Category Archives: Offshore

With the Biden administration aiming to expand renewable energy projects along the East Coast, research from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) shows high support from coastal recreation visitors.

Recreation, which accounts for nearly $1.5 billion in annual economic impact for New Hampshire, remains an essentialeconomicsector.

UNH found widespread support, with nearly77% of coastal recreation visitors supporting offshore wind development(OWD) along the New Hampshire Seacoast.

This study takes a closer look at the lingering assumption that offshore wind in the United States might hurt coastal recreation and tourism when in fact, we found the opposite, said Michael Ferguson, assistant professor of recreation management and policy. Our findings suggest that OWD will likely have little impact on coastal recreation and tourism, and in some instances, may even help amplify visitation.

The study, which surveyed visitors at 18 different zones across the Seacoast, including beaches, marinas, boat launches, yacht clubs and angling locations, provided 50% of respondents with a simulation of the proposed development, while the other 50% did not view it.

Findings indicate that there was no impact on support whether or not the respondent viewed the simulation.

Most of these coastal recreation visitors frequented the area, so these are people with strong ties to the N.H. Seacoast, said Ferguson. And, since OWD has had its hurdles gaining traction and acceptance in the United States, our findings suggest that coastal recreation visitors are open and supportive of it and policymakers, natural resource managers, and the OWD industry should recognize coastal recreation and tourism as critical stakeholder sectors.

Despite widespread tourist support, Roger Stephenson, Northeast Regional advocacy director for the Climate & Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, noted that OWD and the fishing industry must understand and accommodate one another in order to be successful.

The devil is in the details, lets talk about that, said Stephenson. There will be people lets call this a surf and turf story. The fishing industry needs to adopt a willing suspension of disbelief. Well need wind turbine operators to understand and work with fishermen. The turf are the people here in the state who will be faced with changes in the grid. There may be new grid related construction.

Stephenson noted that due to climate change, the Rhode Island lobster industry has been kneecapped by ambivalent action on renewable energy.

[Rhode Island] dont have a lobster industry anymore, the waters are too warm. The fishermen are adapting to catching different kinds of fish and more squid, said Stephenson. They have to adapt, the ocean is changing, it has absorbed 90% of the heat from human-induced climate change.

Maine, which is responsible for 90% of the nations lobster yield, has benefited from climate change for the past two decades.

In an interview withThe New York Times,Dave Cousens, former president of the Maine Lobstermens Association outlined climate changes impact on the states lobster industry.

Climate change really helped us for the last 20 years, said Cousens. Climate change is going to kill us, in probably the next 30.

Astudyconducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that the Gulf of Maine is warming 99.9% faster than the rest of the planets oceans, and will continue to warm at an accelerated rate for the next 80 years.

Stephenson believes the benefits of off-shore wind development far outweigh the potential drawbacks.

I think ecosystems are being harmed much, much more from the impacts of a changing climate than they would be from the infrastructure that comes with offshore wind, said Stephenson.

Tom Burack, former commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and current attorney and consultant with Sheehan Phinney in Manchester, echoed Stephensons urgency on OWD development.

Its becoming increasingly apparent that to achieve carbon free electricity [in New England] it will be [essential] to develop offshore wind projects, said Burack. The ultimate goal has to be to go completely renewable, but the matter is how long it will take to get there.

New Hampshires State Climate Action Plan developed in 2008-2009by the Climate Change Policy Task Force appointed by then-Gov. John Lynch aims to achieve the greatest feasible reductions in greenhouse gas emissions while also providing the greatest possible long-term economic benefits to New Hampshire, according to the plan.

Developed under Buracks leadership, the plan recommends that New Hampshire reduce its emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050 and achieve a mid-term goal of 20% below 1990 levels by 2025

Currently, the plans mid-term and long-term goals are aspirational , and is not legally binding. In February, the New Hampshire House of Representatives considered proposed legislation to codify the Climate Action Plans goals into law, with a target of net-zero emissions by 2050, but the bill did not advance.

Nevertheless, Burack sees cause for optimism if new renewable sources of electricity can help meet current demand levels while also servicing a transition to electric vehicles and more electric heating of homes and buildings.

The bottom line here is the future is very bright. We have so much to look forward to because we see that[with offshore wind and other renewables]there are ways for us to both address climate change and strengthen our economy, create new jobs and[at the same time continue to]protect[and enjoy]the natural resources here in New Hampshire that we all cherish, said Burack.

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Support grows for offshore wind development on Seacoast - The New Hampshire

Offshore staff

MELBOURNE, Australia BHP has produced first oil from the Ruby project offshore Trinidad and Tobago.

Ruby is in the shallow water in block 3(a) within the Greater Angostura field. The development consists of oil and gas production from the Ruby and Delaware reservoirs via five production wells and one gas injector well tied back into existing operated processing facilities.

According to the company, the Ruby project closely aligns with its Petroleum strategy of advancing high return growth opportunities tied back to established infrastructure. At completion, Ruby is expected to have capacity to produce up to 16,000 b/d of oil and 80 MMcf/d of natural gas.

Geraldine Slattery, BHP President Petroleum, said: An ocean bottom node seismic survey acquired by BHP and the block 3(a) partners in 2018, was utilized to illuminate and optimally position the Ruby project development wells.

Drilling and completions activities at Ruby are ongoing, with subsequent wells to be placed into production in 2Q and 3Q 2021. Project completion is expected in 3Q 2021.

The Ruby development is a joint venture between BHP (operator; 68.46% interest) and The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd. (31.54% interest).

05/05/2021

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BHP brings Ruby onstream offshore Trinidad and Tobago - Offshore Oil and Gas Magazine

Offshore staff

OSLO, Norway The Borr Drilling jackup Norve will move on to a new target in the Dussafu license offshore Gabon, after completing the DHIBM-2 Hibiscus Extension well.

According to operator BW Energy, there were no hydrocarbons in the target Gamba reservoir, with logging results suggesting the Gamba formation is water wet.

The Norve continues drilling operations to intersect secondary targets for the appraisal well in the deeper Dentale formation.

After completing this operation, the rig will drill the DTM-7H production well at the Tortue field, followed by another exploration well on the Hibiscus North prospect.

The partners plan to analyze data from the DHIBM-2 well for integration into the larger Dussafu model in order to refine the exploration prospect inventory.

The DHIBM-1 well and its appraisal side track, drilled in 2019, discovered recoverable reserves in the Hibiscus structure estimated at 46.1 MMbbl.

05/06/2021

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Norve to resume production drilling offshore Gabon - Offshore Oil and Gas Magazine

Equity markets continue to remain choppy and the yield to maturity (YTM) on debt instruments are unable to keep up with inflation levels (CPI), pegged at 5.52 percent as of March 2021. It is no surprise that many affluent investors are seeking customised investment solutions where they can make relatively stable and stress-free returns. Cue: alternative asset classes.

The umbrella term alternative assets includes everything from professionally managed hedge funds and private equity to speculative options such as art, collectibles, jewellery or even fine wine.

The options we will be exploring are on the structured end of the spectrum. Such alternative assets could be privately or publicly held, offer some sort of diversification from traditional options, have a clear investment mandate and manage volatility well.

REITs and InvITs

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) are turning out to be lucrative alternatives to debt instruments. These trusts operate in a manner that is similar to how mutual funds run. However, the underlying asset for REITs is real estate instead of stocks or bonds, and infrastructure projects such as roadways, highways, power transmission lines and gas pipelines for InvITs.

Instead of taking exposure to a single asset, REITs allow investors to gain fractional ownership in a bouquet of high-quality rent yielding properties, while InvITs give access to long-term, income generating public utility assets.

The cash flow generated from the investments via leasing/ operational income and interest income is distributed as dividend to investors. While the initial yields range between 6 percent and 8 percent, as rental income and occupancy increase, the prospects can go up to anywhere between 11 percent and 14 percent.

Also read: Why have mutual funds increased exposure to REITs and InvITs?

Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs)

AIFs are privately pooled investment vehicles that do not come under the purview of SEBIs regulations. However, they do need a certification to operate as one. Depending on the investment mandate, AIFs can operate under three broad categories I, II and III.

Category I: Venture Capital funds, SMEs or infrastructure funds, social venture funds (ESG), etc.

Category II: PE Funds, REITs, debt funds or fund of funds.

Category III: Hedge funds or open ended funds that use complex trading strategies.

Category I and II funds have a minimum lock-in of three years, while Category III funds are open-ended, and the taxation rules also differ from one category to another.

AIFs present the opportunity to diversify in non-traditional asset classes or pursue a specific investment strategy. However, the minimum investment threshold of Rs 1 crore per investor makes it a pretty exclusive club to get into. As of date, there are over 500 AIFs registered with SEBI, each with a different investment theme and strategy, with annual returns for some funds being as high as 30 percent.

Offshore investments

The increase in limit for outward remittance to $250,000 (in a financial year) under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) gives investors the opportunity to create a diversified international portfolio and hedge domestic volatility with uncorrelated asset classes. They explore everything from direct equity, mutual funds and ETFs to immovable property.

Investments in publicly listed options are possible through various avenues like multi-stock market FinTech platforms and feeder funds of Indian AMCs. Many affluent families also consider an opportunity to set up base in another country as some real estate businesses and even countries offer lucrative investment choices bundled with residency or citizenship. Additionally, this is a viable option for those wanting to send their children to universities abroad.

Attractive returns, transparent investment policies, tax breaks and arbitrage gains on repatriation are some of the reasons that make offshore investments hot.

Also read: Investing lessons from crorepatis: Know what to follow and what to avoid

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Why HNIs are investing more in offshore and alternative assets - Moneycontrol.com

The coronavirus pandemic that has India in its grip has not spared the industry with some 80 workers at Oil & Natural Gas Corporations (ONGC) Heera field operations in the Mumbai High offshore area testing positive in recent days, according to local media.

State-owned giant ONGC has again been hit with outbreaks of the potentially deadly disease among its staff and contractors, following similar outbreaks last June and August.

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Of the total ONGC workers now affected at Heera, around one third are employees and the rest are contractors, reported Money Control. It is not known whether production has been affected at the offshore field.

Positive cases of Covid-19 have reportedly been detected among ONGC-owned jack-up rigs including Sagar Uday and Sagar Ratna.

Meanwhile, Indian drilling contractor Aban Offshore confirmed that for the second time in just a few weeks it has suspended operations with its jack-up Aban IV, owing to outbreak of Covid-19. The rig too had been working for ONGC on its Mumbai High asset offshore Indias west coast.

Only last month the coronavirus forced Aban to suspend work with the jack-up Aban III, which is also on contract with ONGC, although operations on this rig restarted after a hiatus of around 10 days.

The drilling contractor has not revealed how many crew members were affected.

Like many operators, ONGC has adjusted its roster patterns for offshore workers because of the pandemic, stepped up routine testing and imposed quarantine measures in an attempt to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Even so, 2020 saw reported outbreaks of the disease and one fatality among workers on facilities at Mumbai High and its Bassein field.

During last years lockdown, Indias oil demand fell by 1.2 million barrels per day year-on-year in the second quarter, equal to about a 25% decrease, according to consultant Wood Mackenzie.

"Weve not seen anything this severe yet in the current crisis. And while many states and territories have implemented restrictions in movement, without a full nationwide lockdown, we expect the impact on oil demand to be more modest: road traffic oil demand in April 2021 is estimated to be down by about 20% to 25%," said Qiaoling Chen, WoodMac senior analyst, APAC oils & refining research.

"Ironically, it is the scale of the current crisis that is offering some support to oil demand. Responding to such large numbers of infections is resulting in a significant increase in personal mobility and transportation of medical equipment and supplies. Meanwhile, under current restrictions much of Indias economic activity is still permitted, particularly within the industrial sector."

As such, the consultant expects expect demand losses to be concentrated in the second quarer at around 200,000 bpd, with gasoline, diesel and jet fuel combined accounting for most of this contraction.

"Of course, there are significant downside risks to this view, particularly if the duration and extent of the crisis increases," added Chen.

"If lockdown is extended for the entire month of May in those states with the most severe current restrictions, then we could see loss of oil demand for the second quarter of 2021 in the range of 300,000 to 500,000 bpd. Should a nationwide lockdown be imposed then losses will inevitably increase further."

Given the impact of the coronavirus crisis, WoodMac now expects Indias gas market to grow by around 5% in 2021, "noticeably slower than the 8.7% recovery anticipated before the ongoing increase in infections".

India had reported 20.7 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 226,000 deaths as of 5 May although the actual numbers could be much higher given the large rural population.

Updated to include comment from consultant Wood Mackenzie.

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Coronavirus strikes again offshore India - Upstream Online

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo courtesy ofBiksuTong/Shutterstock

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

The Inquirer and Mirror

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click hereto sign up for Above the Fold, The Inquirer and Mirrors twice-weekly newsletter, bringing you both the news and a slice of island life, curated with content created by Nantuckets only team of professionally-trained journalists.

For up-to-the-minute information on Nantuckets breaking news, boat and plane cancellations, weather alerts, sports and entertainment news, deals and promotions at island businesses and more, Sign up for Inquirer and Mirror text alerts.Click Here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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