Daily Archives: April 2, 2022

Report cautions that the current supply chain is too limited and needs to be significantly ramped-up

PublishedApr 1, 2022 9:40 PM by The Maritime Executive

To meet the Biden administrations goals to develop a robust offshore wind power generation industry by 2030, a significant ramp-up in domestic manufacturing, infrastructure, and workforce will be required. A new research study has been launched to map the requirements to meet the target for 30 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 while evaluating how the U.S. supply chain can evolve to achieve the national offshore wind energy target.

The first phase of the study being led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, along with the Business Network for Offshore Wind, and DNV, mapped the requirements while concluding that currently, the supply chain is too limited to support the needed levels of commercial-scale offshore wind energy deployment. Ongoing efforts to develop the domestic supply chain they are reporting have been focused on individual state levels, while a comprehensive assessment of how to strategically develop a supply chain that benefits the entire industry and country is needed.

Most components in the early 2020s will be sourced from European suppliers, which could cause bottlenecks unless a domestic supply chain develops in time to achieve the offshore wind energy target, the NREL report warns.

In the report from the first phase of the project, which was released in March 2022, NREL sought to highlight the top-level demand for deployment, components, ports, vessels, and workforce required to achieve the national offshore wind target of 30 gigawatts of capacity. They presented a list of requirements, that includes:

2,100 wind turbines 2,100 foundations 6,800 miles of cable 58 crew transfer vessels 5 to 6 wind turbine installation vessels 11 service operation vessels 4 cable lay vessels 2 scour protection installation vessels 10 transport vessels 12,300 to 49,000 full-time equivalents average annual workforce

The research further highlights that while projects are moving forward, only one major offshore wind component manufacturing facility was operational as of early 2022. While original equipment manufacturers and project developers have announced plans to build at least 11 new manufacturing facilities in the United States, including those focused on wind turbine blades, foundations, towers, and cables, they emphasize the urgency.

Few existing East or West Coast ports they highlight have sufficient capabilities to fully support offshore wind energy activities, although several ports are actively investing in infrastructure upgrades. At the same time, the installation and maintenance of the new wind farms require new vessels to alleviate the risks of missing the national offshore wind energy target, with wind turbine installation vessels posing the biggest risk.

The first report also explored the need for major component manufacturing in the United States. The research team identified several critical-path subcomponents that pose a challenge to domestic manufacturing because of their size or specialty. These include yaw and pitch bearings, permanent magnets, flanges and other large cast or forged components, steel plates that are rolled into monopiles or towers, electrical systems for offshore substations, and mooring chains.

The second phase of this project is now commencing, and it will build on the high-level demand information described in the first report to Identify realistic pathways to achieve this supply chain. The research team will determine the readiness level of existing industries to support supply chain development.

They plan to characterize supply chain scenarios that would achieve complete domestic manufacturing of components by 2030, including manufacturing facilities, workforce requirements, and manufacturing capabilities.

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DOE Reports Supply Chain Must be Developed to Meet Offshore Wind Goals - The Maritime Executive

Nearly a year after offshore wind energy company rsted first announced it would open its North American Digital Operations headquarters in Newark, it is now official as to where and how much space it will occupy.

The offshore wind energy company reportedly secured a lease for 8,200 square feet to occupy a portion of the second floor of Ironside Newark, according to a New Jersey Business Magazine report.

rsteds offices are expected to open this summer and will house information technology, operations and other project and company support staff for New Jersey offshore wind projects.

New Jersey has established itself as a national leader in clean energy, innovation and offshore wind, which makes it an ideal location for rsted Offshore North America to headquarter our digital hub, said David Hardy, CEO, rsted Offshore North America. Were excited to put down roots in Newark as we continue to develop our offshore wind projects Ocean Wind 1 and 2, bringing renewable energy to more than 1 million New Jersey homes.

Ironside Newark, located at 110 Edison Place, is a formerly circa-1907 warehouse in downtown Newark that has been redeveloped and restored by Edison Properties into a commercial and retail hub across more than 456,000 square feet. It is situated directly adjacent to Newark Penn Station and within quick distance to Newark Liberty International Airport.

Designed by the renowned New York City-based design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman, Ironside Newark boasts direct access to the new Mulberry Commons Park, a city-owned park.

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Ironside Newark to house rsted office for offshore wind and digital staff - ROI-NJ.com

US Wind will allocate USD 11 million in funding over ten years to support the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences (UMCES) three research projects that will take place in US Winds lease area in federal waters offshore Ocean City, Maryland.

The three projects, all planned to start this year, will provide data which will help understand the potential environmental effects of offshore wind development in the Mid-Atlantic on marine mammals, fish, and birds.

Partnering with a leading environmental research institution like UMCES is an exciting building block in our efforts to collect much-needed biological information in our Lease, said Laurie Jodziewicz, US Wind Senior Director of Environmental Affairs. The planned work will go a long way in filling knowledge gaps that still exist about offshore winds effects on the marine environment. Were excited to get started.

US Wind holds lease rights for an approximately 80,000-hectare site in the Maryland Wind Energy Area, located 16 to 48 kilometres off the coast of Maryland.

The companywas awardedOffshore Renewable Energy Credits (ORECs) in 2017 for the first phase of its lease area, called MarWin, which will have an installed capacity of 270 MW and is anticipated to come online in 2024.

In December 2021, theMaryland Public Service Commission(PSC) awarded offshore renewable energy credits to US Winds 808.5 MW Momentum Wind, expected to be operational before the end of 2026.

As US Wind works to develop offshore wind off Marylands coast, its imperative that we do so responsibly, said Jeff Grybowski, US Wind CEO. Were thrilled to be partnering with UMCES on industry-leading environmental research that will enhance protections for marine life as we develop this clean energy resource for the region.

The three projects UMCES will carry out include commercial and recreational fisheries monitoring, an eight-year programme to evaluate the extent that black sea bass change their aggregation behaviours before, during, and after construction.

Furthermore, the university will be supported in an initiative to continue the deployment of a near real-time whale detection system to provide timely alerts on the presence of baleen whales for a 12-month period from 2022 to 2023.

UMCES will also commence a long-term research project to support passive acoustic monitoring to detect large whales such as North Atlantic right whales and dolphins to understand their presence and migration patterns in and around the US Winds lase area and the potential effects of construction.

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US Wind to Back University of Maryland's Offshore Wind Research with USD 11 Million | Offshore Wind - Offshore WIND

A massive wind farm 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach moved one giant step closer to reality last November when Dominion Energy filed its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind development plan with the State Corporation Commission. Dominion expects to begin construction on CVOW in 2024, and have all 2,587 megawatts of power connected to the grid in 2026.

But the wind farms price tag of $9.8 billion, and its $87 per megawatt hour levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), is causing heartburn over at the attorney generals office. Scott Norwood, an expert for the Division of Consumer Counsel, criticized the project on three main grounds: that the cost of building CVOW is more than building a new nuclear reactor and 2-3 times as much as building solar facilities; that Dominion has overstated the benefits of the project; and that in any event, Dominion doesnt need the energy before at least 2035.

Recognizing that the General Assembly already made most of these points moot by declaring the project to be in the public interest, however, Norwood also recommended the SCC adopt consumer safeguards including periodic status reports and cost oversight.

Anyone familiar with Dominions tendency to pad profits will say Amen to the call for strict SCC oversight. With a project this huge, the SCC must be especially vigilant. Some of Norwoods criticisms, however, seem more calculated for effect, while others miss the point.

Norwood certainly knows his comment that CVOW is more expensive than nuclear is not true. The price tag of the only two nuclear reactors under development in the U.S. has ballooned so high ($30 billion and counting) that it almost makes Dominions former dream of a third nuclear reactor at North Anna look good. Norwoods own devastating testimony likely helped kill the North Anna 3 project, which would have delivered electricity for $190 per megawatt-hour.

Norwood says Dominion has fudged the CVOW numbers and the project will cost customers more than the company admits, but still, Dominion would have to gold-plate every turbine before it could touch the cost of nuclear.

This wasnt the first time the General Assembly put its thumb on the scale for a Dominion project. The habit goes back to 2008, when a Dominion coal plant, the Virginia City Hybrid Energy Center, became the first project legislatively deemed in the public interest. Even back then its projected levelized cost of electricity was $93/MWh. Today, VCHEC loses so much money for customers that Dominion faces pressure at the SCC to close the plant.

For that matter, I also see that my latest electricity bill from Dominion includes a non-bypassable charge for coal ash disposal of $5.68an amount that exceeds the charges for participation in RGGI, new solar projects and the RPS program, combined. Pollution is also a cost of using fossil fuels, but its never included in the LCOE.

Mr. Norwood did not suggest Dominion pursue new nuclear or new fossil fuel plants instead of offshore wind. If Dominion needed new generation, he says, solar is the low-cost alternative. Its cheaper to build, and it produces electricity at a lower cost than offshore wind. Hes right: if all you cared about was LCOE, no one would build anything but solar in Virginia.

But as critics are quick to note, solar cant provide electricity 24/7. Offshore wind has a hidden superpower: while solar production peaks in the middle of the day, the wind off our coast can produce electricity both day and night, is often strongest in the evening when demand rises, and is stronger in the winter when solar is less productive. Solar and offshore wind are complementary, and we cant get to a carbon-free grid without both. So yes, we need CVOW.

Virginias leaders are also taking the long view on cost. In any new industry, early projects are more expensive than later ones. Europes 30 years of experience developing an offshore wind industry shows costs fall steadily as project experience and new technology enable developers to produce more energy with fewer turbines. States up and down the East Coast are pursuing offshore wind projects not only because they want clean energy, but because they expect these early investments to lead to lower-cost power as the industry achieves scale.

State leaders also see economic development and job growth as important benefits, and those arent reflected in LCOE either. This is another area where SCC oversight can ensure the greatest public benefit from CVOW. Testimony filed by a Sierra Club expert urges that Dominions economic development plan be revised with specific metrics around the VCEAs goals for diversity, equity and inclusion in the offshore wind workforce. Like reducing pollution, creating jobs for residents from low-income and minority communities adds to CVOWs overall value.

Having criticized the VCEAs overly-generous cost cap myself at the time, I agree with the AGs office that the SCC has to keep a tight watch on expenses as Dominion moves forward with CVOW. But move forward it should, because Virginia needs offshore wind.

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Keep an eye on costs, but Virginia needs offshore wind - Virginia Mercury

LONDON, March 31 (Reuters) - Britain has approved the development of East Anglia One and East Anglia Two offshore wind farms with a combined capacity of 1.7 gigawatts, located in Southwold off the coast of Suffolk in the North Sea, Britain's planning inspectorate said.

Britain has a target to reach net zero emissions by 2050, requiring a huge increase in the amount of renewable power.

The two wind farms are scheduled to be developed by ScottishPower Renewables.

The East Anglia ONE North Offshore Windfarm application was for up to 67 turbines, generators and associated infrastructure, with an installed capacity of up to 800MW, the inspectorate said in a statement.

The application for the East Anglia TWO Offshore Windfarm consisting of up to 75 turbines, generators and associated infrastructure, with an installed capacity of up to 900MW.

Register

Reporting by Marwa Rashad; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Britain gives consent for two offshore wind farms - Reuters UK

Empire Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Equinor and BP, has selected Jacobs for the detail design of New Yorks South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT).

Port upgrades to redevelop SBMT were part of the Empire Wind 2 and Beacon Wind 1 project proposals Equinor and BP submitted in the 2021 offshore wind power solicitation in the State of New York, which selected the two projects in January last year.

Located in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, the facility will serve as an operations and maintenance (O&M) base, as well as a staging and assembly port for wind turbine installation.

The architectural and engineering design services contract includes oversight for the modification of existing bulkheads to strengthen and accommodate heavy lift operations, upland site redevelopment and coordination with ongoing remediation efforts.

The company will also provide design services regarding dredging, a new green O&M facility, new docking facilities for crew transfer and service operation vessels, utility upgrades, as well as permitting and construction support.

A few weeks ago, the New York City Mayor, Eric Adams, announced that the engineering and design of the new SBMT are moving forward after an agreement was finalised between the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), Equinor, its partner BP, and Sustainable South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SSBMT).

The city has committed to investing USD 57 million to support the transformation of SBMT, with construction works expected to begin in the second half of 2023.

Following our recently announced agreement to transform the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, Equinor and bp are moving forward with this next step in realizing our offshore wind hub vision, said Teddy Muhlfelder, acting Vice President Empire Wind and Beacon Wind, Equinor Renewables US.

The contract award will bring direct jobs to the local community, leaning on Jacobs expertise to advance these vital port facilities to support Empire Wind, Beacon Wind and the wider offshore wind industry.

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Equinor-BP Venture Taps Jacobs to Design US Offshore Wind Terminal | Offshore Wind - Offshore WIND

Energy company Eneco and OCI N.V., a global producer and distributor of hydrogen-based products, have joined the NortH2 green hydrogen consortium as collaborative partners.

Eneco is joining the NortH2 consortium of Equinor, RWE, Shell, and Gasunie as an investment partner. Groningen Seaports is a support partner on the project.

OCI, on the other hand, intends to develop the first integrated green ammonia and methanol value chains through large-scale green hydrogen supply by NortH2 to the companys plants in the Netherlands.

NortH2 is a large-scale offshore wind-to-hydrogen electrolysis project being developed in the Eemshaven area, the Netherlands.

The hydrogen will be produced for industrial sectors that are difficult to electrify, or for which hydrogen is a necessary raw material.

NortH2s aim is to have up to 4 GW of electrolysers and matching offshore wind capacity available by 2030.

On a project base, this is estimated to reduce the use of natural gas by around 1.5 billion cubic meters per year. Depending on the application, green hydrogen is expected to lower CO2 emissions by some 2.9 to 3.6 megaton annually.

NortH2 will continue to grow towards the production of 1 million tons of green hydrogen per year by 2040.

NortH2 has recently completed the second phase of the feasibility study, which shows that an integrated approach; from offshore wind farms, production, storage and distribution to ultimately the use of the green hydrogen; is technically and economically feasible. One other requirement is for the government to create the right policy framework, Eneco said.

OCI said that by joining forces with NortH2 the company will be provided with a stable and large-scale supply of green hydrogen which allows it to decarbonize its production processes and meet a growing demand from its customers in the downstream value chain for renewable hydrogen.

With ~50 per cent of current global hydrogen production already used as a feedstock in ammonia and methanol production, the switch to green hydrogen at OCI is technologically straightforward and relatively fast when compared to other sectors, the company said. In addition, OCIs production assets are said to be strategically located and ideally positioned to connect to the NortH2 project and the planned hydrogen pipeline backbone of Gasunie in the Netherlands.

Ahmed El-Hoshy, Chief Executive Officer of OCI N.V., said that the collaboration with the NortH2 consortium is a critical partnership that helps OCI, as a key enabler of the hydrogen economy, activate sustainable value chains for society and industry, create a positive impact on the environment, and simultaneously help reduce the countrys dependence on natural gas by using green hydrogen.

Green ammonia and methanol production is a logical starting point to develop a green economy in the Netherlands and Europe as it creates a wide range of green products helping create sustainable value chains of food, fuels and consumer goods, El-Hoshy said.

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Eneco and OCI Join NortH2 Offshore Wind-to-Hydrogen Consortium | Offshore Wind - Offshore WIND

Kirby Corp. announced today the signing of a commercial agreement for its wholly owned subsidiary, Kirby Offshore Wind, to provide barge transportation services for offshore wind towers and turbines to Maersk Supply Service, which has been selected by Empire Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Equinor and BP, as the installation contractor for the project off the coast of New York. Kirbys contract with Maersk represents a 20-year framework agreement with the Empire Wind projects being the first.

Kirby Offshore Wind will provide the Jones Act compliant feeder barges and tugboats which will transport the wind towers and turbines from the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal to a specialized Maersk wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV).

Kirby will be investing in two new American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) classed feeder barge and diesel-electric hybrid tugboat units which will be constructed in U.S. shipyards for a total combined cost of between $80 million to $100 million. Each feeder barge will have the capacity to transport next-generation turbines of 15 megawatt (MW) and higher as turbine technology advances. The capital investment for the new vessels will be incurred through progress payments over the 2023 to 2025 timeframe. Kirbys offshore marine facility in Staten Island, N.Y., as well as its marine headquarters in Houston will be the base of operations for the companys offshore wind activities.

We are excited to announce Kirbys participation in the offshore wind market through our newest business division, Kirby Offshore Wind, David Grzebinski, Kirbys president and CEO, said in a statement announcing the pact. We have been carefully evaluating opportunities to enter the offshore wind industry for several years, and we are very pleased to partner with world-class operators such as Maersk, Equinor, and BP on a critical foundational project with a multi-year transportation agreement. Kirbys participation in this renewable energy space will not only grow company earnings and returns but will also greatly enhance our ESG product and service offerings in the coming years. Our commitment to build two next-generation feeder barges and emissions friendly diesel-electric hybrid tugboats, which could have the ability to substitute diesel for alternative fuels, is not only important for Kirbys ESG journey, but also for the U.S. maritime sector. These vessels will create new American jobs, both during the construction phase at two U.S. shipyards, as well as for U.S. mariners once operations commence.

Grzebinski did not name the shipyards that will be building the new vessels.

Offshore wind in the U.S. has tremendous potential for significant growth during this decade and beyond, Christian ONeil, Kirbys president of marine transportation, said. As a leading provider of Jones Act compliant barge services in the U.S. coastal trade, Kirbys participation in the development and support of the offshore wind industry is critical to our future. These new vessels will complement the ABS classed Maersk WTIV and support achievement of project efficiency gains.

Maersks wind turbine installation vessel is the first of its kind and will set a new standard for the efficiency of windfarm installations. The efficiency gains are made possible as the installation vessel can stay on location at the wind farm, while only the tugs and barges transport equipment to and from the port. With Kirby Offshore Wind, Maersk has found a solid U.S. partner, who shares the same values and vison to support the development of the U.S. wind market long-term, said Jonas Munch Agerskov, chief commercial officer at Maersk Supply Service.

"ABS and Kirby have a long and proud history of working together, Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS chairman, president, and CEO, said, We are pleased to be able to support them once again on these vessels with Maersk, as they come together to play an important role in delivering to the U.S. offshore wind market."

Kirby and Maersk expect wind turbine installations and the associated feeder barge services to commence beginning in late 2025 or early 2026 once the construction of Maersks new WTIV is completed.

No specifications for Kirbys new tugs and barges were forthcoming.

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Kirby announces offshore wind partnership with Maersk - WorkBoat