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Daily Archives: April 11, 2021
The fresh alternative to offshore fish farms | Greenbiz – GreenBiz
Posted: April 11, 2021 at 6:05 am
A tidal wave of interest is building in farming the seas. Its part of a global rush to exploit oceanic resources thats been dubbed the "blue acceleration."
Optimistic projections say that smart mariculture fish farming at sea could increase ocean fish and shellfish production by 21 million to 44 million metric tons by 2050, a 36 to 74 percent jump from current yields. Other estimates suggest that an ocean aquaculture area the size of Lake Michigan might produce the same amount of seafood as all of the worlds wild-caught fisheries combined.
Our work as interdisciplinary researchers studying aquatic food systems shows that these claims exaggerate maricultures true potential, and that increasing mariculture in a sustainable way is fraught with challenges.
We see freshwater fish farms as a better way to help fight hunger and bolster food security. In our view, governments, funders and scientists should focus on improving aquaculture on land to help meet the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals.
Ocean aquaculture advocates often cite limited supplies of wild-caught fish and call for cultivating them to feed the world. As they see it, aquaculture on land is limited by scarce land and freshwater resources, while the oceans offer vast areas suitable for farming.
Framed this way, mariculture seems to offer boundless potential to meet future demand for seafood and feed vulnerable populations with little environmental impact. But our research paints a different picture. We see far fewer technical, economic and resource constraints for freshwater aquaculture than for ocean farming, and far greater potential for land-based fish farms to contribute to global food security.
Freshwater aquaculture has grown steadily over the past three decades. Asia is at the center of this boom, accounting for 89 percent of world aquaculture production, excluding plants.
The most important species groups carp, tilapia and catfish are herbivorous or omnivorous, so they dont need to eat animal protein to thrive. While they may be fed small amounts of fish to speed growth, their mainstay diet consists of inexpensive byproducts of crops such as rice, groundnut and soy, as well as natural plankton.
Its relatively cheap and easy to grow freshwater fish in small earthen ponds. Aquaculture has been an economic boon, especially in Asia, providing jobs and income for vast numbers of family farms, workers and small businesses. Farmed freshwater fish tend to be an affordable staple food for millions of low- and middle-income consumers and many better-off ones, too.
Raising marine fish is a different proposition. The harsh ocean environment makes production risky, and the biology of these species makes many of them difficult and costly to breed and grow.
Most marine aquaculture species are carnivores, so they need other fish as part of their diets. About 20 million metric tons of fish caught each year is used instead to feed farmed fish. Its a contentious environmental and ethical issue, as some of these fish otherwise could be food for humans.
Improvements in technology have reduced, although not eliminated, the amount of fish used in feeds, especially for farmed salmon. It takes half as much fresh fish to raise salmon as it did 20 years ago.
Farmed salmon accounts for45%of all fish farmed from the sea.
These innovations were achieved through massive investments by the Norwegian government and the industry, dating back to the 1970s. Research focused on genetic improvement, nutrition and production systems, and its paid off. Farmed salmon accounts for 45 percent of all fish farmed from the sea.
However, its unlikely that other less popular fish, such as grouper, sea bass or cobia, will be as thoroughly researched or farmed with the same efficiency. The market is too small.
For a land-based analogy, think of chickens. Like salmon, they have long been the focus of intensive research and development. As a result, they grow to market size in just 45 days. On the other hand, the guinea fowl a chickenlike bird raised for specialty markets has undergone limited selective breeding, develops slowly and yields far less meat, making it more costly to raise and more expensive to buy.
Marine fish farming is currently done in sheltered bays and sea lochs. But there is growing interest in a new high-tech method that raises fish in huge submersible cages anchored far from land in the open ocean. Its risky business, with high operating costs. Expensive infrastructure is vulnerable to intense storms.
Offshore mariculture one day might produce luxury fish that generate profits for a few large investors.
To be successful, offshore farms will need to grow high-priced fish such as bluefin tuna. And they will need to operate at industrial scale, like SalMars massive "Ocean Farm" in Norway, which has capacity for 1.5 million fish.
While open-ocean mariculture may be technically feasible, its economic viability is questionable. Pilot projects in Norway, China and the U.S. are not yet commercially successful. And although there is strong global demand for salmon, other species such as grouper have small niche markets. They are likely to remain specialized high-end products because of steep production costs.
Human population is growing fastest in Africa, and incomes are rising most rapidly in Asia. Most additional future demand for fish will come from low- and middle-income consumers in these regions. Farming tilapia and catfish is already becoming more popular in Egypt and both West and East Africa.
Meanwhile, total seafood consumption in high-income countries has plateaued since 2000. But even in these countries, demand for farmed freshwater fish is growing because its an affordable source of protein. In the U.S., tilapia, pangasius (freshwater catfish) and channel catfish are the fourth, sixthand eighthmostconsumed seafood items.
Offshore mariculture might one day produce luxury fish that generate profits for a few large investors. But we believe freshwater aquaculture will continue to feed far more people and benefit many more farmers and small businesses.
Investments in selective breeding, disease control and farm management through public-private partnerships can create a more sustainable aquaculture industry, reducing the amount of land, freshwater and feed used to grow fish while increasing productivity. For more inclusive and sustainable development, we believe governments and funders should prioritize raising fish on land.
This story is part of Oceans 21Our series on the global ocean opened with five in-depth profiles. Look out for new articles on the state of our oceans in the lead up to the United Nations next climate conference, COP26. The series is brought to you by The Conversations international network.
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What New Yorks Offshore Wind Expansion Could Mean For Your Electricity Bill, Curbing Emissions, And Your Health – Gothamist
Posted: at 6:05 am
New York is on track to become a centerpiece for the nations offshore wind industry after President Joe Biden announced last week that the waters off the coast of Long Island and New Jerseythe New York Bightwould be a designated wind energy area.
The presidents commitment, in which the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) sets aside more areas of the ocean to lease for offshore wind development, effectively makes it possible for New York to achieve its climate action goals, which the state codified two years ago in landmark legislation. By 2035, the state aims to produce 9 gigawatts of offshore wind energy under its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
The New York State Energy Research & Development Authoritys acting president Doreen Harris said the magnitude of the opportunity gets lost in the jargon used. The 9 gigawatt (or 9,000 megawatts) requirement in New York amounts to keeping the lights on for 6 million homes, or 30% of New Yorks electricity.
What that represents is a wholesale changenot only in our energy system in the electrons that are serving you and me in our homes, but the broader opportunity that it represents from an economic development perspective, Harris said.
The president's plan cites an August 2020 study from the energy consulting firm Wood Mackenzie, which pushes the New York Bights potential to 11.5 gigawatts, 25,000 development and construction jobs between 2022 and 2030, and thousands of other jobs in operations and maintenance.
BOEM will also start reviewing the environmental impacts of New Jerseys first offshore wind project, Ocean Wind, a critical launching point. New Jersey has pledged to install 7.5 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035.
The only operating offshore wind farms in the U.S. are a 0.03-gigawatt plant with five turbines called Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island, and a two-turbine operation off Virginias coastline.
Before Bidens announcement, New York already had about 4.3 gigawatts of offshore wind energy in the worksspread across five different projects that havent begun construction but for which the state has awarded contracts. Among those includes a recent deal with the energy giant Equinor that would result in hundreds of jobs at ports around the state, including in Brooklyn. But Bidens announcement ensures more leasing areas would be available for offshore wind activities.
That wind energy area is the key component of it, said Joe Martens, the director of the New York Offshore Wind Alliance and former commissioner of the state environmental conservation department. We just dont get there without new lease areas available, so thats the connection.
Prior to Bidens announcement, monthly electricity bills were projected to rise just 81 cents, or 1.1%, under the states original plan for offshore wind projects for 2021 and beyond. Thats according to a cost analysis conducted by NYSERDA in June 2020. Those numbers might rise slightly given estimates from the states leadoff solicitation process for the first two offshore wind projects under NYSERDA predict a 73-cent increase, but the costs of making clean energy are also expected to fall over time. The prices related to Januarys deal with Equinor havent been published yet.
Its not clear how Bidens scale-up could impact New Yorks electricity costs, due to the many variables that go into leasing new sections of the New York Bight, a NYSERDA spokesperson said. But they added the agency is pleased with the momentum and scale of the new lease sale and is confident it will buoy this industry.
Those marginal costs will also be largely offset by the reduced health impacts created by decarbonizing the East Coasts energy system. About $700 million in health costs, specifically from hospitalization or premature deaths due to asthma and respiratory or heart disease, would be avoided from NYSERDAs first two projects. The net benefits from reduced carbon emissions due to offshore wind through 2030 amount to $4 billion under an analysis of how to achieve the states 2019 climate act, which requires New Yorks energy pool to be 70% renewable by 2030. That rises to $9.6 billion over the lifetime of the projects under the 2035 goals.
Offshore wind is a huge slice of the electricity we need to generate to meet those goals, Martens added. Biden campaigned on a pledge to reach 100% renewable electricity by 2035, but Congress has not made it law. House Democrats have introduced legislation to mandate it.
Costs in the offshore wind industry are dropping, too. New Yorks first two offshore wind projects yielded energy certificates that utility companies buy from NYSERDA to source electricity from renewable sources. Those certificates were nearly 40% less expensive in 2019 than predicted a year prior.
That was a huge game-changer for us, Harris said.
Offshore wind cost reductions in Europe are also encouraging the prospects for the industry here. The offshore wind industry is booming in Europe, and were benefitting a lot from the cost reductions that have been seen from that scale, and now were reproducing that scale here in the U.S., Harris said.
The White House also announced that $8 million would go towards 15 new research projects, funded by NYSERDA and the federal Department of Energy under the National Offshore Wind Research & Development Consortium. Those efforts will study supply chains, structures and wildlife. Three projects are in New York.
Bidens announcement represents a new commitment and a signal that governors in the Northeast have a partner in Washington D.C. to get it done, Martens said. Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement that Biden was removing the barriers put in place under former President Donald Trump, who had stalled offshore wind projects and, before becoming president, fought a wind farm planned for a site near his luxury golf course in Scotland, claiming it would be an eyesore.
Other critics worry about the construction along the shorelines. As The Guardian has reported, wealthy property owners in the Hamptons want to halt offshore wind development due to an underground cable that would be required to deliver electricity from windmills to the grid. The cable would run through beaches and beneath streets in a wealthy enclave of Long Island, which opponents claim will erode the beach and cause noise and fumes.
A coalition of fishing industry groups, the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, also questions the rapid development of wind energy and its impacts on scallops, squid and other marine life. The group accused the Biden administration of ignoring the fishing industry in the process.
Offshore wind energy development poses an enormous risk to the marine environment and sustainable U.S. seafood production, a statement from the group reads. The Biden Administrations disappointing fervor over its advancement continues an ineffective approach toward addressing climate change begun by previous administrations without demonstrating any willingness to include fisheries, ecosystem science, or our coastal communities in climate solutions.
But, environmental groups like the Sierra Club and the National Audubon Society support wind energy, though they emphasize wind farms should be sited and planned to avoid harming birds and bats. Shay OReilly, a New York City-based organizer with the Sierra Club, added that offshore wind development is an opportunity to build out a new manufacturing industry.
These are very, very large turbines with a lot of parts, and you're going to need a local supply chain, OReilly said. He added that a major threat to the fishing industries is climate change itselfwhich is heating oceans and sapping their oxygen.
We also really need to address climate change if were gonna have any fish left at all in our ocean, OReilly said.
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High H2 hopes rise, offshore’s tradewinds on an updraft and ‘a story of resilience and hope’ | Recharge – Recharge
Posted: at 6:05 am
Hydrogen seen by many as a skeleton key that will help the world unlock a carbon-neutral future flowed blue and green in the Recharge newsstream this week. Equinor and SSE Thermal launched plans for two low-carbon power stations in the UK that would be among the first in the world to utilise carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen technologies together, while Swedish utility Vattenfall, working with steel-maker SSAB and iron mining company LKAB, broke ground on a rock cavern-sited pilot project to store fossil-free hydrogen for use in green steel manufacture. And, showing how far-reaching hydrogen will be to the energy transition, French transport outfit Compagnie Fluvial de Transport announced the worlds flagship hydrogen-fuelled commercial cargo ships will soon be travelling down the Seine in Paris.
The money is lining up to support the macro-trend, evidenced this week in Europe by the founding of a 1bn ($1.2bn) fund called FiveT Hydrogen, headed up by former Air Liquide VP Pierre-Etienne Franc, that is focusing on accelerating the hydrogen economy with large-scale projects, and in India, the setting up of the India H2 Alliance, a coalition led by Reliance Industries and Chart Industries targeting commercialisation of hydrogen technologies and systems in the rapidly developing country.
Get the market insight you need into the global oil & gas industry's energy transition from the new newsletter from Upstream and Recharge. Sign up here
For those still debating whether blue (fossil-based with CCS) or green (renewables-generated) hydrogen is the hydrogen to back, BloombergNEF, in its latest report on the sector, nailed its colours to the mast, saying green hydrogen was set to rewrite the global energy map in the coming decades, and blue would make little economic sense by 2030.
Another week, another roll call of utilities and oil supermajors channelling big-scale capital into offshore wind projects. Sector pacesetters RWE and Orsted were awarded contracts for difference worth a combined 2.85GW in Polish offshore wind capacity, key to the first wave build out of bottom-fixed projects off the country bordering the Baltic Sea, and Engie-EDPR joint venture Ocean Winds plunged into Irish market waters with an application for a foreshore licence for a planned 1.6GW project in the shallows off Dublin.
Floating wind, not to be left out, hove forward too, as Blue Gem Wind, the tie-up between French energy giant Total and Irish early-stage developer Simply Blue, began detailed survey work on its flagship Erebus project site in the Celtic Sea off Wales. And to close out the week, Irish utility ESB unveiled multi-billion-euro plans to transform the countrys soon-to-be-retired Moneypoint coal-fired plant into a green energy hub powered by a 1.4GW floating array co-developed with Equinor in the Atlantic Ocean.
Concerns in the sector in Germany were expressed at the Hamburg Offshore Wind conference that the government, despite setting a new target for 40GW of capacity off its coasts by 2040, was not moving fast enough to ensure the country didnt lose its early mover advantage due to kindergarten politicking that could prompt major players to try their luck in other international markets.
No such complaints across the pond in the US, where President Joe Bidens announcement early this week of a proposed $2.3trn pro-renewables infrastructure bill tangentially further underlined his administrations ambition to achieve a national goal of having 30GW of turbines turning by the end of the decade. As Recharge wrote in our analysis, the sector will be a big beneficiary of funding coming through the bill which has to be agreed by Congress later this year via federal tax credits and $100bn for grid and port upgrades, for use as offshore wind construction yards and operations bases.
Testimony to the omnipresence of hydrogen in the current energy transition debate, Recharge will this coming week run our first Power Station podcast, talking to Shell and think-tank Agora about the many-coloured marvel look for it our front page, as well as holding our next digital roundtable on hydrogen and offshore wind, where we have assembled a panel of thought-leaders from Equinor, Iberdrola, Siemens Gamesa, Aker Solutions, Wood Mackenzie and the World Bank register here to join us.
And, finally, to see you on your way into the weekend, heartening stats from the International Renewable Energy Agency, which reported construction of renewable energy capacity around the world in 2020 shrugged off slow-downs linked to the Covid pandemic and industry pessimists worst fears to add some 260GW of new plant last year, taking the global clean-energy base to almost 2.8TW. As Irena director-general Francesco La Camera said: These numbers tell a remarkable story of resilience and hope.
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Biden-Harris Administration Pushes for Offshore Wind and Jobs – JD Supra
Posted: at 6:05 am
Consistent with the Biden-Harris administrations whole of government approach to climate change as announced in its Day 1 and Day 7 executive orders, on March 29 the administration announced a variety of concrete initiatives that executive agencies will be taking to accelerate the development, permitting, and construction of US offshore wind projects and boost the already-growing industry as a whole. In addition to highlighting the importance of offshore wind in lowering carbon emissions and addressing climate change, the announcement emphasized the substantial collateral benefits that the administration expects offshore wind growth will bring, including jobs, investment, and related infrastructure improvements.
The most significant element in the administrations announcement is a new goal shared by the US Departments of Interior, Commerce, and Energy to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy generation capacity by 2030, far exceeding the administrations previous goal of doubling offshore wind generation by 2030. The administration emphasized that this goal is a stepping stone to its broader goals of net-zero US electricity production by 2035 and overall net-zero US carbon emissions by 2050, as previously announced.
The Biden-Harris administration summarized the initiatives, described more fully below, as falling within three categories: (1) advancing wind energy projects to create jobs, (2) investing in American infrastructure to strengthen the domestic supply chain and deploy offshore wind energy, and (3) supporting critical research and development and data sharing.
The announcement cited numerous benefits the administration believes will flow from a boom in offshore wind: spawn[ing] new supply chains that stretch into Americas heartland, triggering more than $12 billion per year in capital investment in projects on both U.S. coasts, creat[ing] tens of thousands of good-paying, union jobs, with more than 44,000 workers employed in offshore wind by 2030 and nearly 33,000 additional jobs in communities supported by offshore wind activity, supply chain growth such as increased demand for steel equivalent to 4 years of output for a typical U.S. steel mill, and port upgrades and construction of specialized equipment transportation and installation vessels representing potentially more than one billion dollars in investment.
The announcement also included the following initiatives designed to achieve the 30 for 30 goal for offshore wind deployment.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will be making available a new area in the New York Bightthe area between the Long Island and New Jersey coastsfor a lease auction expected to occur in late 2021 or early 2022.
Consistent with BOEMs February announcement to expedite the permitting process for Vineyard Wind, which is slated to become the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the United States, BOEM also announced a notice of intent to prepare the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Ocean Wind, a proposed 1100 MW project offshore from New Jersey. The EIS is the critical, longest-lead-time gating item in the full permit approval process a project must pass before it can be constructed. Once constructed, Ocean Wind is expected to be the nations third commercial-scale offshore wind project (with the South Fork Wind project off the Rhode Island coast being assumed as the second), and it could power approximately 500,000 homes across New Jersey.
Construction and ongoing maintenance of offshore wind projects requires specialized vessels, transportation of massive equipment and components, storage of such equipment, and, therefore, ports within a useful distance of projects with specialized configurations and capabilities. Two separate new sources of funding will now be available for the development and construction of such ports or the retrofitting of existing ports to have such capabilities.
First, following congressional appropriation in 2020 of $230 million for port and intermodal infrastructure related projects, the US Department of Transportation released the a notice of funding opportunity to formally kick off the application process for states and municipalities to apply for such funds through the Port Infrastructure Development Program. A separate press release from the Department of Transportation noted that not only would the Department consider how proposed projects contribute to economic vitality, but also how proposed projects address climate change and environmental justice impacts and advance racial equity, reduce barriers to opportunity, and meet challenges faced by rural areas.
Second, the Department of Energys Loan Programs Office (LPO) released a fact sheet relating to up to $3 billion in loan guarantees through the LPOs Title XVII Innovative Energy Loan Guarantee Program. The White House announcement described the release of the LPOs fact sheet as signaling that the LPO is open for business and ready to partner with offshore wind and offshore transmission developers, suppliers and other financing partners to scale the U.S. Offshore industry and support well-paying jobs. Eligibility requirements for the program include the requirements that the applicable project (1) be composed of innovative technology, (2) provide greenhouse gas benefits, (3) be located in the United States, and (4) present a reasonable prospect of repayment. The LPOs fact sheet highlights projects such as foundation manufacturing facilities, dockside staging and laydown yards, blade manufacturing facilities, and vessel construction as the types of infrastructure required for boosting the offshore wind industry, signaling that such projects would likely satisfy the innovative technology requirement and be strong candidates for the LPOs guarantees.
The announcement included three new initiatives targeting the support of research and development and data sharing.
First, the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium (a partnership between the Department of Energy and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) awarded $8 million to 15 different offshore wind research and development projects, which will each focus on support structure innovation, supply chain development, electrical systems innovation, and mitigation of use conflicts to help reduce barriers and costs for offshore wind deployment.
Second, the Department of Commerces National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will be signing a memorandum of agreement with rsted to share data relating to waters leased by the Danish developer (rsted currently is party to five leases with the US government for development-stage offshore projects in federal waters, and is the owner and operator of the only two existing US offshore wind projects, the small-scale/test Block Island Wind (which it owns) and the Coastal Virginial Offshore Wind Project (which it operates)). The announcement describes the agreement as a first of its kind between an offshore wind developer and NOAA [that] paves the way for future data-sharing agreements that NOAA expects to enter into with other developers.
Third, NOAA, in partnership with the Departments of Energy and Commerce, will be releasing a request for research proposals and will provide at least $1 million in grant funding to research the benefits offshore wind will provide for stakeholders such as fishing and costal communities and opportunities to optimize ocean co-use.
The announcement came just two days before the administration released the American Jobs Plan outlining what it plans to include in an upcoming proposed infrastructure bill. While the American Jobs Plan does not include any new proposals specific to offshore wind, it does include support for the cornerstones of the industry such as transmission, offtake, and port infrastructure. For example, it calls for investment in the electric grid and the creation of a Grid Deployment Authority under the Department of Energy to boost, improve, and modernize the transmission system (needed to effectively bring power from offshore projects onshore/where demand is located); a proposed direct pay investment tax credit and production tax credit for energy generation and storage (thereby increasing demand for and utility of variable generation sources such as wind); and investments to improve US ports and waterways (needed to efficiently transport and store turbine components and construct and service offshore projects).
While the fate of the infrastructure bill and the inclusion of possible additional provisions to benefit offshore wind remain unknown at this time, the announcement provides an early example of what the Biden-Harris administration envisions in its whole of government approach to climate initiatives.
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rsted to sell stake in Dutch offshore wind farm to NBIM – Power Technology
Posted: at 6:05 am
The offshore wind facility was commissioned in the fourth quarter of last year. Credit: rsted A/S.
Denmark-based power company rsted has signed an agreement to divest a 50% ownership stake in its Borssele One and Two offshore wind farm to Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM).
Located 23km off the coast of Zeeland, Netherlands, the 752MW offshore wind facility was commissioned in the fourth quarter of last year.
The project, which features 94 Siemens Gamesa 8MW wind turbines, is said to be the largest operational facility in the Netherlands and the second-largest operational offshore wind farm in the world.
The farm is expected to generate enough clean energy to power one million households in the Netherlands a year.
rsted chief commercial officer and Deputy Group CEO Martin Neubert said: As one of the worlds largest institutional investors, NBIM is making a difference by making sustainable investments.
Were delighted to welcome NBIM as a partner on Borssele One and Two, a landmark project for the Netherlands transition to renewable energy, and were pleased to support NBIM in their strategy to invest in renewable energy infrastructure assets.
The 1.357bn($1.612bn) consideration will be paid to rsted upon completion of the transaction, which is expected to take place this yearsubject to regulatory approval.
It is the first investment made by NBIM in unlisted renewable energy infrastructure.
NBIM chief real assets officer Mie Holstad said: We are very pleased to partner on Borssele One and Two with rsted, the market leader in offshore wind.
We are excited to have made our first unlisted investment in renewable energy infrastructure, and we look forward to working alongside rsted on delivering green energy to Dutch households.
rsted will provide long-term operations and maintenance services for the project from its base at the port of Vlissingen.
It will also offer balancing services and a long-term route to NBIM to market for the renewable electricity generated by Borssele One and Two.
In December, rsted signed an agreement to divest a 50% stake in its 605MW Greater Changhua One offshore wind farm in Taiwan to Canada-based investment firm Caisse de dpt et placement du Qubec (CDPQ) and Taiwanese private equity fund Cathay PE.
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Kriegers Flak wind turbine installation reaches halfway mark offshore Denmark – Offshore Oil and Gas Magazine
Posted: at 6:05 am
The jackup vessel Vole au vent at the Kriegers Flak wind farm offshore eastern Denmark.
(Courtesy Jan De Nul)
Offshore staff
AALST, Belgium Jan De Nul Groups jackup vessel Vole au vent has installed 36 of the 72 turbines for Vattenfalls Kriegers Flak offshore wind farm in the Danish sector of the Baltic Sea.
The first Siemens Gamesa 8.0-167 DD wind turbine was installed on Jan. 27, 2021. The last turbine is scheduled to be installed in mid-June.
For the first time since its expansion in 2018, the port of Roenne on the Danish island of Bornholm is serving as marshalling harbor for the construction of an offshore wind farm.
Bert Reynvoet, Project Manager for the Kriegers Flak offshore wind farm, said: When a large installation vessel like the Vole au vent enters a port for the first time, it is always a bit exciting. Moreover, it was new for everyone involved, but thanks to the top service of the port and our local partners, Roenne turns out to be a perfect marshalling harbor. An absolute boost in these challenging times.
In 2017 and 2018, Jan De Nul Group designed, built, and installed two gravity-based foundations for the wind farms high-voltage substations. Its crane vessel Rambiz installed the 8,000- and 10,000-metric ton concrete structures.
Located 15-40 km (9.3-25 mi) off the Danish east coast, the 600-MW Kriegers Flak offshore wind farm is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year. It is expected to provide the annual electricity needs of about 600,000 Danish households.
04/08/2021
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Drug Take Back Day providing a safe way to dispose of unused or expired medications in Toledo – WTOL
Posted: at 6:04 am
Six locations will accept a variety of medications, including those that are commonly abused, for disposal in a safe and environmentally friendly way on April 24.
TOLEDO, Ohio The war on drugs isn't just on the streets, it's also in our medicine cabinets.
That's the message for Drug Take Back Day.
The Toledo Police Department and Mental Health & Recovery Services Board of Lucas County are sponsoring the Drug Take Back Day at six locations across Toledo.
A variety of expired or unused medication will be accepted at the locations and disposed of safely in an environmentally friendly way.
All collection sites will accept narcotics, over-the-counter medications, pet medications, prescription drugs and vitamins.
Some sites will accept syringes and liquid medications. You're encouraged to call ahead.
Collection sites will not accept inhalers, ointments/lotions or anything from commercial or medical vendors.
Drug Take Back Day will take place Saturday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The following Toledo locations are serving as collection sites:
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Drug Take Back Day providing a safe way to dispose of unused or expired medications in Toledo - WTOL
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City of West St. Paul tells resident to paint over Black Lives Matter mural on fence or face fines – FOX 9
Posted: at 6:03 am
City officials say the mural painted on the fence doesn't conform with West St. Paul city ordinances. (FOX 9)
WEST ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The City of West St. Paul says a Black Lives Matter mural painted on a fence in the city has to be painted over, or the homeowners will face a fine.
The Black Lives Matter mural was painted on a fence that's on private property late last summer. Homeowner Ryan Weyandt says the fence turned canvas forces people to take pause at a normally busy West St. Paul intersection and thats the point.
The City of West St. Paul says a Black Lives Matter mural painted on a fence in the city has to be painted over, or the homeowners will face a fine.
"We thought this was an appropriate way to get a visual message out," said Weyandt.
Weyandt and his husband couldnt stay quiet last summer after George Floyds death and unrest in the cities -- so they spoke out through the mural, a Black Lives Matter message painted by two local artists.
"We had hoped if it just made one person who had to pause at this stop sign and think," said Weyandt, "that that would really fulfill what we were trying to do."
Its caught the eye of many in the community, including some neighbors who didnt like the mural and called it into the city.
"Turns out there is both a sign ordinance and a fence ordinance in town," said Weyandt.
Now, Weyandt says they have until April 15 to paint over it or pay a fine.
"We have had other messages on this fence for three years and this is the first time weve ever gotten a citation for it," said Weyandt.
Community activist and former mayoral candidate KaeJae Johnson, whose face is also part of the fence artwork, wants to see it stay.
"This is about my life, this is saying, this is telling my granddaughter that it matters that she lives in West St. Paul," said Johnson. "It's telling her shes welcome here."
Johnson tells us messages like this are needed to make sure the Black community knows they matter and are important in West St. Paul.
"This is what were aiming West St. Paul to be," added Johnson. "Has it changed on so many levels, absolutely, but its not there yet why is it not there yet? Because theyre asking him to take it down."
We did hear back Thursday from the City of West St. Paul, who told us in a statement the fence does not comply with city code which states: "Fences shall not contain pictures or lettering and shall be one uniform color."
Signs also cannot be fixed on fences, adding that: "the City cannot and does not take content or message into account when dealing with infractions of City Code. All City Code, as well as enforcement, is content neutral."
Weyandt tells us if he does not comply, he will face fines of about $250 dollars a day. But he has had offers from lots of people who can come help paint.
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Mason Trinca: Black Lives Matter Protests Behind, Wildfires Ahead – AroundtheO
Posted: at 6:03 am
During the tumultuous summer and fall of 2020, a photojournalist needed more than cameras and lenses to cover the news. Kevlar jackets, ballistic helmets, and gas masks were also standard operating equipment.
That was the case for Mason Trinca, a documentary photographer who covered the at-times violent protests in Portland for the New York Times. The city was in the national spotlight repeatedly as activists and protesters clashed with opponents and the police for more than 100 days on issues including Black Lives Matter concerns, the 2020 election, and federal responseto protests.
Against a backdrop in which tear gas and rubber bullets were nightly concerns, Trinca, BS 13 (environmental studies), suited up in body armor and dove into the fray. Relying on tips from sources, real-time guidance from the newspaper, and his own instincts, he strove to capture in pictures all sides of a fast-evolving story with subplots including the seizure of protesters by unidentified federal agents and counter protests by right-wing groups.
A Trinca photograph provided one of the defining images of the summer: a birds-eye view of shooting victim Aaron Danielson, a supporter of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer, taken froma rooftop.
Interviewed earlier this year, Trincawho lives in Portland with his wife, designer Myray Reames (BA 14, journalism)was still trying to make sense of last summers events.
Covering the protests had drained him physically and emotionally. Far from enjoying some sort of journalistic immunity, Trinca and fellow reporters received death threats for their coverage.
We were targeted multiple times, for our coverage both on the left and right side, Trinca says. When we do fair and accurate coverage, we get threatened on both sides. People want to exist in their own ecospheres and oftentimes not want to hear the other side of the story, whether its good or bad.
Trinca hadnt fully processed the protests in part because he hasnt slowed down. He recently returned from Liberia on a shoot for a commercial client and also finished a job for Wired magazine (hes bound by confidentiality agreements from discussing projects prior to release). He was also retained by the state and Portland advertising agency Wieden+Kennedyknown for its work with Niketo provide pictures for a campaign on the importance of masks duringthe pandemic.
What ties Trincas various assignments together, he says, is storytelling. All his clients want it: genuine, revealing, human moments, whether the medium is journalism, advertising, or public service. A class in environmental studies first planted in him the notion of storytelling with a camera, and Trinca developed his skills with Sung Park, senior instructor in the School of Journalism and Communication.
What makes my workand the work of a lot of photojournalists-turned-commercial photographersspecial is that we can pitch the idea, This is a real story; were going to find real people and capture real moments, Trinca says. People want that more and more.
Next up: finding a fresh way to tell the story of this summers inevitable wildfires.
Trinca has photographed Californias sprawling blazes roughly a half-dozen times. The saturation news coverage of these catastrophes forces him to constantly reexamine his approach in hopes of producing an uncommon photograph, a different perspective. Hes already begun preparationsshoring up the camera equipment hell need, working out logistics, girding himself mentally.
How are we going to cover the wildfires differently? he asks. What will resonate with audiences when we are constantly bombarding them with terrible images? How do we bring humanity to that? These are the things I think about for the next disaster.
By Matt Cooper,managing editor for Oregon Quarterly
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Black Lives Matter mural in Pullman to be complete the end of summer – KHQ Right Now
Posted: at 6:03 am
A Black Lives Matter mural in Pullman, it's been the goal of one local group for nine long months now. Originally, the group went to the Pullman City Council asking for help, but since then the project has been caught up in red tape.
Pullman City Council handed off the public art project to the Pullman Arts Commission. From there the Arts Commission went to the public for mural design submissions.
Before long, the call to artists generated seven submissions, and a couple had a lot of public support on social media. But according to the Pullman City Council, procedurally, there were missteps in the process, so the city council decided to scrap what they had and start over. But many who supported the mural designs that said Black Lives Matter believe the city council was uncomfortable with the phrase Black Lives Matter.
But the waiting seems to be over now, as a new non-profit called the Pullman Arts Foundation has taken the mural project into their own hands. The foundation has been working with a local business in downtown Pullman where the mural will go and has already raised more than $15,000 for the mural.
Now, all there is left to do is to rent the equipment, buy the paint, and paint. The Pullman Arts Foundation plans to have the mural complete by the end of summer 2021.
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Black Lives Matter mural in Pullman to be complete the end of summer - KHQ Right Now
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