Markets: The Challenges of Developing Floating Wind at Scale
Tens of gigawatts of floating wind projects are slated for development in this and the next decade, but many obstacles remain.There has been much focus on the emerging floating wind market of late.The U.K. is forging ahead with commercial scale floating wind developments through the Scotwind and INTOG awards of at least 24 gigawatts (GW) of floating wind capacity representing close to 1,500 floating turbines that will come on stream through 2030. And this will be soon followed by the award of at least 4 GW of capacity through the Celtic Sea floating wind auctions. The U.S.
Stepping on the Gas: Rochester Researchers Team to tackle Methane Emissions
With global temperatures rising, oceans warming and ice caps melting, carbon dioxide attracts the bulk of the blame throughout media, public discourse and academia. All too many—save some scientists and researchers—neglect methane, the second biggest greenhouse gas that’s influenced by human activity. Often associated with livestock production and ruminant flatulence, methane has both natural and anthropogenic sources and is garnering more attention as science strives to understand the holistic…
Price is the Elephant in Australia's LNG, Domestic Gas Conundrum
Australia's threat to curb exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in order to ensure domestic supplies is another unwelcome pressure on a tight global market for the super-chilled fuel.But it's not an immediate threat, and it may also not materialize at all, depending on how the various players in Australia react to the government's planned action.What needs to be addressed effectively is the elephant in the room, namely the price at which natural gas is made available to domestic consumers relative to the price the gas companies can receive for their LNG on the global market.Australia vies with the United States
The Port Logistics Challenges of Offshore Wind
Some equations just don’t add up. For example, storing 500 offshore wind turbine blades at a site with only space for 400 (and that’s only if you don’t store the other key elements required to build a full turbine). Elaine Maslin visited Siemens Gamesa’s blade manufacturing facility in Hull, UK, to find out more.Storage space is becoming a major challenge that’s looming for ports involved in the fast-evolving offshore wind industry. It’s already becoming a challenge for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy at its blade manufacturing facility in Hull, on England’s east coast.
Crowley LNG Bunker Barge to Sport TGE Marine Gas Controls, Tanks
TGE Marine Gas Engineering GmbH (TGE Marine) inked a deal for a 12,000 cu. m. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunkering barge with Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding for the design and supply of the cargo handling system including two 6,000 cu. m. bilobe Type C tanks designed to transport LNG at -163°C.The barge will be built by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding for Crowley and operate under a long-term charter with Shell NA LNG, LLC. The 12,000 m3 barge will be the largest of its kind built in the United States so far and is expected to start operations along the US East Coast in 2024.
ConocoPhillips Beefs Up Stake in Australia Pacific LNG
ConocoPhillips has completed the acquisition of an additional 10% stake in Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) from Origin Energy for $1.645 billion. After customary closing adjustments, cash paid for the additional interest is approximately $1.4 billion (AU$2.0 billion). The transaction resulted from the exercise of ConocoPhillips’ preemption right and is funded from cash on the company’s balance sheet.ConocoPhillips now owns a 47.5% interest in APLNG, with Origin Energy and Sinopec owning 27.5% and 25% interests, respectively.
South Korea's POSCO Launches Takeover Bid for Australia's Senex Energy
Australian coal seam gas producer Senex Energy Ltd said it had received a $605 million takeover proposal from POSCO International Corp and was opening up its books to the South Korean trader with the aim of gaining a sweeter offer.The A$815 million or A$4.40 per share offer from POSCO International, the trading arm of steel giant POSCO, has already been twice-improved, Senex said."The Senex Board believes it is in the best interests of its shareholders to continue to engage with POSCO International and will assess any proposal received on its merits…
MacGregor Inks Deal to Supply LNG Bunker Barge Hose Handling Cranes
MacGregor received an order from Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding to supply two fixed boom cranes that will handle the hoses on a new 5,400 cubic meter capacity liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker barge currently under construction and estimated to be delivered by the end of 2021.The MacGregor Rapp HP63-13F cranes will handle the hoses that transfer LNG from the barge to the LNG-powered vessel during bunkering operations. The hoses will be 63 feet long and designed to handle 6,500 pounds at 42 feet and 1…
Offshore Wind Will Bring Jobs, Growth to New Jersey, Other Coastal States
NOIA President Erik Milito issued the following statement after New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced the creation of the nation's first purpose-built marshalling and manufacturing port dedicated to the offshore wind industry:"New Jersey is making a smart move by betting on offshore wind. A thriving and innovative American offshore wind sector is close, but we need to invest in improved ports and infrastructure to make it a reality. Expanded port and manufacturing facilities up and down the East Coast will bolster the construction bandwidth for offshore wind…
Largest Wind Turbines for U.S. Largest Offshore Wind Project
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy's new wind turbines with up to 15MW capacity have been earmarked for an offshore wind project in the U.S.First, the company on Tuesday morning said it was planning to deploy the giant SG 14-222 DD offshore Direct Drive wind turbines at the 300 MW Hai Long 2 project in Taiwan.Later on the same day, SGRE said the same type of turbine - launched just last week - would conditionally be supplied to the massive 2,640-MW Dominion Energy Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) commercial project.
Tekmar Boosts U.S. Offshore Wind Presence
Tekmar Group, a UK-based offshore services provider, has announced the involvement of its operating companies; Ryder Geotechnical, Agiletek Engineering, Tekmar Energy, and Pipeshield International in the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project (CVOW) on the East Coast of the US.The 12 MW CVOW project is the first offshore wind project in US federal waters. It includes the deployment of two 6MW commercial-scale offshore wind turbines that will help to determine the best practices for future offshore wind projects located on the East Coast.Ryder Geotechnical…
Virus Lockdowns Pummel Global Gas Demand, Force LNG Output Cuts
Lockdowns to slow the coronavirus pandemic are pummelling gas demand in the world's biggest buyers of liquefied natural gas (LNG), pushing Asia's spot prices to record lows and forcing some suppliers to start cutting output. Economies worldwide have ground to a halt as virus containment measures have taken their toll, slashing gas demand for power generation, heating, cooking, vehicles and chemical manufacture. The world's biggest LNG markets - Japan, China, South Korea, and India - are all seeing a drop in demand.
Reinauer Group Ramps Up for the Business of Offshore Wind
The promise of a vibrant U.S. offshore wind business has been long in the making. While questions remain on timing and pace, there is renewed confidence in the offshore wind sector, particularly in the northeast United States (global pandemic notwithstanding). Investment in the sector had escalated to start 2020, embodied best by Reinauer Group and its WindServe Marine unit, which when combined with its Senesco Marine boatbuilding and logistics hub give its an ‘ A-to-Z, soup-to-nuts’ enviable position to build…
Upstream Sector Leads O&A M&A in 2019
A latest research revealed that the upstream sector accounted for the bulk of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the global oil and gas industry in 2019, generating some high-value transactions during the process.According to GlobalData's theme report, ‘M&A in Oil and Gas – 2020’, the acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum by Occidental Petroleum in April 2019 for a purchase consideration of US$57bn was the highlight of oil and gas M&A activity last year, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.Ravindra Puranik…
Vineyard Wind to Miss Startup Target Over Permit Delay
Vineyard Wind, the developer of the first major U.S. offshore wind farm, said on Tuesday it will miss its target to start sending power to Massachusetts by 2022 due to lengthy federal permitting delays.The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, part of the U.S. Department of Interior, posted a revised permitting timeline on its website on Tuesday that said it will issue a final decision on the project by Dec. 18, more than a year after its previous target of August 2019."While we need to analyze what a longer permitting timeline will mean for beginning construction…
Offshore Wind: Half Empty or Half Full?
As a new decade starts, offshore wind development continues to progress. Actually, it’s probably more accurate to write that the development of the development of offshore wind (OFW) continues to, uh, well, develop.Apologies for that mild sarcasm. But even a quick look-back at OFW always raises the same familiar question: is the glass half empty or half full?Consider developments in the east coast leader in offshore wind: New York.In a webinar in December New York’s NYSERDA – New York State Energy Research and Development Authority – provided an update and summary on the State’s 2019 offshore wind initiatives…
Are OSVs Fit for Refit for Offshore Wind?
While it is generally agreed that the nascent offshore wind energy market in the U.S. will be a newbuild market, there is a repair and conversion possibility for some stacked OSVs.Though estimates on the pace of the offshore wind energy market in the U.S. vary widely, the direction is clear: offshore wind will be a huge marketplace for construction and support vessels to be deployed in U.S. waters over the next decade. The starting point for estimated vessel demand is the raft of projects along the U.S. East Coast, and to a lesser extent, in the Pacific waters, now in the pipeline.
Triton Knoll Installs Turbines
UK's Able Seaton Port (ASP) has begun latest transformation into multi-million Triton Knoll turbine base.Preparatory works are underway to transform Able Seaton Port (Able) for its role at the heart of turbine installation for Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm.Able Seaton Port was selected by MHI Vestas Offshore Wind in 2018 to be the offshore wind turbine pre-assembly base for the 857MW Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm.The 90 turbine Triton Knoll project and MHI Vestas are jointly investing in the works at the Teesside facility…
Fire-Damaged Philadelphia Oil Refinery Heads for Auction
The fate of the largest East Coast oil refinery is set to be decided on Friday in an auction that could determine whether the Philadelphia plant is restarted or used for a different purpose for the first time in over a century.The refinery's owner, Philadelphia Energy Solutions, is scheduled to reveal the winning bidder on Wednesday during a hearing at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, which will need to approve the sale.PES fell into bankruptcy on July 21, a month after a fire and explosions destroyed a portion of its 335,000 barrel-per-day oil refinery complex.
Offshore Wind: Decisions Needed Sooner, not Later
On September 26, the State University of New York Maritime College hosted a conference on the emerging east coast offshore wind industry. “Offshore Wind Power, Planning for America’s Ocean Energy” focused on four fundamental topics:• East Coast Wind Farm Overview – Status of the Industry.• Jobs and Supply Chain Technical Working Group.• Wind Farm Port Development.• Offshore Wind Maritime Operations.In some ways, actually clocking in for a day’s work on an offshore wind turbine is tantalizingly close. Ditto for power flowing from an offshore substation to a mainland interconnection.
