Category Archives: Offshore

Setting out from a dock off Virginia Beach, passengers on board the Rudee Angler couldnt even see the test turbines even when one blade stretched 620 feet up. Dominion spokesman Jeremy Slayton was not surprised.

On a picture-perfect, super clear day at the right elevation you may be able to make them out from shore," he said. "If youre standing on the beach, you wont be able to see them."

But the utility has been watching those turbines for nearly two years. John Larson, Dominions director of public policy, has visited 21 times.

Obviously wind is new to us," he explains. "Its a great way to learn on two turbines, before you have 176 you need to maintain.

The first thing theyve concluded is that these modern windmills work really well. The next generation of turbines will be even taller able to power 660,000 homes, and they can likely withstand winds of 150 miles per hour. .

We looked at 94,000 storms the recorded history of this area, and they can go up to a category 3 hurricane," Larson says. "Keep in mind that offshore wind started in the North Sea, which has just tremendous seas and winds on a pretty constant basis.

One reason for their resilience the blades are designed to tilt relative to the wind.

At a little over 60 miles an hour the turbine will yaw or rotate to reduce load, and the blades are able to be feathered," he says. Comparing it to someone putting their hand through the window of a moving car he adds, "Theres pressure, but if you turn your hand horizontal and flat, theres almost no pressure on it.

From the test turbines, observers also concluded construction did not disturb wildlife.

We recently saw three loggerhead sea turtles," says Taryn Paul a naturalist aboard the rudeee Angler. "We also saw about eight hammerhead sharks and two manta rays feeding by the wind turbines."

Dominions Jeremy Slayton says the turbine foundations, surrounded by boulders, serve as artificial reefs where fish can shelter.

It attracts smaller fish, and the smaller fish attract bigger fish and bigger fish, so its a haven for fishermen.

And there is no sign that construction had an impact on marine mammals whales, dolphins and seals. Larson says builders were able to create a curtain of bubbles that minimized the sound of piles being driven into the ocean floor.

We put two walls of bubbles down to look at reducing the aquatic signature of that pile driving. It actually reduced it significantly, so that was a good lesson learned for us, the industry and all the regulators about how to mitigate sounds so that you dont distract any type of marine life.

That said, Dominion will not be installing foundations when endangered North Atlantic Wright whales are nearby.

Their migration period runs from October/November until May, up and down the coast, so our installation will only take place from May 1 through the end of October, Larson says.

Marine mammals, he adds, are curious creatures. If they hear something, theyre likely to investigate, and Dominion doesnt want to disturb their migration.

Work on the 150-square-mile wind farm is set to begin in 2024 when the utility completes construction of a special vessel used to install turbines. Slayton says the $500 million craft had to be built here in the U.S. to comply with federal regulations.

It will be the first Jones Act-compliant offshore wind turbine installation vessel, which is really important to the offshore wind supply chain in the U.S. Itll be used in the Northeast on two projects up there before we use it to install our turbines.

Dominion hopes to finish by 2026, permits permitting. Getting the paperwork past federal regulators was, Larson says, another learning experience.

Once the turbines are up and running, they will probably be most productive in the fall, winter and spring.

Think about the dog days of summer when you just wish that wind would blow and cool you off," Larson says. "The wind is not going to be blowing out here, and thats why having a diverse portfolio that includes solar is great, because our solar irradiation is very good in the summer in Virginia.

Dominion claims that by 2030 the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Park or C-VOW will lower carbon emissions by 55%. Meanwhile, Larson says, Virginia is building a new industry around offshore wind anticipating creation of 5,000 jobs building, installing and maintaining turbines. Some consumers worry that the $9.8 billion project could boost monthly charges for residential customers beyond the projected increase of about $5- $14 a month. In approving the project, the state put new requirements on Dominion and outlined situations where shareholders or the legislature might chip in.

This report, provided byVirginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from theVirginia Education Association.

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Testing One, Two: RadioIQ Gets Up Close with First Offshore Wind Turbines - WVTF

India has always been a popular destination for international productions, hosting everything from European independent films and British series, most recently ITVs Beecham House and Netflix/BBCs A Suitable Boy, to studio movies like Christopher Nolans Tenet and Netflixs Chris Hemsworth-starrer Extraction.

In addition to the countrys oft-touted attractions a skilled workforce, low costs, stunning landscapes and historical monuments it also boasts a rich canon of English-language, India-set literature that the story-hungry streamers have been plundering in recent years. Netflixs A Suitable Boy and The White Tiger, Apple TV+s Shantaram and HBOs upcoming seven-part series A Fine Balance, are all based on India-themed novels.

But the country has been pretty much off limits during the pandemic. It had a disruptive although mostly manageable first wave of Covid in 2020, which nonetheless deterred some international shoots, before shocking the world with a devastating second wave and massive death toll that erupted in March/April 2021.

That outbreak hit more than one production. Shantaram, starring Charlie Hunnam as an Australian prison escapee hiding in a Mumbai slum, opted to move to Thailand in mid-2021, after shooting briefly in India in late 2020, due to the worsening Covid situation. The fifth Indiana Jones film was already deep into prepping in Rajasthan when the second wave hit, forcing the production to do an about turn and move to Morocco.

Now Covid is under control and the population vaccinated, India is back open and ready for business, but this time with a few sweeteners. At this years Cannes film festival, Indias Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry finally announced the countrys long-awaited incentive scheme, offering a 30% cash rebate for international productions either shooting or conducting post-production in India.

Getting incentivized

Managed by Indias Film Facilitation Office (FFO), the incentive will reimburse up to 30% of qualifying production expenditure (QPE) up to a maximum of INR20m ($260,000). An additional 5% is available, up to a maximum of INR5m ($65,000), for productions employing more than 15% or more Indian crew.

To be eligible, productions must first be approved to shoot in India by the I&B Ministry, then spend a minimum INR25m ($325,000) in the country. There is no minimum spend for documentaries or films recognized as official co-productions under one of Indias 15 treaties.

The applicant must be an India-based production services company responsible for all production-related expenditure on behalf of the international producer. Before shooting starts, they can apply for an interim approval certificate, then apply for final approval within 90 days of wrapping. Disbursement is 85% after a successful evaluation and audit with the remaining 15% paid out when the FFO receives a competed copy of the film.

Its an encouraging first step, especially as there was nothing available on a national level before, says Dileep Singh Rathore of production services company On The Road India, which handled Tenets Mumbai shoot before the pandemic. Some of Indias 36 states offer small amounts of cash rebate and other incentives, but these schemes are mostly used by local productions.

Deborah Benattar of La Fabrique Films, which handled the Indian shoot of Swiss production And Tomorrow We Will Be Dead in early 2020, and more recently France-Italy-Canada co-production The Braid (La Tresse), says: This is very good news for us as some projects that were looking for the final piece of financing may be able to come to India much more quickly because of these incentives.

Post Covid landscape

Luckily for India, production has already started to return, despite an Omicron surge in January, that like many other countries had much less impact due to high rates of vaccination. Benattar worked on The Braid in March and April this year: We were a little nervous in January, but decided to go ahead because we were working with a little girl, so couldnt wait in case she changed, and needed to shoot before the monsoon started [Indias monsoon affects production from June onwards]. It was a complicated shoot because we were filming in three railway stations, but we managed very well.

Its understood that A Fine Balance, directed by Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox) and produced by Blueprint Pictures and Northwood Entertainment, has already started prepping in India, with India Take One Productions handling production services.

Other projects expected to be heading to India in the future include an Extraction sequel for Netflix, again starring Hemsworth and produced by the Russo brothers, and Amazon Studios Secret Daughter, directed by Anthony Chen and starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sienna Miller.

But these are all projects that had been eyeing India long before the announcement of the incentive, which the FFO is hoping will bring a fresh wave of productions. Any international production that has been granted permission to shoot in India from April 1, 2022, onwards is eligible for the incentive. While no paperwork has been submitted so far, several line producers say theyre planning to apply. Ill try with whatever project I get, because I want to see how it works, says Benattar, who is currently in talks to handle features from Belgium, France and Switzerland.

As the amount of rebate available is capped at $325,000, its unlikely to move the dial for studios movies and high-end TV, which will shoot in India anyway if they are local stories that require hard-to-cheat locations. India rarely stands in for other countries, except for neighbouring South Asian nations that are less secure or not as experienced in handling offshore production, such as Pakistan (A Mighty Heart, And Tomorrow We Will Be Dead) and Bangladesh (Extraction).

But line producers say the incentive could make a big difference for independent projects, especially at a time when budgets are rising more than ever due to the global production boom (India has also been hit by post-pandemic inflation, although costs are still much lower than those in the US and Europe). One of the first projects to apply will be Australian production The Laugh Of Lakshmi, produced by John Maynard and directed by S. Shakthidharan.

Partly set in Sri Lanka, which is currently rocked by social unrest and economic crisis, the film will shoot in India and Sydney from early 2023. Incentives create opportunities for cast and creatives to flourish outside the studio system. This new incentive will bring forward stories that were unthinkable until now, says Rakasree Basu of Frames Per Second Films, which is providing production services for the film. Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage is also on board as an advisor.

The small print

But of course, the devil is always in the details and line producers are still figuring out how the incentive will work in practice what exactly is included in QPE, how each project will be assessed and how long the cash rebate will take to come through.

One item that is definitely not included in QPE is Indias Goods and Services Tax (GST), the countrys equivalent of VAT or sales tax, which divides most items commonly found in a film budget into five tax rates (many items at 18%, transport at 5%, five-star hotels at 28%).

Introduced in 2017, the GST is a vastly more streamlined system than Indias previous maze of state-level and national taxes, and in theory offshore productions can claim at least a partial GST refund, but the process can be slow or stall altogether. Some producers have called on the government to exempt incoming productions from GST. Others want to see the refund process improved. But tax is overseen by the Ministry of Finance, while film and TV production is under the I&B Ministry. So its complicated.

Theres also the issue of script approval. No project can shoot without the I&B Ministry examining the script, and like many Asian countries, India has become much more sensitive of late. The ministry advises that negative comments on Indian culture, religion, laws or politics, or affecting diplomatic relations between Indian and specific countries, should be steered away from.

India is vast country with a byzantine administration and, over the years, the problems faced by international shoots have included crowd control, uncooperative local police and difficulty in obtaining permits.

Set up in 2015, under Indias National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), the FFO was tasked with easing some of those headaches. So far its managed to introduce a special visa for film crews, launch a web portal to handle permissions, and created a network of officers across state governments and central agencies including the Ministry of Railways and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to assist producers.

While in Cannes, the I&B Ministry also said its setting up a task force to explore support for Indias animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) industries, which could result in talent development initiatives and further incentives.

On certain projects, India has already proved it can move mountains, or at least shut down the Gateway of India and get helicopters in the sky. We got everything we wanted for Tenet, including helicopters in the heart of Bombay, which nobody has done before, says Rathore. We had amazing support from the FFO, I&B Ministry and local Maharashtra government, including Mr Bhushan Gagrani, the principal secretary at that time, who personally took me into the war room with all the government agencies and police officers and said we have to make this happen.

Of course, not every film gets the red carpet treatment. The test now for the India government is how efficiently they can administer the incentive; how much support they can give international productions at the grass roots level, where problems usually arise, and whether in the long-term they can raise rebate caps or assist with GST.

But with the depth of Indian stories, increasing internationalisation of content and growing demand for unique and far-flung locations, were likely to see a lot more of India, on screens of all sizes, very soon.

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How India Is Aiming To Lure Back Offshore Production With New 30% Cash Incentive - Deadline

The U.S. Coast Guard was responding to an oil spill Monday after an oil tank platform collapsed at Hilcorp Caillou Island offshore facility in Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana.

Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Houma personnel initially received a notification from the National Response Center stating the platform experienced a structural failure causing a tank to fall into the water and spill oil.

Environmental Safety & Health Consulting Services has been hired as the oil spill removal organization. The response actions as of Mondays update included 4,500 feet of containment boom, three skimming vessels, and five response vessels on scene.

Hilcorp estimates less than 14,000 gallons of crude oil entered the water.

There have been no reports of impact to wildlife at this time and the exact cause of the incident is still under investigation.

Hilcorp describes itself as one of the largest privately-held exploration and production companies in the U.S.

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Coast Guard Responds to Oil Spill at Offshore Platform in Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana - gCaptain

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The leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon issued a warning to Israel about attempting to tap offshore gas reserves in disputed waters between the two countries, further complicating U.S. attempts to mediate the dispute.

"The hand that reaches for any of this wealth will be severed," Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, said during televised remarks in Beirut Tuesday, according to Radio France Internationale (RFI).

The warning comes as the U.S. has intensified efforts to resolve the maritime border dispute between Israel and Lebanon, two countries that have been in an official state of war for over 70 years. Both countries claim an over-300-square-mile stretch of the Mediterranean Sea subject to ongoing negotiations. Lebanon argues that the Karish gas field Israel claims is part of its internationally recognized waters.

AFTER ISRAEL HITS TERROR GROUP, UN SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS AS SOME MEMBERS REBUKE THE JEWISH STATE

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the head of the Lebanese Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah, gives a speech to mark the anniversary of assassination by Israel of its secretary general Sheikh Abbas Musawi, 16 February 2006 in Beirut. (Photo credit should read HAITHAM MUSSAWI/AFP via Getty Images)

Tensions between the two countries have flared over the summer, with Israel reporting that it had shot down three drones launched by Hezbollah that were reportedly bound for the Karish gas fields. Later in July Hezbollah released a video showing surveillance of Israeli-chartered ships, one bound for the same region.

Negotiations over the disputed region, which resumed in 2020 after stalling out during the 2006 war between the two countries, have picked up as Lebanon seeks to claw out of one of the worst economic crisis in its history. The country sees access to the offshore gas reserves as key to its recovery, with Nasrallah's comments coming as Lebanon awaits a response from Israel to an offer to resolve the dispute that was submitted to U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein last month.

During his address, Nasrallah told viewers that "we are waiting for a response to the demands of the Lebanese state, and we will respond accordingly, but I tell you... we must be ready and prepared for all possibilities"

April 20, 2017: A Hezbollah fighter holding an Iranian-made anti-aircraft missile on the border with Israel, in Naqoura, south Lebanon. (AP)

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He made clear that Hezbollah stood ready to escalate the conflict should Israel ignore Lebanese demands.

"We will go all the way, so no one should try us," Nasrallah said.

Michael Lee is a writer at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter @UAMichaelLee

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Hezbollah threatens to 'sever' the hand of Israel if it attempts to tap disputed offshore gas - Fox News

The ocean off the American coastline is a vital national resource, and we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to harness it in a manner that both feeds and powers the country. The U.S. offshore wind industry can rise to the moment to provide the nation with the clean power that it needs while working alongside a successful and sustainable U.S. fishing industry that continues to provide food security nationally and economic opportunities for coastal communities.

The fishing industry is resilient. Fishing has evolved in countless ways over the past few decades, with technological advancements, industry innovations and even target species all changing to meet societys demand for sustainable seafood. The fishing industry, the ocean, and the world are now facing a whole new type of challenge today: addressing the impacts of a warming planet due to climate change.

In the United States, offshore wind is an untapped domestic, reliable clean energy source. Developing offshore wind in American waters offers an opportunity to build a new domestic energy industry, creating tens of thousands of new jobs, securing our energy supply in the face of global crises, and lessening the climate impacts felt by fishermen and coastal communities.

To reap these benefits and address a changing climate, offshore wind and fishermen will need to work together. It is possible to have thriving commercial fishery stocks and responsible domestic clean energy in the ocean for the benefit of everyone but it will take communication and collaboration.

The process of building a new ocean energy industry to accommodate our nations growing energy needs must account for the strong economic and cultural ties that fishermen and coastal communities have to the water. As offshore wind gets ready to take off here in the U.S., the offshore wind industry has redoubled its commitment to being responsible participants in the collective management of the ocean. Organizations like the American Clean Power Association (ACP) want to support efforts by the offshore wind industry to work closely with the fishing industry to achieve successful and sustainable outcomes for both industries.

Offshore wind developers recognize the importance of working closely with the fishing industry as a critical component of achieving successful outcomes throughout the design, construction, and operation of projects. That work requires meaningful and direct engagement to understand fisheries concerns and obtain detailed input on fisheries operations. This, in turn, can contribute to the successful design of a project that avoids, minimizes, or mitigates impacts. Collaboration and coordination between the industries is attainable and is essential to successful futures for both industries, but it requires trust, and effective engagement and integration of fisheries inputs in the development process.

Offshore wind developers have spent more than a decade working with ocean users and Federal, state, and local governments to make sure everyone has a seat at the table and help find solutions that work for all. Fishermen, offshore wind developers, and other ocean users have numerous opportunities to engage and provide feedback throughout state and federal regulatory processes. ACPs Offshore Wind Public Participation Guide breaks down the offshore wind leasing and permitting process for ocean users and includes ways for their voices to be heard throughout the leasing process.

Fishermens voices have indeed been heard in the offshore wind regulatory process. For instance, fishermen and other public input resulted in a 72 percent reduction of the Call Area of New York Bight (NYB) from an initial 1.7 million acres to approximately 488,000 acres in the Final Sale Notice. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) also made several significant modifications to the NYB lease areas in response to specific input from the fishing industry. And in June of this year, BOEM took an important step by seeking public comments on a draft framework for fisheries mitigation and hosted several opportunities throughout the summer to weigh in on the process.

BOEM has an incredibly difficult job and should get a lot of credit for working hard to balance a lot of different ocean usersincluding commercial fisheries into their leasing and permitting process, says Josh Kaplowitz, Vice President, Offshore Wind at American Clean Power. BOEM often reaches decisions that the offshore wind industry doesnt entirely like. But we recognize that sometimes they need to find that middle ground.

Offshore wind developers are also proactively addressing a myriad of fishing concerns, an effort which is fully outlined in ACPs Co-Existence FAQs resource. Sometimes, that involves changes in the designs of their projects. In Massachusetts and Rhode Island, for instance, developers agreed to uniform wind turbine spacing that reduced potential energy generation by as much as 30 percent but created over 200 one-mile wide corridors to address navigational concerns raised by the commercial fishing industry.

During the planning, development, and construction process, the offshore wind industry works regularly with the fishing industry. Offshore wind fisheries liaisons conduct regular, in-person meetings at fishing ports near the offshore wind projects to collect input from and provide information to fishermen.

This year, the offshore wind industry proposed a federal fisheries compensation program that will ensure that fishermen are made whole for the loss of gear due to offshore wind activity, as well as loss of landings caused by construction, operation, and decommissioning of offshore wind facilities. But the fund need not stop thereit could also provide grants to fishermen to help them adapt to fishing near and within offshore wind farms. For example, the fund could pay for new clam dredges that can more efficiently operate between offshore wind turbines.

This compensation program can create win-win scenarios that allow fishing to adapt with new technologies while also enabling offshore wind to be built. Doing so will maintain thriving fisheries and healthy ocean ecosystems.

We genuinely believe that offshore wind and fishing can coexist and that there's not a tradeoff. The two are synergistic and not necessarily in conflict but it requires compromise, Kaplowitz said. We want to work alongside fishermen and for them to see the growth potential for their industry from U.S. offshore wind.

There are also ways in which offshore wind and commercial fishing can mutually benefit each other. ACPs research shows that developing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind over the next decade couldcreate 83,000new jobs and attract $57 billion of investment into the U.S. economy. Growing offshore wind will create numerous job opportunities for local coastal communities and the offshore wind industry is investing in offshore wind job training programs and port development opportunities that will benefit marine users. For example, developers are also employing fishing vessels as scout vessels and seafloor survey vessels are typically staffed with local fishermen, or fisheries experts which allows for additional income opportunities, directly includes fishermen in the development process, and facilitates active communication during offshore activities with nearby fishing vessels.

We want this technology to preserve and create jobs, Kaplowitz continued. Fishing is a generational industry, and we want to ensure that U.S. fishermen and fisheries continue to thrive in this new economy and at the same time create new opportunities for the next generation of fishermen.

In addition to providing economic benefits, the growth of offshore wind will enhance marine ecosystems and create fisheries opportunities. Offshore wind turbine foundations can act as an artificial reef, attracting new fish to the area, as evidenced by numerous studies. One such example is a recent seven-year trawl study conducted by commercial fishermen at the first offshore wind farm in Block Island, Rhode Island, which concluded that wind turbine installation has not harmed fish populations. In fact, biological enhancement was quantified with more black sea bass congregating in the area.

Additional research and resources that outline the takeaways of these studies are readily available and show a promising future. However, this is just the beginning. As further offshore wind research develops, the offshore wind industry will continue to work with all fishermen and other ocean users to measure impacts responsibly in manner that will benefit our ocean ecosystem.

As an entirely new industry takes off in the United States, the offshore wind industry is committed to ensuring responsible coexistence for all ocean users. All ocean users are encouraged to participate in the offshore wind development process as we collectively strive to protect our planet.

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Offshore wind and fisheries can coexist today to best address the challenges of tomorrow - National Fisherman

There is increasing interest in integrating renewable energy sources into the power grid in the United States. In particular, interest in offshore wind development is growing rapidly. Shortly after taking office, President Biden issued an executive order stating his goal to double offshore wind production by 2030.[1] With leases for offshore wind projects on the East Coast currently being issued, and the construction of two projects already approved, several others are likely to follow soon.[2] On the West Coast, opportunities for offshore wind development will likely occur as well, but there are critical state and federal permitting components to consider.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is the federal agency responsible for permitting energy development activities on the outer continental shelf, which is the land lying seaward of state territorial waters. State territorial waters extend three miles offshore. Therefore, an offshore wind project will be subject to different state and federal permits depending on its location.

Multi-step Process

Projects on the outer continental shelf must undertake a multi-step federal leasing and permitting process. First, BOEM identifies offshore areas that could be suitable for wind development by issuing a Call for Information and Nominations. If there is enough interest and areas are identified in response to the call, BOEM will proceed with steps to identify the applicable lease area and proposed lease terms. Second, BOEM will issue a Proposed Notice of Lease Sale where interested wind energy developers can bid on the lease. On May 31, 2022, BOEM issued a Proposed Notice of Lease Sale identifying two potential lease areas in coastal Northern California.[3] Issuance of the lease, however, is not approval of an offshore wind project.

A Notice of Lease Sale expressly states that any subsequent development is required to follow a separate permitting and environmental review process. For example, a project must obtain BOEMs approval of a site assessment plan and, later, a construction and operations plan. Throughout this process, BOEM must conduct a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental analysis and technical reviews, after which it may approve the construction and operations plan for the project.[4] As explained below, BOEM is not the only applicable agency because an offshore wind project will require permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency and must satisfy applicable state permitting requirements for transmission line connection, among other permits.

Navigating this permitting process takes extensive time and planning. For example, in March 2021, BOEM issued a Record of Decision approving Vineyard Wind, which was the first offshore wind energy project to proceed past the permitting stage.[5] Vineyard Wind will be an approximately 800 megawatt, commercial-scale wind energy facility with 84 or fewer turbines arranged in a grid-like array with spacing of one nautical mile between each turbine. The leasing and permitting process for Vineyard Wind took over five yearsBOEM issued an offshore lease to Vineyard Wind in 2015. Various private interest groups have now filed lawsuits claiming thatin addition to other deficienciesthe federal governments NEPA analysis is inadequate.[6]

As noted above, the U.S. Department of the Interior is proceeding with two lease areas off the coast of California.[7] BOEM and the State of Oregon are also conducting engagement activities to inform offshore wind energy leasing along the Oregon coast, and a call for Information and Nominations to determine interest in leases off the southern Oregon coast was published in April 2022.[8] On April 4, 2022, Seattle-based Trident Winds announced that it submitted an Unsolicited Lease Request to BOEM for an offshore wind project off Washingtons coast. For those of us familiar with Department of Interior leasing, we know it can be difficult to obtain leases by request or by application, depending on political interests within the applicable executive administration. To date, no outer continental shelf offshore wind leases have been issued on the West Coast.

West Coast Wind Projects

For West Coast wind projects on the outer continental shelf, BOEM will be the lead agency to review the projects environmental effects under NEPA. An offshore wind project, whether on the outer continental shelf or in state territorial waters, will also require authorizations or permits from a number of state and federal agencies. To connect transmission lines from turbines to the power grid on shore, a project will likely require a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit and a Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10 permit, both from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The lead federal agency will also be required to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service about whether the proposed construction and operation might take (harm) wildlife protected under the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1561 et seq.), the Marine Mammal Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the Bald/Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 668-668c), and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-712). Incidental take authorizations may be required for construction and operation of the project based on any of those consultations. (An incidental take permitting scheme does not currently exist under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act but is being developed.)[9]

A proposed offshore wind project in a states territorial waters, which extend from shoreline to three miles offshore, will not involve approvals from BOEM but will be subject to state permits and authorizations. For example, the Oregon Department of State Lands must issue an ocean renewable energy facility lease to authorize construction and operation of an offshore wind project in the state territorial sea.[10] In Washington, regulatory clarification will be necessary to permit offshore wind projects within the states territorial waters in light of current uncertainty under the Shoreline Management Act and Ocean Resources Management Act.[11] A project may also require a Clean Water Act Section 401 certification and an air quality permit for construction from the state if the project is proposed in the states territorial water. These are just some, but not all, of the state and federal permits that will likely be required.

Federal Permits

When obtaining the necessary federal permits, there are required local, state, and tribal consultations that are critical to evaluate and account for in any project development timeline. For example, under the National Historic Preservation Act agencies must determine whether the project has the potential to impact cultural or historical resources that may be eligible for or are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Federal agencies are also required to consult with tribal governments that might be affected by a proposed project.

Importantly, treaties between some Native tribes on the West Coast and the United States have for certain tribes reserved the tribes right to fishing in the tribes usual and accustomed areas. For example, in Washington state, four Coastal Treaty Tribes (the Hhoh, Makah, and Quileute Tribes and the Quinault Nation) through treaties with the United States reserved hunting, fishing, and gathering rights to access and use the plants, mammals, fish, and other resources of the Olympic Peninsula, and the rights are exercised from Point Chehalis to the U.S.-Canada border and extend into the open ocean.[12] Under the treaties and case law, the tribes are co-managers of shared ocean resources, along with federal and state governments. A critical component of obtaining state and federal permits for an offshore wind project will be ensuring a robust consultation with any affected tribes.

In 2021, Grays Harbor Wind, a joint venture between the Quinault Indian Nation, Trident Winds, and EnBW North America, announced an offshore wind project offshore from Grays Harbor, Washington. The partnership intended to leverage the tribes unique treaty-reserved rights by proposing to construct an offshore wind project within the tribes usual and accustomed fishing grounds. This type of partnership could provide numerous advantages to offshore wind projects because it engages the most important stakeholders, triggers the federal governments fiduciary responsibility to tribes, and promotes tribal self-government. Those of us with experience permitting energy projects with tribes and tribal corporations know that these unique characteristics can provide a significant market advantage.[13] However, with Trident Winds recent lease request, it is unclear whether the Gray Harbor Wind joint venture is still a viable partnership.

Another critical component of the federal NEPA analysis will be considering the effects of an offshore wind project on West Coast commercial fisheries. Commercial fisheries, such as crab, halibut, and salmon fisheries, are robust industries on the West Coast. Commercial fisheries are also a significant industry on the East Coast. In fact, BOEM concluded in its NEPA analysis for Vineyard Wind that the expected impacts on commercial fisheries was moderate to major but mitigated because a direct compensation fund held in escrow was created to compensate for direct impacts to vessels and fishing interests.

Successfully permitting an offshore wind project on the West Coast, particularly in Oregon and Washington, will require a robust permitting strategy. The permitting hurdles on the West Coast will be similar to those on the East Coast: threatened and endangered species issues, fishing industry interests, effects to navigation, and successfully engaging with local stakeholders. In addition, West Coast projects will need to appropriately address treaty-reserved fishing rights of the tribes. Navigating these issues and interests will be critical to the ultimate success of any offshore wind project.

[1] Exec. Order No. 14008, 89 Fed. Reg. 7,619 (2021).

[2] BOEM Record of Decision, Vineyard Wind 1 Offshore Wind Energy Project Construction and Operations Plan (May 10, 2021); BOEM Record of Decision, South Fork Wind Farm and South Fork Export Cable Project Construction and Operations Plan (Nov. 24, 2021).

[3] 87 Fed. Reg. 32,443 (May 31, 2022).

[4] 30 CFR part 585.

[5] BOEM Record of Decision, Vineyard Wind 1 Offshore Wind Energy Project Construction and Operations Plan (May 10, 2021).

[6] Allco Renewable Energy Ltd. v. Haaland, case no. 1:21-cv-11171 (D. Mass. July 18, 2021); Ack Residents Against Turbines v. U.S. BOEM, Case No. 1:21-cv-11390-ADB (D. Mass. Aug. 25, 2021).

[7] 87 Fed. Reg. 32,443 (May 31, 2022).

[8] 87 Fed. Reg. 25,529 (Apr. 29, 2022).

[9] 86 Fed. Reg. 54, 667 (Oct. 4, 2021).

[10] Oregon Administrative Rules, chapter 141, division 140.

[11] RCW 43.143.010; RCW 90.58.020

[12] West Coast Ocean Tribal Caucus, Guidance and Responsibilities for Effective Tribal Consultation, Communication, and Engagement, (July 2020) available at https://www.boem.gov/about-boem/pacific-regional-collaboration.

[13] See, e.g., Dine Citizens Against Ruining our Environment v. Bureau of Indian Affairs, 932 F.3d 843 (9th Cir. 2019) (tribe and tribal corporation are necessary parties that cannot be joined absent a waiver of sovereign immunity); see also Deschutes River Alliance v. Portland General Electric Company, 1 F.4th 1153 (9th Cir. 2021).

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Opportunities for Offshore Wind Development on the West Coast - JD Supra

Inch Cape Offshore Limited (ICOL) has appointed K2 Management (K2M), a renewable energy engineering and project management consultancy, as the lenders technical advisor (LTA) for the 1,080 MW Inch Cape offshore wind farm in Scotland.

K2M is providing technical due diligence on all aspects of the project design, delivery, and operations, as well as providing a bank launch and financial close report for lenders.

The companys involvement ensures that, despite the projects scale and complexity, ICOL will be able to move forward with a business case to secure financial close, K2M said.

The partnership between ICOL and K2M follows on from an earlier twelve-month collaboration under which K2M provided an initial view on project bankability, design optimisation, and early-stage risk mitigation.

With ever more sizeable projects in more extreme environments, both long-standing and emergent offshore wind developers and investors need more than ever before total clarity on the financial and development challenges that projects of this scale entail, said Bethany Rowson, Senior Consultant at K2M.

Recently awarded a Contract for Difference (CfD) under the UK fourth Allocation Round, ICOL is a joint venture between Red Rock Power Limited and Irish energy company ESB.

Inch Capeoffshore wind farm is located in the North Sea around 15 kilometres off the Angus coastline at a site covering an area of some 150 square kilometres.

ICOL initially planned to use wind turbines with a rated capacity of 9.5 MW. The removal of the 1 GW capacity cap, whichoccurredin August 2021, will allow the developer to select the most powerful turbines on the market, possibly with ratings in excess of 15 MW within the consented parameters.

Siemens Energy- Iemants consortium will deliver the offshore and onshore substation package while Fugro alreadystartedwith the nearshore surveys.

With up to 72 turbines, the offshore wind farm will be Scotlands largest single source of renewable power when built, generating the equivalent of the annual demand of more than 1.7 million homes, Inch Cape said.

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K2 Management to Work on Scottish Offshore Wind Project - Offshore WIND

A leading offshore energy trade group is celebrating the Democrats' climate and healthcare bill for rewarding both renewable and fossil fuel energy, setting it apart from other industry organizations representing oil and gas interests that oppose the legislation.

The National Ocean Industries Association, which represents a range of energy firms from oil and gas majors such as BP to wind developers such as Danish company Orsted, threw its weight behind the Inflation Reduction Act's "all of the above" energy strategy after the Senate narrowly passed the bill on Sunday. By contrast, a number of other trades with oil and gas membership slammed the green energy-focused tax-and-spending bill as inadequate to address the global energy crisis.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE METHANE FEE HEADED TOWARD ENACTMENT

"No legislation is perfect, and the Inflation Reduction Act certainly reflects compromises, but American offshore energy is an issue of national and global consequence," Erik Milito, the NOIA's president and CEO, said in a statement.

Oil and gas companies that lease acreage in federal waters have much to gain if the bill becomes law because it requires the Interior Department to carry out three offshore lease sales it canceled in May. Those leases, which were provided for in the 2017-2022 offshore leasing program, would otherwise have likely gone unsold due to the expiration of the offshore program in June.

The bill also requires the Interior Department to reinstate the lone offshore lease sale the Biden administration carried out last year but whose leases were never awarded, and it conditions the issuance of offshore wind energy leases to the sale of offshore oil and gas leases.

The latter arrangement is seen as functionally locking in more oil and gas leasing from an administration, such as President Joe Biden's, for which offshore wind is a priority but which wants to restrict or end federal oil and gas leasing programs.

The oil and gas industry has been entangled in legal fights over how the Biden administration has carried out its leasing responsibilities, including for Biden's attempt to pause all new oil and gas leasing, a decision that was put on hold by a federal judge last year. The NOIA is a party to some of those suits.

Milito said that with the reconciliation bill's oil and gas leasing provisions, the offshore oil and gas sector will "go back, hopefully, to business as usual."

"When you look at the Gulf of Mexico, the future was becoming more and more uncertain based on the policies that have been advanced by the administration," Milito told the Washington Examiner.

Beyond the oil and gas leasing provisions, the bill provides tax credits for clean energy, including wind, designed to incentivize the deployment of more carbon-free generating sources. It also makes more acreage for offshore wind available for potential leasing by pulling back moratoria on areas in the southeastern U.S. and eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Milito said the bill's higher royalty rate for offshore oil and gas production is among the bill's drawbacks but noted the new minimum rate of 16.66% is lower than the 20% minimum rate contemplated in the House-passed Build Back Better Act. He emphasized further that the bill is "favorable across the board" for oil, gas, and wind.

"We're just not seeing negatives in the legislation that counter-weigh anything on the positive side that we have here for our members," he said.

The NOIA's stamp of approval sets it apart from other prominent industry groups representing oil and gas interests, which have largely come out against the tax and climate change spending bill.

Mike Sommers, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, said the group welcomes the provisions for oil and gas leasing and carbon capture technologies but said it's "opposed to policies that raise taxes and discourage investment in U.S. oil and natural gas."

Sommers also complained that the bill excluded reform measures for infrastructure permitting, which the industry sees as critical for enabling more oil and gas production to help relieve high prices. Congress is expected to take up permitting reform in separate legislation, according to a deal outlined by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's office.

Separately, the American Exploration and Production Council, which represents large independent oil and gas producers, encouraged the House to vote against the bill.

Anne Bradbury, AXPC's CEO, asserted the bill "will raise energy costs for the American people, hurt our nations competitiveness, and threaten our nations energy security," referencing the bill's methane fee plan, as well as the higher royalty rates.

Republicans in the Senate unilaterally opposed the Democrats' bill, and House Republicans are expected to do the same in spite of the provisions favoring oil and gas leasing. Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for seeking to restrict oil and gas development on federal lands and waters in the face of high energy prices.

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At the same time, the reconciliation bill won over numerous environmental groups, even those that are hawkish against oil and gas development, because of the hundreds of billions of dollars it provides for green energy and climate change mitigation measures.

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Offshore group backs Democrats' energy bill in split with oil and gas industry - Washington Examiner

Israel's military revealed on Tuesday that Gaza's Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist group was involved in a failed attempt to launch a drone toward Israel's Tamar offshore gas rig during this past weekend's Operation Breaking Dawn.

The terrorist group's unsuccessful launch of an unmanned aircraft from Gaza prompted Israel's army to step up its efforts to protect the platform located 14 miles off the coast of Ashkelon in southern Israel.

2 View gallery

Tamar gas field in Mediterranean Sea

(Photo: Albatross Aerial Photography)

Fuel was removed from the rig and it was temporarily taken offline at the start of the fighting between Hamas and Israel. The move during last year's conflict with Hamas came at the order of then-energy minister Yuval Steinitzs office.

2 View gallery

Iron Dome missile defense launched to intercept rocket fire from Gaza

(Photo: Reuters )

According to Israeli military estimates, the PIJ launched around 1,175 rockets from the Palestinian coastal enclave at Israel during the three days of conflict that ended late Sunday night with an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire.

About 200 fell short within the Gaza Strip. Two of the misfires resulted in the deaths of at least 11 people, including seven children.

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IDF reveals Islamic Jihad tried to launch drone toward offshore gas rig - Ynetnews

The Netherlands-based engineering company Iv-Offshore & Energy has developed a platform that uses offshore wind energy to produce 85 kilotonnes of hydrogen per year.

With a capacity of 500 MW, the platform can produce enough green hydrogen in a single day to power more than 300,000 hydrogen cars to drive at least 100 kilometres, the company states. According to information available on the companys website, the platform has a production capacity of 10,000 kilograms of green hydrogen per hour.

Iv-Offshore & Energy performed the complete design of the offshore hydrogen platform, from the process design and the integration of the electrolyser systems to the Balance of Plant, jacket design, and auxiliary systems.

The dimensions of the offshore hydrogen production platform are comparable to the 1.3 GW High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) substation the company designed for RWEs Sofia offshore wind farm in the UK.

The platform weighs 21,000 tonnes (including the topside, jacket and jacket piles) and can be installed in water depths of up to 45 metres.

Now that offshore wind farms are increasingly located further and further away from the coast, the necessity to integrate sustainable energy systems is imperative. Large volumes of electricity produced from offshore wind farms cannot simply be fed into the onshore high-voltage grid at peak times, Iv-Offshore & Energy states.

However, converting it to hydrogen provides a possibility to enable bringing this renewable energy ashore for use. Hydrogen gas is simple and less expensive to transport and store than electricity, and existing or new pipelines can be used.

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Dutch Company Develops Offshore Wind-Powered Hydrogen Production Platform - Offshore WIND