wind turbines on and offshore and on floating foundations, Huisman said.

The delivery of the crane is scheduled for the second half of 2023.

Morten Kammer, CEO at BMS Heavy Cranes, said: We look forward to the ongoing cooperation with Huisman in the delivery of this crane. This asset represents a major step forward for BMS. With the capability to lift the worlds largest turbines onshore we will be able to play an increasingly important role in the development of renewable, net-zero energy industries.

The fully electrically driven crane is said to help reduce emissions and improve operational accuracy and energy efficiency ensuring its suitability for use in the renewable energy industry.

We are passionate about designing large cranes and are grateful to BMS for the opportunity and their trust. We cant wait to see this mega crane in real life. We are happy to once again be applying our experience in a project that aligns with our vision of accelerating the growth of renewable energy production, David Roodenburg, CEO at Huisman, said.

Excerpt from:

Huisman Crane to Handle Largest Wind Turbines Onshore and Offshore | Offshore Wind - Offshore WIND

DUBLIN, Jan. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Offshore Wind Transmission Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Global Transmission Research Report analyses the market size and opportunity for offshore wind transmission across the globe.

The report provides an overview of the recent policy developments and mandates for offshore wind development, examine the costs and present the various models and technology options for developing offshore wind transmission infrastructure. It provides information on existing and planned offshore transmission projects and on the key technology players in the industry.

Driven by the common goal of achieving low-carbon economies, governments across the globe have set ambitious targets for offshore wind energy. Established markets such the UK, Germany and China have further expanded their offshore wind goals.

New markets such as the US and Japan have launched supportive policy frameworks and funding programmes to accelerate the development of their offshore wind industries. Countries such as Australia, Vietnam and Greece are also keen to capture offshore wind opportunities.

However, the challenge of developing an adequate and robust offshore grid infrastructure still remains. Offshore wind integration and transmission needs have taken a center stage. New technologies and innovative solutions for interconnections have been proposed as projects become larger and complex.

Key Topics Covered:

PART 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 2: GLOBAL OFFSHORE WIND TRANSMISSION SECTOR

2.1 Offshore wind developments

2.2 Market size and opportunity

2.3 Offshore transmission development routes

2.4 Offshore wind transmission costs and investments

2.5 Financing offshore wind

2.6 Offshore wind transmission technology

2.7 Regional offshore initiatives

2.8 Key technology players

PART 3: COUNTRY PROFILES

PART 4: APPENDIX

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/skpc3r

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [emailprotected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

http://www.researchandmarkets.com

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Global Offshore Wind Transmission Report 2021: Growth Drivers, Cost Competitiveness, Offshore Wind's Promising Attributes, Targets and Mandates,...

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission adopted anotice of intentto make two key changes to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Recreational Offshore Landing Permit (ROLP):

Interested persons may submit comments relative to the proposed Rule to Jason Adriance, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898-9000, or via e-mail to jadriance@wlf.la.gov prior to Thursday, March 3, 2022.

A copy of the Notice of Intent can be found here: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/assets/Resources/Publications/Commission_Action_Items/ROLP_377_NOI.pdf

Who Needs an ROLP?Both private recreational anglers and charter captains are required to obtain this free permit (however anglers on a paid for-hire trip are exempt). This permit is required to possess tunas, billfish, swordfish, amberjacks, groupers, snappers, hinds, cobia, wahoo, and dolphinfish in Louisiana waters (gray triggerfish will be added to this list if this rule becomes effective).Currently, minors/youth under 16 are not required to have an ROLP. This will change to 18 if this rule becomes effective.

Learn more about the current Recreational Offshore Landing Permit.

The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana's abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us atwww.wlf.louisiana.govon Facebook atwww.facebook.com/ldwffbor follow us on Twitter @LDWF.

The rest is here:

Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission Adopts Recreational Offshore Landing Permit Notice of Intent | Louisiana Department of Wildlife and...

Energy stocks led the way last year. The energy sector of the Standard & Poors 500 Stock Index soared 55% in 2021, nearly double the 29% return posted by the overall stock market.

In the energy industry, however, there was a marked dichotomy between producers and service companies. It reflected the woes experienced by service companies, including those in the offshore industry. Those woes, however, may soon be gone.

The energy sector last year saw oil and gas producer stocks (Dow Jones U.S. Oil & Gas Index) climb 48%, while oilfield service stocks (S&P Oil & Gas Equipment & Services Select Industry Index) gained only 11%. The performance disparity reflects the capital-intensive nature of the service industry compared to the commodity-leveraged earnings of producers. Higher oil and gas prices are reflected almost immediately in improved earnings outlooks for producers and thus higher share valuations, while service companies struggle with excess equipment that restrains pricing power and earnings improvement, thus limiting share price appreciation. Its the root of the offshore industrys woes.

During 2021, oil and gas prices experienced a robust recovery driven by the global economic rebound following pandemic-depressed 2020. Tight oil and gas markets drove prices dramatically higher increases of 59% and 33%, respectively. A recent survey of 132 oil and gas executives by the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank shows they expect oil prices to remain stable or rise further in 2022. The global natural gas supply shortage ensures U.S. LNG exports should remain strong this year, supporting healthy domestic gas prices. Positive oil and gas price trends underlay a positive outlook for the industry in 2022.

The problem in recent years for the offshore industry was similar with what has been experienced across the entire oil service business too much capacity that depresses prices and erodes negotiating leverage with customers. That past is beginning to become history.

The Dallas Fed survey showed, on average, service companies expect the price of their primary service or product to increase by 8.5% this year in response to rising demand. Controlling input costs will be critical for improved profitability, but well within the ability of managers.

For offshore drillers and workboat operators, their largest cost component is the equipment they own and operate. Those high costs were largely addressed in recent years via debt restructuring efforts, either under bankruptcy court protection or negotiated arrangements with lenders.

Another financial solution was industry consolidation, such as the merger of Noble and Maersk that will create the third-largest offshore drilling rig company when completed at midyear. The new company will possess the second-youngest fleet with an 80% utilization. Analysts are speculating on which older, less-capable rigs the new company management team might decide to scrap as it aligns its fleet for the future offshore drilling market. Such a move would help future earnings.

Continue reading here:

Will we finally see an offshore rebound in 2022? Part I - WorkBoat

Shirley Robertson and Dee Caffari team up for a 2022 double-handed offshore campaign, building up to this years 1,800-mile Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race.

Two of Britains most successful female sailors, Shirley Robertson and Dee Caffari, have teamed up for a 2022 double-handed offshore campaign, building up to this years 1,800-mile Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race.

Dee Caffari and Shirley Robertson will be racing together on a new Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300, supplied by SeaVentures UK, having competed separately on boats of the same design last season.

The pair need little introduction. Caffari has achieved no fewer than six circumnavigations, three of them solo, two of them the wrong way around, eastabouts.

She skippered a Volvo Ocean Race team and a Global Challenge entry, completed a solo Vende Globe, and a double-handed Barcelona World Race. Last season she was racing with 22-year-old James Harayda, winning the RORC Double Handed National Championship.

Shirley Robertson is one of sailings most successful Olympic female athletes, having scored double Olympic Golds in Sydney and Athens. Shelater skippered an entry in the Extreme Sailing Series, and regularly competes on the superyacht circuit.

Robertson recently discovered a new love of offshore racing with the burgeoning double-handed offshore scene, which was bolstered by the hope that a new Mixed Two Person Keelboat Offshore event might be selected for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Last season she campaigned with Volvo Ocean Race and Figaro sailor Henry Bomby, the pair coming 2nd in the hugely competitive Rolex Fastnet Race double-handed division.

Article continues below

Dee Caffari puts most of us to shame. She turned up in the cliquey world of offshore racing in her

Jeanneaus latest Sun Fast is a whole bundle of fun, as Pip Hare discovered on a full test of the

100,750.00

If ever the stars aligned to see a sports popularity grow exponentially, they did so for the recent story of

Shirley Robertson and Dee Caffari have teamed up for a double-handed offshore campaign. All Photos: Tim Butt/Vertigo Films

Robertson said: The double-handed offshore scene has grown hugely here in the UK, and although its relatively new to me, the last two seasons have been great racing. Im really looking forward to sailing with Dee for 2022, to be sailing with such an accomplished offshore athlete is very exciting.

Prior to teaming up for this campaign, Caffari and Robertson had not previously sailed together, although they regularly raced against each other last season. They will be entering seven offshore races on the new Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300, building up to the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race, which starts on 7 August, 2022.

The gruelling race will be, as Robertson notes, a big challenge in a 33-footer. The course is three times longer than the Rolex Fastnet Race,and sends competitors to the very northernmost tip of the British Isles, rounding Muckle Flugga.

Dee Caffari added: With our collective experience, we have a complimentary skill set so really hope to have an edge out on the water. I know, from competing against her last season, that Shirley knows how to sail a boat fast, so Im delighted that well be joining forces for the season ahead.

Shirley recently interviewed Dee in an excellent podcast, which is a fascinating discussion about life as a professional offshore sailor. We look forward to hearing more from the pair over the coming season.

Read more here:

Shirley and Dee team up for double-handed offshore campaign - Yachting World

The last of Britains glaciers melted 10,000 years ago, but the way they shaped the landscape still affects our lives today. Locations of towns and cities have been determined by which direction those giant rivers of ice flowed; tourists flock to see the picturesque lakes and hills sculpted by their brute force, and gardeners curse soils with an overabundance of glacial clay.

Now those ancient ice sheets are reminding us of their existence out at sea too, influencing which locations are suitable for offshore windfarms. Gareth Carter, a marine geoscientist at the British Geological Survey, has been using subsurface imagery to map the land under the North Sea and advising engineers where to site their foundations for the huge Dogger Bank Wind Farm, 80 miles (130km) off the north-east coast of England.

Glacial sediments are highly variable, ranging from layered soft silts and clays, deposited in a lake formed by meltwater in front of the melting ice sheet, through to incredibly hard, chaotic and contorted deposits, dumped by a departing ice sheet, he says.

As windfarms move to ever deeper waters and rely on innovative anchor technologies to hold floating turbines in place, Carter and his colleagues are finding themselves in ever more demand, helping engineers to avoid troublesome boulders and identify suitable ground for foundations.

Original post:

Terrawatch: the link between ancient ice sheets and offshore windfarms - The Guardian

Labor has committed to set pollution limits on the 215 largest polluting facilities and to tighten them over time.

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What were seeing domestically is very high volumes of voluntary demand thats coming from large corporates and increasingly from investors and speculators like the big four banks, Mr Grossman said.

Deloitte Australia partner energy transition and decarbonisation John OBrien said Australian companies were buying certified carbon credits on the international market.

The Australian spot price for carbon credits is about $50 per tonne of carbon abatement but with cheaper labour costs overseas, credits can be bought for as low as $2 a tonne internationally.

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Its a lot cheaper to buy good quality projects out of different parts of Asia than it is in the Australian market. Purely from an economic point of view, if a company is looking to offset, it saves money, Mr OBrien said.

Federal Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor has established the Climate Active certification scheme, whereby companies can register their domestic and international credits and get certified if they achieve carbon neutrality.

Companies are required to use at least 20 per cent domestic carbon credits from land-based projects such as tree planting or agriculture.

Mr Grossman said companies were increasing their take-up of Australian carbon credits, which have risen in price from $15 a tonne to $50 over the past year. However, many investors arent surrendering their carbon credits to regulators to offset their emissions, opting to hold on to them in the hope of price spikes, or in case future government reform requires them to be used.

Many large corporates are stockpiling these Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCU) in advance of future regulation to ensure that theyve got a pipeline of supply, if policy changes. Theyre also viewing ACCUs as a low carbon investment opportunity, Mr Grossman said.

Many climate campaigners are opposed to the use of carbon offsets, arguing they enable polluting industries to carry on with business as usual, without switching to more sustainable operations.

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Australias big emitters look offshore to offset their carbon pollution - Sydney Morning Herald

Hitachi Energy has won an order from Samsung C&T Corporation, a large engineering and construction company, to connect ADNOCs offshore operations to the onshore power grid in the United Arab Emirates owned and operated by Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA).

Hitachi Energys HVDC Light technology and MACH digital control platformwill enable the transfer of cleaner and more efficient power from the mainland to power ADNOCs offshore production operations, enabling a carbon footprint reduction of ADNOCs offshore operations by more than 30%.

With a capacity of 3200 MW, the two HVDC links will be the most powerful power-from-shore solution in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to date. It is also the first HVDC power-from-shore solution outside Norwegian waters.

The entire power-from-shore project will comprise two HVDC power links, which will connect two clusters of offshore oil and gas production facilities to the mainland power grid, a distance of up to 140 km for each cluster.

Hitachi Energy is supplying four converter stations, which convert AC power to DC for transmission in the subsea cables, then reconvert it to AC from DC for use in the offshore power systems. The HVDC technology will be supplied from Hitachi Energys global competence centers. Also included in the order are system studies, design and engineering, supply, installation supervision and commissioning. Hitachi Energy will support the customers with a long-term life-cycle service agreement leveraging digital technologies to ensure system availability and reliability over the HVDC links long operating life.

HVDC Light is a voltage source converter technology that was pioneered by Hitachi Energy. It is the preferred technology for many grid applications, including interconnecting national power grids, integrating offshore wind parks with mainland transmission systems, feeding more power into congested city centers, interconnecting asynchronous networks that operate at different frequencies, and power from shore.

HVDC Lights defining features include compact converter stations (which is extremely important in space-critical applications like offshore wind, offshore production facilities and city-center infeeds), low electrical losses, and black-start capability to restore power after a grid outage.

Link:

Hitachi's HVDC Cable to Connect Power from Abu Dhabi Grid to Offshore Production - T&D World

Representatives of Capital Energy held a meeting last November with Gran Canaria and Tenerife associated with the Maritime Cluster to present their offshore proposal and the implications that this proposal entails for the industrial fabric of the islands.The new agreement, which joins those signed during the last quarter of 2021 with the main Canary Islands shipyards, "responds to Capital Energy's commitment to the development of the territories in which it carries out its activity and confirms its commitment to this community, which it considers strategic for the development of offshore wind energy in Spain."

The memorandum of understanding with the CMC is the fourth strategic collaboration agreement signed by the company in the archipelago.The objective of this fourth agreement is to draw up a joint plan that identifies the services in the supply chain that are required to meet the needs arising from the future construction of offshore parks in the archipelago.This agreement will have five years of extendable duration.

The memorandum now signed succeeds those sealed by the renewable company with three Canary Islands shipyards during the last quarter of 2021: Zamakona Yards, Astican and Hidramar.Capital Energy considers the Canary Islands a "strategic region for the development of offshore wind energy".

In this sense, the company has also announced that it will continue to maintain contacts and promote the signing of agreements "with administrations, companies and local groups that can benefit from the driving effect that it plans to exercise with its activity in the Canary Islands."

Juan Jos Snchez, CEO of Capital Energy,said, We try to reconcile our contribution to the progressive decarbonization of the economy, through the implementation of renewable energies, with the promotion of economic and social development of all the territories in which we operate, as evidenced by the signing of this agreement with such a relevant Canarian entity that it will serve to promote our project in the offshore wind sector "

Antonio Vicente Marrero, president of the Canary Islands Maritime Cluster, added,This agreement with Capital Energy is an excellent example of the effort we are making from the Canary Islands Maritime Cluster to turn the archipelago into a territory that serves as an example of the sustainable development model in the that the economic policy is framed at the world level, with projects to create wealth and employment that respect the natural environment.Not in vain, the Canary Islands have been designated spearhead in the 'Road Map for Offshore Wind and Marine Energies' recently approved by the Government of Spain "

According to forecasts, Spain could have an offshore wind operating capacity of up to 3 gigawatts (GW) by 2030.In this context, Capital Energy aspires to start up a minimum of 750 MW of power, the development and construction of which would imply, at current prices, the investment of more than 3,500 million euros in the next decade.

About the Canary Islands Maritime Cluster

The Canary Islands Maritime Cluster is a regional non-profit association that declares as its primary objective "to promote the development and international competitiveness of the Canary Islands maritime marine sector, while raising the business, economic and social fabric of the Canary Islands through of the integration, creation, strengthening and sustainability of companies and institutions that are within the value chain of the maritime marine sector, promoting their international presence and increasing the technological and innovative level of all the agents involved, in line with the policies development and social demands ".The CMC's strategy to achieve this goal is based - they explain from the Cluster - on values such as cooperation, commitment, communication and competitiveness.

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Wind - Capital Energy Wants be Main Promoter of Offshore Wind in Spain - Renewable Energy Magazine