Daily Archives: April 23, 2021

This file photo, taken on July 31, 2018, shows workers checking the quality of newly-manufactured wind turbine blades at a factory in China.

AFP | Getty Images

A collaboration between academia and industry is to focus on the recycling of glass fiber products, in a move that could eventually help to reduce the waste produced by wind turbine blades.

In an announcement on Thursday, the University of Strathclyde, which is based in Glasgow, Scotland, said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Aker Offshore Wind and Aker Horizons.

Among other things, the trio will work together to scale-up and commercialize a process developed in the laboratory which centers around recycling glass-reinforced polymer composites used in wind turbine blades.

According to the university, the system focuses on the "thermal recovery and post-treatment of glass fibres" from glass-reinforced polymer composite scrap, with the end result "near-virgin quality glass fibres." The idea is that, using this system, the composite waste could be re-used.

"This is a challenge not only for the wind power industry, but for all industries reliant on GRP materials in their production and manufacturing," Liu Yang, who is head of the Advanced Composites Group at the University of Strathclyde, said in statement.

"Retaining and redeploying the embodied energy in the fibres is essential as we move to a more circular economy," he added.

The issue of what to do with wind turbine blades when they're no longer needed is a headache for the industry. This is because the composite materials blades are made from can prove to be difficult to recycle, which means that many end up as landfill when their service life ends.

As the number of wind turbines on the planet increases, the problem will become even bigger. Strathclyde says blade waste could hit 400,000 tons a year in 2030.

In recent years, a number of companies involved in the sector have attempted to find solutions to the issue.

Last December, for example, GE Renewable Energy and Veolia North America signed a "multi-year agreement" to recycle blades removed from onshore wind turbines in the United States.

In an announcement at the time, GE Renewable Energy said the blades would be shredded at a Veolia North America site in Missouri before being "used as a replacement for coal, sand and clay at cement manufacturing facilities across the U.S."

In January 2020, Danish wind energy giant Vestas said it was aiming to produce "zero-waste" wind turbines by the year 2040.

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Offshore wind firm to work with researchers on recycling glass fibers to tackle blade waste - CNBC

BOSTON (CBS) In the world of wind, there are gentle breezes and full-fledged gales. A project developing south of Marthas Vineyard is the latter. After years upon years of exploring and attempting to tap New Englands potent offshore wind, Vineyard Wind is one federal permit away from building the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the United States.

Lars Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind, calls our offshore region, the Saudi Arabia of offshore wind because of the extremely consistent nature of the wind here. Not just big storms that were famous for, but everyday wind without many quiet seasons. His company is poised to become the first to harness some of that power.

Vineyard Wind project (WBZ-TV)

The project is set to be constructed 15 miles south of Marthas Vineyard, which contrasts with the failed Cape Wind proposal which was sited in Nantucket Sound between Cape Cod, Marthas Vineyard, and Nantucket. A major point of contention with Cape Wind was from homeowners against having turbines in their every day view, and the Nantucket Sound position would have been in sight of many more eyeballs.

While farther offshore, the 62 turbines will be massive. The blades, manufactured by General Electric, are the largest in the world. Each one is longer than a football field, and Pedersen says that just two spins of one blade can power a house for an entire day. The 62 together, working at full capacity, will provide enough energy to power 400,000 homes. Cables laid several feet under the sea floor will travel north to Cape Cod, where they will meet the land at Covells Beach in Barnstable and enter the New England power grid.

Moving farther out was one piece of the puzzle to get the project green lighted, but another concern came from local fishermen. To create safer shipping lanes, the turbines will be spaced farther apart than any others on earth, a full nautical mile between each one.

Up to this point, wind energy progress has been extremely slow. There are only seven wind turbines located in federal waters across the entire U.S. But when looking for successful sites, there are few more lucrative than the waters just off the Mid-Atlantic and New England. Three reasons make it a target for offshore wind developers. The consistent wind that keeps turbines spinning, the shallow waters that make it easier to build, and the large population nearby to supply electricity to.

Companies like Vineyard Wind hope that this will be the first of many projects over the next several years. Pedersen says its as much of a jobs initiative as it is about producing renewable energy.

Revitalizing ports, manufacturing jobs, we see this as the first of many steps in building an industry, he told WBZ-TV.

Lars Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind (WBZ-TV)

To that end, Massachusetts Maritime Academy is planning on helping anyone tied to this growing sector. A course taught at the academy can certify anyone doing offshore work, and that certification is recognized internationally.

Captain Michael Burns told WBZ that theres an unmistakable momentum in the offshore wind field, and that it will require a diverse group of people.

Obviously, folks involved in the construction, scientific personnel studying marine life, as well as offshore wind technicians doing the operation and maintenance once everythings constructed, he said.

Burns mentioned the importance of safety on the open water, and that some will be trying it for the first time.

These are extremely isolated environments, said Burns, and they have to be very well trained and know how to rescue each other if they do get in trouble.

All local and state permits have been approved for the project after four years of review, and that final piece, called a record of decision, is expected in a matter of weeks. If that is received, financing will be shored up and Vineyard Wind hopes to begin construction on land by the end of this year.

The hub for Vineyard Wind will become the Marine Commerce Terminal in New Bedford.

I was born in Denmark, the land of Legos, said Pedersen. So the Lego pieces will come in. Lots of people doing construction, cranes, transport, moving it all onto barges so it can be moved to vessels offshore and be installed.

From there, offshore work would begin in 2022, with the first energy produced hitting the New England power grid in 2023. The Biden administration has set a goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, which would require roughly 30 similar projects over the decade.

Read this article:

First Major U.S. Offshore Wind Farm Set To Be Built Off Marthas Vineyard - CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

Two wind turbines, each as tall as the Washington Monument, stand sentinel 27 miles off the coast of Virginia, the nations first offshore wind installation in federal waters.

The pilot project began producing power last October but is just the beginning for an industry poised for massive growth over the next decade including in Maryland. Longtime conflicts with the fishing industry remain, as well as some landowners, but with the help of a major push from the Biden administration, offshore wind may finally advance in the Atlantic.

Dominion Energy, Virginias state utility, plans to install nearly 200 more ocean turbines east of Cape Henry over the next five years. And developers have permits pending for 10 more offshore wind projects along the East Coast, from North Carolina to Maine.

The Biden administration wants to buoy the industry. Last month,the administration announceda $3 billion plan to expand offshore wind.

The ambitious goal is to generate 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by the end of the decade,enough to power more than 10 million homes and cut 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Thats roughly the carbon equivalent of taking 17 million cars off the road for a year.

Offshore wind represents an opportunity for the Biden administration to address two major goals: reducing carbon emissions and creating jobs.

Nowhere is the scale of that opportunity clearer than for offshore wind, National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy said in announcing the new plan.

The projects could support tens of thousands of jobs, from maintenance at sea to steel production far inland.

There is just one other offshore wind project currently online in the United States: five turbines in state waters off the coast of Block Island, R.I.

The industry has more proposals in the works, including two off the shores of Ocean City.

One is US Wind Maryland, a 270 megawatt farm planned 17 miles offshore. The other is Skipjack Wind Farm, a 120 megawatt farm off the coast of Delaware to the Maryland state line. Danish company rsteds plans for the site include 10 wind turbines.

U.S. Wind Maryland and Skipjack are each close to Ocean City and come under the purview of the Maryland Public Service Commission and the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Both projects are slated for completion in 2024 but still have reviews and approvals pending.

Ocean City officials have supported clean energy from offshore wind, with caveats. The towns concern has been the size and proximity of the turbines. They want it to be green and unseen, and have launched several lobbying campaigns to stall or defeat the projects.

Last year, rsted agreed to reduce the number of turbines and move them from 19 miles offshore to 22 miles offshore a victory for Ocean City. The bigger concern for the coastal city now lies with US Winds project, which could place turbines that are taller than the Washington Monument 17 miles from shore. The Maryland Public Service Commission has not yet approved the taller turbines though it did approve taller turbines for the Skipjack project last summer. Ocean City officials are pushing for the company to site the turbines more than 20 miles offshore, which would require BOEM to open a new lease area.

Together, the two offshore wind projects could create nearly 4,000 jobs during development and construction and another 4,000 jobs during operation, according to estimates from rsted and US Wind. The two companies also plan to invest nearly $100 million in facility upgrades, ports and fabrication facilities in Maryland, which could bolster the state as a regional hub for offshore wind construction. rsted has said it will assemble the turbines at the old Sparrows Point steel plant in Baltimore County.

As part of the Biden administrations rollout of policies to support offshore wind, rsted agreed to share ocean mapping and other data it collects with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Two other major wind projects are also on tap for the Atlantic: A research project floating turbine in Maine and North Carolinas Kitty Hawk Wind Energy Area, 27 miles off the coast of the Outer Banks.

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, said Laura Morton of the American Clean Power Association, an industry group. We can provide clean energy, slash carbon emissions and create jobs.

It is unprecedented

The administrations announcement represents a significant turning point for the nascent offshore wind industry.

Representatives from the White House and four federal agencies Interior, Commerce, Transportation and Energy rolled out programs to support offshore wind.

Among other things, the administration said it would speed permits for projects along the East Coast, invest in research and development, offer federal loan guarantees for offshore wind development, and invest in port improvements around the country to make it easier to build new offshore wind facilities.

It is unprecedented and shows a recognition of how complex offshore wind is, and that it takes a lot of pieces to come together to make it work, said Catherine Bowes, program director for offshore wind for the National Wildlife Federation.

The National Wildlife Federation, like many other environmental groups, supports offshore wind for its unique potential to provide massive amounts of clean power.

We truly dont believe that we can meet the climate and energy goals that both people and wildlife need without responsible offshore wind, Bowes said.

Europe erected the first offshore wind turbines 20 years ago and is the world leader in offshore wind. The industry has been slower to get off the ground in the United States, where it has faced regulatory hurdles and opposition from the fishing industry and some onshore landowners.

The first attempt at offshore wind in the United States was mired in conflict.

Developers gave up on the Cape Wind project in 2017, after multiple lawsuits and years of back-and-forth on permitting and plans. The project in tony Nantucket Sound off Massachusetts met opposition from high-profile homeowners nearby, including members of the Kennedy family and businessman William Koch, a rare alliance.

The Obama administration promoted offshore wind as part of its climate plan, but did not coordinate programs among agencies to support the industry. Many pending permits sat in the doldrums during the Trump administration, which did not prioritize renewable energy.

Biden administration officials say they will expedite the regulatory process. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management committed to review at least 16 construction and operations plans for pending projects by 2025 and advance new lease sales.

Shift in the political winds

Several key factors make offshore wind more viable now than ever before.

The development of bigger, more efficient turbines means that offshore wind can produce more energy at lower prices. New technology also allows for development farther offshore, capitalizing on stronger winds and reducing some of the conflicts with coastal communities and wildlife.

And states are increasingly looking offshore as an economic and environmental windfall.

Last fall, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) and his counterparts in Virginia and North Carolina signed a joint memorandum of understandingto work together as a three-state hub for offshore wind energyan attempt to create an attractive environment for business investment and compete with the Northeasts market.

In North Carolina, the states Department of Commerce commissioned areport, released in March, that said the states manufacturers could profit from the rapidly developing market for offshore wind. The analysis estimated a $100 billion market for development and construction alone.

The existing projects in the United States have partly relied on European ships and manufacturers. But as the industry grows, it could spur manufacturing that stretches into Americas heartland.

For example, Virginias Dominion Energy is building the firstU.S.-made vessel to install offshore wind turbines. Domestic steel operations in Alabama and West Virginia are shipping steel to a Texas shipyard to build the vessel.

Worries about marine life, fishing

But offshore wind has not yet resolved conflicts with the longest-standing industry of the sea: fishing.

As state and federal leaders push for more offshore development, fishing groups have concerns with both the process and the implementation.

They are worried the projects could affect marine life. And they argue regulators have not included them in a meaningful way when developing plansespecially because one offshore wind project can affect fishing for boats that might not be based at ports nearby.

We need to mitigate impacts to fishing, and essentially fishing concerns have been completely ignored. We are still in the exact same place, asking for the things we have been asking for the last 10 years, said Annie Hawkins, executive director of the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, a broad coalition of fishing groups from all over the U.S.

For example, the captains from five boats that fish for black sea bass and conch sent aletterto Dominion Energy asking the company to limit construction during certain times that are key for the fishery, collect more baseline data, and commit to compensation when fishing is closed.

Nowhere is the conflict more pronounced than in Maine, where fishing and lobster boats circled around a proposed research area in protest in March.

Gov. Janet Mills (D) has tried to walk the line on the issue. She is counting on offshore wind to help Maine meet climate mitigation goals. But in response to the pushback, she proposed a 10-year moratorium on wind projects in state waters in January. She still supports projects in federal waters, further offshore.

Supporters of the industry say it is possible to design projects with consideration for fishing interests.

By far the biggest threat to ocean life is climate change, and the trajectory we are on now is almost inconceivably damaging to the ocean. said Miriam Goldstein, director of Ocean Policy at the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress.

The wind resources off the coast and near population centersthat is an opportunity I dont believe we can overlook. Deploying that in a smart way, with fishermen at the table, is among the most important things we can do to address the climate emergency.

And in Maryland, the Ocean City council has raised concerns that the two proposed wind projects could affect the horseshoe crab population a key part of the ecosystem. Horseshoe crabs are a food source for endangered birds and a major source of income for fishermen, who sell them for use in the medical industry, including for vaccines.

Congressional action

Congress is also getting in on the action.Lawmakers on Capitol Hill introduced three different offshore wind bills this year.

Offshore wind is part of large green energy tax incentivelegislationfrom Democrats. Another more targeted offshore windproposalwould create career training grants for colleges or labor organization.

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), whose Hampton Roads district could see new jobs and development from Dominions offshore project, also announced the creation of a Congressional Offshore Wind Caucus last month.

Increasing offshore wind production so that we can create high-paying clean energy jobs and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels shouldnt be a partisan issue, Luria said in an email this week. Offshore wind is critical to strengthening our economy and improving the environment.

[emailprotected]

Allison Winter is a freelance reporter based in Washington, D.C. Josh Kurtz of Maryland Matters contributed to this report.

Link:

Biden Banks on Md. Offshore Wind Projects to Help Curb Climate Change Maryland Matters - Josh Kurtz

Recycling the FPSO Berge Helene in compliance with Hong Kong Convention

BW Offshore has signed an agreement to dispose of the FPSO Berge Helene for environmentally safe demolition and recycling in compliance with the Hong Kong Convention at Priya Blue shipyard in India.

The FPSO Berge Helene (IMO 7360083) is a floating storage/production unit of 274,333 deadweight-ton capacity built in France in 1976 and converted to an FPSO in Singapore in 2005. The vessel is 372 meters long, 52 meters wide and has a depth of 27.4 meters. It is flagged and registered in Singapore, classed by DNV GL and has been in lay-up in Singapore since August 2018.

The vessel is sold for a cash consideration of approximately USD 16 million.

The recycling yard is certified to ISO standards and has been issued with a Statement of Compliance by Class NK in accordance with the IMO Resolution MEPC.210(63) and the Hong Kong International Convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships. The recycling yard will provide a Statement of Completion of the recycling in accordance with the Hong Kong Convention.

The company has nominated Grieg Green as representatives to be on site at the recycling yard to monitor progress, compliance with environmental and safety regulations and that the ship recycling plan is being applied. A recycling plan has been prepared and provided by the yard in corporation with Grieg Green to ensure strict compliance with the above regulations. To ensure and incentivise safe recycling in this respect, the company will pay a safe recycling bonus upon completion.

For further information, please contact:Stle Andreassen, CFO, +65 97 27 86 47Anders S. Platou, Head of Corporate Finance, +47 99 50 47 40

IR@bwoffshore.com or http://www.bwoffshore.com

About BW Offshore:BW Offshore engineers innovative floating production solutions. The Company has a fleet of 15 FPSOs with potential and ambition to grow. By leveraging four decades of offshore operations and project execution, the Company creates tailored offshore energy solutions for evolving markets world-wide. BW Offshore has around 2,000 employees and is publicly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

Excerpt from:

BW Offshore: Recycling the FPSO Berge Helene in compliance with Hong Kong Convention - GlobeNewswire

Onboarding and supporting remote or contract positions comes with unique logistical challenges. Here's how to prepare.

In 2020, organizations around the globe transitioned to remote work. While some companies have started to bring employees back to the traditional office, others have made long-term commitments to telecommuting moving forward. At the same time, many companies routinely use offshore and contract talent to supplement their on-site teams and enable 24/7 operations. These four TechRepublic Premium resources are designed to empower organizations with the tools, tips, and policies in the age of remote, offshore and contract work en masse.

The remote work era is an ideal environment for bringing on abroad professionals. Many companies tap offshore talent to support on-site workforces and enable round-the-clock business operations. TechRepublic Premium's Offshore work policy is designed to help companies set guidelines for these new teams, deliver an optimal orientation experience,

outline vetting considerations for prospective vendors and more. Aside from minimum account access, this policy also illustrates other security details such as VPN access and operational environment standardizations.

Contractor workers are another popular supplement workforce option for companies and, similar to offshore workers, contract positions are also ripe for the WFH era. TechRepublic Premium's Contract work policy provides performance review recommendations, account access parameters as well as information to help companies train and onboard new contractors. Additionally, the resource details considerations to bear in mind when utilizing recruiting agencies to identify and hire contractor workers.

Onboarding remote employees comes with its own set of challenges compared to the traditional in-person process. This TechRepublic Premium resource is specifically curated to streamline the remote onboarding process with a series of helpful and succinct tips to boot. These include creating dedicated checklists to encourage uniformity in the process and ensure steps are followed accordingly.

Has a member of the team established the remote employee's email account and proactively checked these credentials? That said, these steps also focus on creating account access and testing equipment before start dates, assigning direct HR onboarding contacts and more.

In recent years, organizations have warmed to remote work for myriad reasons, and the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated adoption across industries; at least in the interim. This wide-ranging resource details recent surveys illustrating employee sentiments about remote work, when the in-person office could be "obsolete," and more.

This policy also outlines tips to help with the remote job search, boost interview performance, and empower telecommuters to "thrive" in their new remote roles. Which remote positions are paying telecommuters a premium salary? This resource includes answers that may surprise you and much more.

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Resources to empower organizations in the age of remote, offshore and contract work - TechRepublic

Fugro has been awarded contracts in the offshore wind sector in South Korea and the U.S., according to the companys results for the first quarter of 2021.

In South Korea, Fugro has won a contract for a site investigation programme for a floating offshore wind farm. The company did not disclose any further details about the project. The contract in the U.S. is for unexploded ordnance (UXO) investigation at rsteds South Fork Wind Farm project site offshore Rhode Island.

The Netherlands-headquartered company entered the South Korean offshore wind market in 2019 after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Underwater Survey Technology 21 (UST21). Under the agreement, Fugro has expanded UST21s local hydrography capacity to provide site characterisation services, including geotechnical, geophysical and offshore metocean solutions for the offshore wind market.

In the U.S., the company has already been working with rsted. Last year, Fugro begun a site characterisation programme at the Sunrise Wind offshore wind project off the coast of New York, one of three U.S. projects developed by rsted and Eversource Energy, the other two being South Fork Wind Farm and Revolution Wind.

For the Americas region, Fugro reported backlog increase due to increasing work in offshore wind on the East Coast of the U.S. and marine asset integrity activities in the country, as well as the ROV support vessel contract work in Brazil.

In the companys global Marine business segment, backlog declined slightly as an increase in site characterisation caused by growth in offshore wind was offset by a decline in asset integrity, which is more exposed to the oil and gas market, according to the company.

Fugro reported a revenue decline of 17.2 per cent in the first quarter of this year, fully driven by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and a strong related decline in oil and gas activities, partly offset by revenue growth in other market segments.

This quarter, our revenue was again strongly affected by the pandemic and the related decline in oil and gas activity levels. This is evident in comparison with the first quarter of 2020, when the initial Covid impact became visible only towards the end of the quarter, said Mark Heine, CEO at Fugro. At the same time, our results demonstrate once again our resilient operating model and increasingly diversified portfolio, with an increasing revenue share from renewables, infrastructure and nautical activities.

Looking ahead, the company stated that offshore wind was anticipated to show continued growth in 2021. In the oil and gas market, there are early signs of a recovery, Fugro said, adding that this was to a certain extent dependent on the further development and impact of the pandemic on the society and economy. The company expects a return to revenue growth, in particular in renewables, in the course of the second quarter.

We were able to slightly improve our margin in the seasonally weak first quarter. This was largely due to the comprehensive cost reduction programme which was initiated immediately after the outbreak of the pandemic and which is now fully effective, Mark Heine said. Based on the good order intake this quarter, we anticipate that revenue will start to grow again in the second quarter.

Excerpt from:

Fugro Bags Offshore Wind Contracts in South Korea and US - Offshore WIND