Wind Beats Solar in Danish Green Energy Auction
Wind emerged as the most competitive power source in Denmark's first auction where wind and solar competed for state subsidies on equal footing to deliver power at the lowest price.Subsidies which have underpinned the growth of renewable energy are cooling as governments around the world opt for more competitive contract tenders, favoring project developers that submit the lowest bids.Denmark, which hopes to end green subsidies altogether before 2030, has adopted new rules under which wind and solar projects compete on equal…
Poland and Denmark to Build Baltic Gas Pipeline
Poland's gas grid operator Gaz-System and its Danish counterpart have given the final go-ahead to invest in building a gas pipeline linking Poland with Norway's deposits via the Baltic Sea and Denmark, Gaz-System said on Friday.The 900-kilometres (560-mile) pipeline, known as the Baltic Pipe, is a Polish project designed to reduce its reliance on Russian gas. The Baltic Pipe is expected to be ready in 2022 when Poland's long-term deal with Russia's Gazprom expires.(Reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko; Editing by Adrian Croft)
Orsted Plots $30 Bln Green Energy Investment
Denmark's Orsted will invest $30 billion in green energy up to 2025, it said on Wednesday, as it seeks to become one of a handful of future "renewable majors" leading a global transition from fossil fuels to green energy.While renewable energy technology is now able to compete with traditional power sources, the industry remains vulnerable to changing political winds as governments around the world scramble on how to address climate change.Orsted, the world's largest offshore wind developer, said it would have 15 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power capacity by 2025…
Ørsted Completes Divestment in Hornsea 1 Offshore Wind Farm
Danish offshore wind farm developer Orsted A/S has completed the divestment of 50% of the Hornsea 1 Offshore Wind Farm to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).Three months ago, Ørsted signed an agreement to sell 50% of the 1,218MW offshore wind farm Hornsea 1 to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). Hornsea 1 is under construction and will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when commissioned in 2020.As part of the agreement, Ørsted will construct the wind farm under a full-scope EPC contract. Ørsted will also provide…
Fred. Olsen Windcarrier Installs 400th Wind Turbine
Denmark-based offshore wind farms service provider Fred. Olsen Windcarrier has marked a milestone in offshore wind turbine installation as it installed the 400th unit.The turbine has been installed at Vattenfall’s Horns Rev 3 offshore wind farm in Denmark using the jack-up vessel Brave Tern.Horns Rev 3 will consist of a total of 49 V164-8.3 MW turbines from MHI Vestas Offshore Wind and will supply power to 425.000 Danish households once finished.Recently Bold Tern finished the installation of 56 V164-8.3 MW turbines for Ørsted…
Google to Tap the Power of Offshore Wind
Google invests $700 mln in Danish data center, secures green energyGoogle will invest almost $700 million in a Danish data centre, the latest investment in the Nordic region which is known for its abundant renewable energy.Google said it would match the new centre's use of energy made from fossil fuels with green energy generated through so-called power purchase agreements (PPAs).The Nordic countries, which can generate electricity relatively cheaply from renewable sources such as hydropower and wind, have long been a magnet for heavy power-using industries…
Finland Eyes Imports of Piped Gas via Baltics, Poland
Finland could in future receive gas from Norway via a network of pipes being planned through the Baltic countries and Poland, as part of an effort to reduce its dependency on gas imports from Russia.Helsinki and Tallinn are constructing a gas pipeline under the Gulf of Finland to Estonia, called Balticconnector and with a capacity to transport 7.2 million cubic meters of gas per day."The plan is for Finland to get fully connected to the European gas network and access gas from other sources such as ... Norwegian gas," Herkko Plit…
COWI Expands in US Offshore Wind Energy
In a major developement, international consulting group COWI announced it plan to increase its presence in the USA significantly with the consultancy contract with Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts – the first major US offshore wind energy project.The Denmark-based specialist in engineering, environmental science and economics said in a release that the project is part of a masterplan to construct 10 GW offshore wind farms.The next seven years will see 10 GW offshore wind farms be developed on the northern East Coast – including Massachusetts…
Largest-ever Bismuth Plug Deployed
Metal-to-metal downhole sealing solutions provider BiSN said it recently deployed the largest-ever bismuth plug in the Valhall A-30 well, Norway, in conjunction with AkerBP and Altus Intervention.BiSN’s Wel-lok M2M technology – which can be utilized during well and rigless well abandonment – was deployed via E-line in collaboration with Altus Intervention in AkerBP’s Valhall A-30 well in the Norwegian North Sea.Conducted as a field trial, the tool was set to evaluate the effectiveness of bismuth as a permanent seal for P&A operations in lieu of cement.
HH Ferries Launches Battery-powered Passenger Vessels
Swedish HH Ferries Group has inaugurated the two ferries Aurora and Tycho Brahe as the world’s largest battery-powered passenger ferries on the route between Helsingborg, Sweden and Helsingör, Denmark.A press release from the owner of the ferry route which is marketed under the trademark Scandlines Helsingborg-Helsingör quoted Johan Röstin, CEO as saying: “Today’s official inauguration marks a milestone for HH Ferries Group’s green strategy. The ambitious project reduces the company’s total emissions of CO2, NOx and particles…
Denmark-Netherlands Subsea Power Cable Reaches Dutch Coast
A subsea power line set to link the networks of Denmark and the Netherlands reached the Dutch coast on Friday as part of plans to share excess electricity from wind farms and other sources.The 325 km (202 mile) long COBRAcable, short for Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam, has a capacity of around 700 megawatts (MW) and is expected to become fully operational in the third quarter of 2019."This is an important step towards the integration of electricity networks in western Europe," said Jeroen Brouwers, spokesman for Dutch grid operator TenneT."We will now have the first link between the Netherlands and Denmark, adding to existing connections with Norwa
OMV Optimistic Denmark Will Approve Nord Stream 2 Next Year
Austrian energy group OMV , one of the companies that is financing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, is optimistic Denmark will approve the project next year and the new gas transport route will start operations late 2019, its chief executive said.The pipeline, which will double the gas Russia can pump under the Baltic Sea to Germany, bypassing traditional routes via Ukraine, has been strongly opposed by Poland and the United States. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose new sanctions that could hinder the project.Denmark has been caught up in the geopolitical conflict with Germany's support of the pipeline on one side and U.S.
Skangas Inks LNG Bunker Deal with Gothia Tanker Alliance
Skangas entered into an agreement with parts of the Gothia Tanker Alliance to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel.The new agreement comprises current as well as new vessels with LNG propulsion soon to come, said a press release from the supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the Nordic markets.The main Swedish shipping companies that will get the advantage of the supply agreement with Skangas are Furetank Rederi AB, Erik Thun AB and Rederi AB Älvtank. These shipping companies have invested in total six new LNG fueled…
China Oil Majors Eyeing Arctic Onshore Blocks
China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) and China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) have expressed interest in bidding for onshore oil and gas blocks in Greenland to be offered in 2021, officials from the island said on Tuesday.The Arctic island, a self-ruling part of Denmark, is shifting its oil and gas licensing strategy from offshore to onshore in an effort to generate revenues faster, they said.The next blocks to be tendered will be on the Disko Island and Nuussuaq Peninsula area of West Greenland, industry and energy minister Aqqalu Jerimiassen told Reuters on the sidelines of a Greenland Day event at the Danish embassy in Beijing.Jerimiassen…
Industry Groups Welcome Arctic Heavy Fuel Oil Ban
The Clean Arctic Alliance and indigenous groups welcomed the support given by member states to commence work on developing a ban on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil in Arctic waters as the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 73) closed last week in London.Support for commencing work, to mitigate the risks of using and carrying HFO fuel in the Arctic which includes developing a ban, at the PPR6 technical meeting, in February 2019, was voiced by Austria, Bangladesh, Canada…
BiSN Deploys Largest-ever Bismuth Plug
BiSN, the provider of metal-to-metal downhole sealing solutions, has achieved a world first in conjunction with AkerBP and Altus Intervention, through the successful deployment of the largest-ever bismuth plug.Following over a year of development, BiSN’s award-winning Wel-lok M2M technology – which can be utilised during well and rigless well abandonment – was deployed via E-line in collaboration with Altus Intervention in AkerBP’s Valhall A-30 well in the Norwegian North Sea.The Wel-lok M2M technology aims to bring substantial savings to operators by eliminating rig costs and doing the work rigless.Conducted as a field trial…
Siemens Gamesa Plans Assembly Plant in Taiwan
Wind turbine maker Siemens Gamesa will build an assembly plant in Taiwan if it gets a firm order from Denmark's Orsted to supply its 900-megawatt Greater Changhua offshore wind farm, the German-Spanish company said on Monday.Siemens Gamesa, which is battling Denmark's Vestas for dominance of the global wind turbine market, said it had been chosen as the preferred supplier for the project. This is usually the first step towards a firm contract.The assembly plant would be built near Taichung Harbor and be ready by 2021.
After Denmark, Noreco Eyes UK Acquisitions
Norwegian Energy Company (Noreco) plans to acquire offshore assets on Britain's continental shelf in 2019, following its purchase of Shell's upstream oil and gas licenses in Denmark, its chairman told Reuters on Thursday.The Oslo-listed company on Wednesday announced a $1.9 billion deal to acquire Shell's 36.8 percent stake in the Danish Underground Consortium (DUC), which accounts for 90 percent of Denmark's petroleum output."I think we should be capable of doing something in the U.K., hopefully in the first half of 2019, but definitely in 2019…
Shell Sells its Danish Upstream Assets for $1.9 Bln
Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to sell its Danish upstream business to Norwegian Energy (Noreco) in a deal valuing the assets at $1.9 billion, as part of its wider divestment strategy, the company said on Wednesday.The sale brings Shell's three-year $30 billion divestment plan close to its conclusion, having begun the process in 2015 after the acquisition of BG Group. Deals so far have included large portfolios in the British North Sea, Gabon, Thailand and Canada."Today's announcement is consistent with Shell's strategy to simplify…
Belgium's Northwester 2 Wind Project Gets $242 mln EIB Loan
Belgium's 219 megawatt (MW) Northwester 2 offshore wind farm project secured a 210 million euro ($242 million) loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB), the bank said on Friday.EIB said the project, estimated to cost around 642 million euros, was among four Belgian offshore wind projects it would support with the European Fund for Strategic Investments.It said another 100 million euros for the project would be guaranteed by Denmark's Export Credit Agency EKF.Construction is expected to start in May 2019 and the farm will become operational in 2020.The 23 MHI Vestas wind turbines with a capacity of 9.5 MW each, will generate an estimated 219 MW of p
