Monthly Archives: July 2022

Offshore powerboat racing has been a competitive and dangerous sport in the United States for 111 years. Dennis Sigalas along with teammate and life-long best friend Bruce Penhall dominated the industry in the 90s, winning five out of the six world championships they competed in.

Dennis Sigalos is a born and raised Southern California native who first got into offshore powerboat racing because of his father, Tony Sigalos, and his life-long best friend Bruce Penhalls father, Leroy Penhall, who both raced flat-bottom SK runabouts back in the 60s.

Sigalos and Penhall were world champions in speedway motorcycle racing in the 1980s. Ten years after retiring from the track, the two friends revived their competitive impulses and became an offshore powerboat racing team. Their teams name was Ocean Spray Crave the Wave. They raced in A-Class, D-Class, and modified Class in a V-bottom Scarab.

Sigalos and Penhall won their first race on the water on June 8, 1993, in a Pacific Offshore Power Boat Assn. race off the coast of Dana Point. Sigalos and Penhall took to the water and defeated world champions Rique Ford and Paul Whittier taking the race.

Sigalos and Penhalls first race boat was a 38-foot Scarab/ Larry Smith design V bottom none step hull. The boats design had four seats but was only raced with two crew members. Penhall was the driver, and Sigalos ran the throttle, trim, and monitored all the gauges. The two families (fathers and sons) then built their first boat.

In 1904, offshore speedboat racing was officially recognized as a sport after a race took place from the south-eastern coast of England to Calais, France. Soon after, the American Power Boat Association was formed in the United States, and the first U.S. recorded race took place in 1911 in California.

In modern times these competitions are raced by mega-horsepower catamarans and V-hulls capable of speeds up to 180 mph. However, the teamwork and professionalism of offshore racing make it a class act and a rush for spectators. Typically, a team of one driver and one throttleman wrangle the wind and waves of some of the worlds most challenging racecourses.

Offshore powerboats always have a team of two enclosed in a cockpit for maximum efficiency. The drivers role is to keep their eyes open for turns on the course, and the throttleman is constantly watching the swell and pulling the throttle back when jumping out of the water. The throttleman slows down for turns and gauges the boats water temperature and oil pressure, trimming the bow up or down when the boat is navigated into different water conditions (more smooth or rough water; the conditions typically change constantly throughout the racecourse).

Wow, what a rush, said Sigalos. Both of our families traveling the U.S. was our new sport.

Sigalos and Penhall won five out of six world championships they raced in, the world speed record, and Rookies of the Year throughout their six-year career as speedboat racers.

The two raced the 38-foot Scarab from 1994-1996, hitting a top speed of 120 mph and 2000 hp winning them two world championships and one national title.

From 1997-1999, Sigalos and Penhall raced a 42-foot fountain power boat with a step bottom. The two sat in this boat tandem, with Penhall driving in the front and Sigalos in the back running the throttle again. Their top speed for this boat was 150 mph and 3000 hp. This boat won them three world championships, and a world record in their class called Super V.

We raced offshore most of the time but did run some big lake races as well, said Sigalos. My favorite win and place was our first world championship in 1994 in Key West, Florida, and we were the underdog. The swell was so big and rough; it was what we were looking for. The boat handled it perfectly.

Sigalos and Penhall raced throughout the United States, competing in Florida, Texas, New York, Boston, Mississippi, and even more local cities like Dana Point and Long Beach.

Sigalos doesnt race professionally anymore. Instead, his preferred boating style today is a relaxed trip to Catalina or Moonstone on his friends 58-foot sonship.

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Offshore Speed Boat Racing Through the Eyes of a Pro The Log - The Log Newspaper

The enclosures stretch the length of an Olympic-size swimming pool, but from above they appear as floating dots scattered across the ocean. Inside, fish mill about as the submerged pens sway to the currents of the open sea.

Known as offshore fish farms, these structures have appeared around the world in recent years. Their proliferation in open waters, often sitting several miles off coastlines, has sparked heated debate: some see them as the next frontier for the sustainable production of fish such as Atlantic salmon, seabass and cobia; others describe them as factory farming of the sea.

What almost everyone can agree on is that these deep-sea farms are poised to surge in the coming years. Between 1961 and 2017, global demand for fish grew an average of 3.1% a year, leaving companies scrambling.

Aquaculture is the fastest growing form of food production in the world, says Robert Jones, the Nature Conservancys global lead for aquaculture. And were at the very beginning of this industry. Now is the chance to influence where it goes.

The Nature Conservancy has long viewed offshore farms as a potential gamechanger for fish production, albeit one threaded with huge challenges. It is growing rapidly around the world, and its an opportunity for conservation, said Jones. But it can also potentially come at the detriment of the environment.

What attracts the organisation is the possibility that the farms could ease pressure on wild fish populations. In 1974, about 10% of the fish stocks in the worlds marine fisheries were being depleted too quickly for species to replace themselves, according to the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization. By 2017, this proportion had climbed to 34%.

The deep-sea locations of offshore farms are also seen as a plus, because stronger currents may dilute waste and avoid the coastal degradation often seen in fish farms located in bays and estuaries.

Others argue that the environmental concerns outweigh any potential benefits. Last month, a coalition of nine groups in the US, including marine conservation organisations and the Quinault Indian Nation, filed a notice of intent to sue the US Army Corps over its decision to issue a nationwide permit that could pave the way for finfish aquaculture facilities to be built in state and federal waters.

The coalition warns that the blanket approval was granted without fully considering the effect farms could have on threatened and endangered species. The farms often come with a rise in marine traffic, the groups say, which could increase the risk of vessel strikes, particularly as animals are lured to the site by the scent of feed.

They list a slew of additional concerns, from worries that the constant flow of water through the farms will let feed, antibiotics and faecal matter into open waters to the risk that farmed fish could escape and threaten local ecosystems.

We look at these as animal factories of the sea, says Meredith Stevenson, an attorney with the Center for Food Safety, one of the groups behind the legal challenge. Its the wild west out there.

Theres also the risk that the farms will need to rely on small, wild-caught fish as feed. Its branded as a solution to overfishing but, in order to feed the fish, you have to get more wild fish, adds Stevenson.

Fish and shellfish farms have been growing at a dizzying pace around the world, particularly in China. Between 1990 and 2018, fish farming grew 527%, according to the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization.

Offshore fish farming ranks among the riskiest bets of the sector; enclosures need to be built to withstand the open sea, from metre-high waves to fierce currents, while their remote locations mean any issues are usually more time-consuming and costly to fix. The greater risk of bad weather means that even routine operations need to be put off at times.

Even so, investors have poured tens of millions into the sector. Virginia-based Forever Oceans has raised nearly $120m (100m) from investors, according to Bloomberg, while a venture fund linked to Walmart heiress Christy Walton has backed half a dozen initiatives related to open-ocean aquaculture.

For many, the lure is the promise of sustainable fish production. Our fish can feed the world and restore our oceans, is how Forever Oceans describes its mission. Hawaii-based Ocean Era, which has an offshore farm near Mexico, says its goal is to soften humanitys footprint on the seas. Blue Ocean Mariculture, which raises fish in submersible sea pens near Hawaii, says it will produce the best-tasting fish without harming the environment.

Studies delving into the farms have yielded varied results. A 2019 study that collected water samples near submerged fish cages off the coast of Panama concluded that, when located appropriately, offshore farms can produce a relatively small pollution footprint. A 2011 study comparing more than 15,000 southern bluefin tuna farmed offshore and closer to the coast found those grown offshore had reduced mortality and were less prone to sea lice.

But a 2020 perspective published in Nature argued that the high costs associated with offshore farming meant these products would be inaccessible to low-income consumers, suggesting limited scope in alleviating food insecurity. Researchers also argued that the fuel consumed by boats heading to and from the farms could compromise environmental claims.

Overall, the evidence in support of offshore fish farms remains scant, says Jim Walsh, policy director of Food & Water Watch. The development of these fish farms is far from studied to an extent that could make us feel confident. The remote locations, he says, would make it impossible to effectively regulate factory fish farming in a sustainable way in our oceans.

There is already a lack of oversight of the fishing industry, Walsh says. To think that we will, all of a sudden, have a regulatory regime thats going to step in and monitor these factory fish farms is ridiculous.

A better option may be land-based tanks, where fish are farmed in isolation from the surrounding ecosystem, he says.

Walshs view clashes with those who describe offshore fish farming as one of the few realistic options for feeding the planet. Among them is Steve Gaines, dean of the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His perspective shifted after he came across projections suggesting demand for food could double by 2050 as the global population grows and becomes more wealthy.

My reaction was, oh my God, how are we going to produce that much food? Gaines says. Something like 40% of arable land is already devoted to food production theres got to be new sources.

What he landed on was fish farming. Despite the fact that there are a lot of issues as there are with any form of food production its the one that has by far the biggest potential for expansion.

As companies experiment with fish feed derived from products such as insect protein or bacterial-based protein in order to minimise the pressure on wild-caught fish stock, aquaculture could result in a smaller environmental footprint compared with the production of other forms of animal protein, he says.

It makes perfect sense, says Gaines, since most of the fish we consume are cold-blooded, dont have to fight gravity and have smaller skeletons, meaning they are far more efficient at converting feed to food.

And then theres the vertical nature of the fish farms. The surface area to produce a given amount of food is also dramatically less if you can grow them in a liquid environment than on land, he says. You cant stack cows 100 feet high.

Gaines is quick to list the many caveats of his analysis; it depends heavily on what kinds of species are raised; on fish densities that are low enough to keep diseases from proliferating; and on locations that have high enough water flows to absorb waste generated by the farms.

There are obvious ways you can do it poorly, he concludes. But it can be done well, and the technology is there to do it well. Its really important it has lots of implications in terms of the next 30 years and more of the planet.

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Offshore fish farms: a new wave of food production or the wild west of ocean pollution? - The Guardian

ExxonMobil will assume operatorship of lease areas West Crete and Southwest Crete offshore Greece following negotiations by joint venture partners following the withdrawal of TotalEnergies EP Greece BV from the consortium, partner Hellenic Petroleum Holdings SA noted in a July release.

The parties agreed that the 40% interest held by TotalEnergies is to be assumed by ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Greece (Crete) BV (taking 75% of the 40%) and by the Hellenic Petroleum subsidiaries Hellenic Petroleum Exploration and Production West Crete Single Member SA and Hellenic Petroleum Exploration and Production Southwest Crete Single Member SA (taking 25% of the 40%), with TotalEnergies EP Greece BV fulfilling its financial and other obligations, Hellenic said.

Following completion of the transaction, interests in each of the respective lease agreements will be ExxonMobil, operator, with 70% interest, and Hellenic subsidiaries 30%.

The transaction is subject to consents from competent authorities.

Lease agreements for hydrocarbons exploration and exploitation rights for the two offshore areas were ratified by Greek Parliament in October 2019.

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ExxonMobil assumes operatorship of areas offshore Greece following negotiations - Oil & Gas Journal

Taiwans Formosa 2 offshore wind farm has passed two significant construction milestones, completing the installation of twelve turbines and transmitting power to the national grid.

According to Formosa 2, the offshore wind farm has now completed more than half of the foundation installations and more than a quarter of the wind turbines have been installed at the projects site, located between four and ten nautical miles off Miaoli County.

Formosa 2 emphasized that with these new construction milestones the project is making steady progress toward commercial operation.

Despite facing challenges posed by recent weather conditions, the team has persisted in advancing construction works, with strong health, safety and environmental performance and high sustainability standards. We are fully committed to ensuring the project becomes a pivotal driver in Taiwans green energy transition, said Michael Klingele, Project Director of Formosa 2.

The 376 MW offshore wind project will comprise 47 Siemens 8 MW turbines installed in water depths of up to 55 metres.

The installation of the jacket foundations and subsea inter-array cables began in April and May respectively, and the turbine installation commenced at the beginning of June.

In July, Saipem completed the fabrication of 32 wind turbine jacket foundations for Jan de Nul, the EPCI contractor for the projectsfoundations and subsea cables.

Formosa 2 offshore wind farm is being developed by JERA, Macquaries Green Investment Group (GIG), and Swancor Renewable Energy. Once fully commissioned, the wind farm is expected to provide enough renewable electricity to supply power to approximately 380,000 households.

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Formosa 2 Offshore Wind Farm Hits Major Construction Milestones - Offshore WIND

Fugro is set to kick off a geotechnical site survey campaign at the North Celtic Sea and South Irish Sea offshore wind projects at the end of July.

Supply vessel Fugro Voyager is in charge of carrying out the work which will include a downhole cone penetration test (CPT) and continuous sampling boreholes with geophysical logging.

Activities are expected to be carried out from 30 July until 30 September on a 24-hour basis, weather dependent.

The two offshore wind projects are being developed by Energia Group. The company decided back in 2019 to implement a EUR 3 billion investment program in Irelands renewable sector, which included the offshore wind market as well.

The 800 MW North Celtic Sea project will be located between 10 kilometres and 25 kilometres off the Waterford coast. Green Rebel carried out the geophysical surveys at the project earlier this year.

The South Irish Sea wind farm, currently at the early stage of the environmental assessment process, is planned to have a generation capacity of between 600 MW and 800 MW.

Ocean Infinity just recently started a geophysical survey campaign at the wind farm site located at a minimum of 10 kilometres and up to 25 kilometres off the coasts of Wexford and south Wicklow.

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Fugro to Work on New Irish Offshore Wind Projects - Offshore WIND

We got an email from Bill McKibben this week telling us about the latest UK renewable energy auction. When the smoke cleared and all the final bids were tallied, more than 7 gigawatts of new offshore wind energy will be added to the nations grid over the next 5 years at 44 per MWh. That is one quarter of what electricity from gas fired thermal generation today, according to Carbon Brief. In addition, 2.2 gigawatts (GW) of new solar capacity also won contracts at an average 55 per MWh and 0.9 GW of new onshore wind was bid in at 50 per MWh.

Carbon Brief estimates the new renewable energy from this years auction will generate 42 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity per year, which will be enough to meet around 13% of current UK demand. Energy analysts estimate electricity from these new renewable sources will save consumers an estimated 1.5 billion per year by the end of this decade when all the new generating capacity comes online and reduce annual average utility bills by 58. The price of electricity in the UK has soared by nearly 50% recently as supplies of methane from Russia have been interrupted by Vladimir Putins war of aggression in Ukraine and are projected to rise even more as winter approaches.

Kingsmill Bond, a longtime City of London energy analyst now working for the Rocky Mountain Institute, tells Bill McKibben the numbers are the best possible news for a continent scared by Vladimir Putin: We just do all this stuff and do it a bit faster, and we wont need Russian gas. It is really not that hard. You dont need to go cap in hand to foreign dictators to ask for more gas. Just change your own policy regime to bring these technologies online quicker.

Easier said than done. Many of the UK leaders vying to replace Boris The Clown as prime minister are promising to transition away from the countrys embrace of clean renewable energy and restart fracking in the UK to unlock even more methane production. Clearly Johnson is not the only cuckoo clock in the UK government.

The UK government has committed to getting 95% of the countrys electricity from low carbon sources by 2030 and to fully decarbonize the grid by 2035. It is also aiming for up to 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030, a figure that would including up to 5 GW from floating offshore projects. Floating solar is designed for installations that are further offshore in deeper water where wind speeds are more constant and predictable.

The UK is in the process of building a new nuclear power plant known as Hinkley C that will generate about 25 TWh of electricity per year when it starts operations in 2026 10 years after construction began. That electricity will cost 110 per MWh. The new renewable energy from this most recent auction will be online in less than 5 years and provide electricity at an average cost of about 41 per MWh. So lets do the math, shall we? Half the cost in half the time versus nuclear. Which begs the question, why is Hinkley C being built at all?

The market for methane gas has been turned upside down this year since Russia decided to shut off supplies to much of Europe. Reactionaries are screaming for more fracking, saying renewables are unreliable and take too long to bring online. Yet fracking for new wells can also take years before the gas gets to market. The transition to renewable energy should be moving faster because of the recent disruptions, not slower.

Thermal generation is a leading factor in making the Earth hotter and hotter. Advocating for more of it is extremely shortsighted bordering on suicidal. And yet, reactionaries everywhere are embracing thermal generation because if it was good enough for their grandparents, its good enough for them. The great leveling factor is price. Its hard to cling to something when it cost 4 times as much as the alternative. In the final analysis, economics may be the only tool that can offset ideology. The US needs to take a page from the UK renewable energy playbook and the sooner the better.

Jesse Jenkins of Princeton University tells Bill McKibben if the US can make offshore wind as cheap as onshore the way the UK has done, it opens a huge resource potential in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, close to demand centers, that would be an alternative to expanding transmission to reach onshore wind in the Midwest or solar in the Southeast, which is currently the lowest cost option for places like his home state of New Jersey. The opportunity is there for the taking. Carpe Diem!

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UK Offshore Wind Costs 4 Times Less Than Gas-Fired Thermal Generation - CleanTechnica

RWE has selected SolarDuck as an exclusive provider for offshore floating solar technology with integrated storage in the companys bid for the Hollandse Kust West (HKW) site VII in the Netherlands.

A few months ago, RWE announced that it is participating in the Dutch offshore tender for the Hollandse Kust West (HKW) sites VI and VII.

The areas are located in the North Sea, about 53 kilometres off the Dutch coast. The sites will each deliver more than 760 MW of offshore wind capacity.

SolarDuck and RWE also signed a collaboration agreement to develop the use of floating solar parks at sea.

RWE plans to accelerate the commercial application of new technologies by supporting a vast amount of innovators and startups in demonstrating their innovation in an operational environment.

To this end, RWE decided to invest in SolarDucks full-scale offshore pilot in the North Sea, called Merganser, which lays the foundation for a larger demonstration project at the Dutch offshore wind farm.

RWE is constantly looking for innovative ways to further improve the production of renewable energy offshore. We are very keen to further explore the potential of offshore floating solar together with our partner SolarDuck, said Sven Utermhlen, CEO Wind Offshore of RWE Renewables.

For countries with lower mean wind speeds but high solar irradiation, this opens up attractive opportunities. We want to contribute to accelerate the energy transition, have a positive impact on marine ecology and help to integrate energy systems.

A winning bid for the HKW site VII will realise the integration of an offshore floating solar plant at a pre-commercial scale with 5 MWp combined with innovative energy storage solutions into the offshore wind farm.

Further building on the collaboration with project Merganser and HKW, RWE and SolarDuck will explore new opportunities with the objective to develop commercial offshore floating solar parks, both stand-alone and hybrid.

The integration of offshore floating solar into an offshore wind farm is a more efficient use of ocean space for energy generation (using the space between the wind turbines) and allows for synergies with regard to the construction and maintenance of the multi-source renewable energy plant, RWE said.

The result is a more balanced production profile due to the complementary nature of wind and solar resources, according to RWE.

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RWE to Test Floating Solar Tech on Dutch Offshore Wind Farm - Offshore WIND

CTW is a private company in the business of marine engineering technology research, consultation and services and marine engineering equipment manufacturing, sales and rental services, and is mainly engaged in the design, manufacture supervision and marketing of self-jacking system & self-propelled units. CTW is one of three companies in the world that have full design capacities for self-jacking system & self-propelled units. CTW has been widely praised by customers and recognized by the market with continuous orders in recent years due to its outstanding product design concept and performance.

CMIC has a sound track record of cooperation with CTW. 2 complete sets of LIFTBOAT jacking systems have already been delivered by CMIC to CTW in the first half of this year. The total contractual amount of the 6 complete sets of LIFTBOAT jacking systems is RMB156 millionapproximately USD23.1 millionwhich includes both the 2 sets already delivered and the 4 new sets signed this time. In addition to the above 6 sets, both parties have agreed to sign 2 more complete sets of LIFTBOAT jacking systems and electrical control systems. All orders are for overseas ship-owners. In the future, the cooperation between the parties will focus on further enhancing product technologies, accelerating delivery and improving after-sales services, etc.

In the past years, CTW has carried out proactive advancements in the offshore oil and gas and wind power markets, which has demonstrated its strong market operation capability. With its long history in the offshore engineering and energy industries, CMIC has strong equipment design and manufacturing strength, sound market and customer network and rich operation and maintenance experience in the fields of oil and gas and offshore wind power. Leveraging on this strategic cooperation, CMIC and CTW will seek for joint development in the future through leveraging on their respective resource advantages, features and jointly provide better products and services for the offshore oil and gas and wind power markets on the principal of "synergy and collaboration with mutual benefits".

About CMIC

CMIC Ocean En-tech is a leading technology company providing complete engineering, manufacturing and integrated solutions to clients in both onshore and offshore oil and gas, offshore wind and hydrogen sectors. CMIC is also in the business of investing in energy sectors including the renewable energy sector. Established in 1995, CMIC has a large global footprint and operations to serve clients in the energy sector worldwide. CMIC is registered in the Cayman Island and its stocks are traded in the Hong Kong Stock Exchanges (206.HK).

SOURCE CMIC Ocean En-Tech Holding Co.,Ltd.

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CMIC WON THE OFFSHORE KEY EQUIPMENT SYSTEM ORDERS OF APPROXIMATELY RMB156 MILLION - PR Newswire

Subsea 7 has laid the first subsea cables in the water for the 94.6 MW Hywind Tampen floating wind farm offshore Norway.

JDR Cable System is in charge of supplying the electric cables for the project from its factory in Hartlepool, the UK, while Subsea 7 is responsible for the installation of the cables and the connection to the Snorre A and B and Gullfaks A, B and C oil and gas platforms.

JDR has completed the first of multiple load-outs of dynamic subsea cables for the floating offshore wind project.

The load-out consisted of five terminated cables each with pull-in-head arrangements on either end from carousel storage located within the facility.

The floating wind project entered the offshore construction phase in March with the transport and installation of the suction anchors at the site located about 140 kilometers off the Norwegian coast.

Hywind Tampen will comprise 11 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW wind turbines installed on concrete SPAR-type floating foundations in water depths of between 260 and 300 metres.

Once commissioned by the end of 2023, Hywind Tampen will become the largest floating offshore wind farm in operation.

The project was initially scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022, but due to some deviations found in steel quality in four tower sections and supply chain bottlenecks, the first seven wind turbines will come on stream this year as planned, while the final four will be installed next spring, according to Equinor.

Equinor is developing and will operate the NOK 5 billion (EUR 488 million) wind farm on behalf of the partnerships which include Equinor Energy AS, Petoro AS, and OMV (Norge) AS for the Gulflaks license, and Equinor Energy AS, Petoro AS, Idemitsu Petroleum Norge AS, Wintershall Dea Norge AS, and Vr Energi AS for the Snorre license.

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Subsea 7 Plants First Cables for Hywind Tampen Floating Offshore Wind Farm - Offshore WIND

Moray West is an 882MW offshore wind farm being developed in the outer Moray Firth region of Scotland.

With a 95% interest, Ocean Winds, a 50:50 joint venture between ENGIE and EDP Renewables (EDPR), is developing the project. Ignitis Group holds the remaining 5% stake in the wind farm.

Once operational, the Scottish wind farm is expected to cater to the power requirements of 650,000 households in Scotland and have an operational life of 25 years.

Furthermore, it is expected to contribute to Scotlands ambition of achieving net zero emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2045. The project is estimated to provide a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO) emissions of 1.1 million tonnes.

Preliminary preparation works at the site of the projects Whitehillock onshore substation began in February 2022, while onshore preparation works for the cable corridor started the following month.

Main civil and installation works for the project are expected to begin in July 2022, while first power is expected in 2024.

To be located 22km from the coast, the wind farm will be developed over an area of 225km. It will be equipped with 60 Siemens Gamesa SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbines installed on fixed monopile seabed foundations.

The project will include both offshore and onshore developments. The offshore section will involve the construction of two offshore substations and installation of approximately 275km of inter-array cables.

Onshore development will include a new onshore substation that will be built at Whitehillock.

Each SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbine will be able to generate 14.7MW of electricity. The turbine incorporates the IntegralBlade technology, which involves the fibreglass-reinforced epoxy resin blades being cast in one piece without any glued joints.

Each turbine will have a rotor diameter of 222m, swept area of 39,000m (419,792.5ft) and three 108m-long blades.

The length of the offshore section of the cable corridor is approximately 65km, while that of the onshore section is 31km.

The offshore cables exporting the electricity generated from the wind farm will make landfall to the east of Sandend Bay, on the Aberdeenshire Coast. These cables will connect with the onshore cables at the transition joint bays, which will be located near the coast above Broad Craig.

The electricity will be transported by the onshore cables to the proposed onshore substation at Whitehillock, located off the A96 road, and then to the Blackhillock substation, near the town of Keith, for connection with the national grid.

The project will use 220kV high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) subsea and onshore export cable systems.

Siemens Gamesa received a contract to supply the turbines for the Moray West wind farm in June 2022. The contract also includes a service agreement for the turbines. The company will produce 180 IntegralBlades for the project at its factory in Hull, England.

Installation services company Cadeler was engaged by Siemens Gamesa for the transportation and installation of the Moray West project turbines in June 2022. The company will use its Wind Orca installation vessel to execute the contract.

Port Nigg in Cromarty Firth was announced as the planned location for pre-assembly and wind turbine installation works in January 2022.

Siemens Energy and lemants, a subsidiary of Smulders, were contracted to supply two offshore substation platforms for the project in December 2021. The substation platforms will be based on Siemens Energys Offshore Transformer Module (OTM) technology.

Siemens Energy was also selected to provide an onshore substation for the wind project in the same month.

Fabrication and engineering company Lamprell signed a capacity reservation agreement for the supply and shipping of 62 transition pieces for the wind farm in January 2022.

Nexans was engaged to design, manufacture and install onshore and offshore export cable systems for the project in December 2021. It will use the Nexans Skagerrak vessel to lay the offshore cables.

Dajin Offshore Heavy Industry, a Chinese offshore energy equipment manufacturer, received a contract to supply 48 monopiles for the project in June 2022.

Fugro GB Marine was appointed to undertake geotechnical site investigations at the wind farm site. It was supported by Vysus Group, an engineering and technical consultancy based in Scotland.

In April 2022, recruitment consultancy Taylor Hopkinson received a contract to supply project experts across manufacturing, construction, installation, commissioning, and operations and maintenance.

Mech-Tool Engineering (MTE) was engaged to provide the design, engineering, fabrication and delivery of eight modular buildings for the project in May 2022.

IKM Consulting was contracted to conduct civil works in support of Nexans work on two onshore circuits. The contractual scope includes design works for circuit route and corridor, utility infrastructure, carriageway and watercourse crossings, site compound, and temporary access point and haul road.

The licence for the development of the Moray Firth Zone (Zone 1) was awarded in 2010. The zone was divided in two, namely Moray East and Moray West.

First power at Moray East was achieved in June 2021. Work at the Moray West project was delayed due to constraints in the west zone. The development of Moray West started in 2016 after the project received seabed rights from The Crown Estate.

All the required permits for the development of the project were received in 2019. Geotechnical and geophysical surveys for the onshore and offshore sections of the project were undertaken in 2019.

Investigation surveys at the offshore site were conducted between September and November 2021.

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Moray West Offshore Wind Farm, Scotland - Power Technology