Category Archives: Offshore

The UK on Monday launched the first step of its 7GW-plus Round 4 offshore wind leasing process, which is expected to see more of the worlds oil and gas giants seek a slice of future development rights for turbines off Britain's coast.

Seabed landlord the Crown Estate issued the pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) designed to gauge developers financial and technical ability to deliver the massive projects the round hopes to spur off England and Wales into the late 2020s.

Round 4 is the first major opportunity in a decade to secure new acreage in the worlds biggest offshore wind market, where growth has so far been dominated by power sector players such as Iberdrola, Vattenfall, E.ON and Innogy, as well as Orsted of Denmark, which shifted decisively away from fossil fuels to become the global leader in wind at sea.

Norwegian oil and gas group Equinor has already emerged as a major force in the UK sector after the giant Dogger Bank development was the biggest winner in the latest contract-for-difference (CfD) round, which awards government-backed power deals to projects successful in earlier Crown Estate leasing rounds.

Round 4 is expected to see the entry of more big fossil fuel players. Shell which is active in other offshore wind markets has indicated several times it is interested in the UK sector, and could be a bidder.

Frances Total has said it is open to entering UK offshore wind, with leasing off Scotland subject of a parallel process by the Crown Estate there namechecked by its CEO earlier this year.

Most recently Italian oil and gas group Eni said it would team up with developer Mainstream Renewable Power to enter Round 4.

The Crown Estate zoned in on four broad areas for development under Round 4 to add to the UKs existing 9.3GW of operating offshore wind the largest in the world with another 4.4GW already under construction.

Three of the bidding areas Dogger Bank; Eastern Regions and Northern Wales and Irish Sea, already feature heavily in the UKs offshore wind plans.

The fourth, South East England, opens the way for development off the nations south coast. A map showing the areas can be viewed here.

The PQQ submission deadline is 29 November, ahead of the first invitation to tender stage early in 2020.

The Crown Estate expects to finalise leases with successful bidders in late 2021.

See the article here:

Oil giants hover as UK starts offshore wind lease round - Recharge

By Leman Mammadova

Some 1.1 billion tons of oil and 713 billion cubic meters of gas have been produced from the offshore fields located in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, SOCARs Vice President for Field Development Yashar Latifov said on October 16.

In addition, volume of onshore production totaled 979 million tons of oil and 139 billion cubic meters of gas, he said.

Yashar Latifov made the remarks during the SPEs 6th Annual Caspian Technical Conference on "Digital Transformation: Enabling the Future", held on October 16, in Baku.

Latifov noted that presently, 28 offshore oil and gas fields have been discovered, 19 of which are under development. As for onshore deposits, 53 oil and gas fields have been discovered so far, 40 of which are currently in operation.

He further added that currently, there are 570 active wells in the Azerbaijani Oil Rocks. Noting that 340 kilometers of the fields territory are used, Latifov pointed out that there are 58 active sites and 14 productive horizons.

Over the period of activity, 175 million tons of oil have been produced at Oil Rocks, and now the recovery percentage is 50 percent. As many as 10 million tons reserves remain. Geological reserves also amount to 10 million tons, he said.

The Oil Rocks was discovered in 1949. The first oil platform in Azerbaijan, the Oil Rocks was also the first operating offshore oil platform in the world. Intensive development began in 1950. The first oil tanker was launched from Oil Rocks in 1951. An industrial settlement 100 miles off the coast of Baku, the Oil Rocks is a complete town on the Caspian Sea.

Referring to the conference "Digital Transformation: Enabling the Future", Latifov noted that in modern conditions in processes such as exploration and production, there is a high need for various solutions, including the most advanced digital technologies.

He further spoke about SOCAR's achievements on the use of modern information technologies in the companys daily activities.

John Stephenson, BPs Vice President of Production for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, noted the importance of holding a conference in terms of the exchange of experience between industry professionals, engineers, experts, students, etc.

Stephenson talked about the use of digital technology in the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli and Shah Deniz fields, operated by the company.

He emphasized that the digitalization process is important in order to respond to the challenges typical of oil production in a timely manner. The operation processes on oil platforms indicate that we need to operate on a global scale, applying new trends in our actions to develop new promising wells and monitor them.

Referring to a 2017 report, he noted that the digitalization transformation is the potential to generate more than $ 1.6 trillion through the use of this transformation in the oil and gas industry.

Stephenson said that the integrated management of the Shah Deniz field will use the right management measures. Logistic difficulties encountered on our way will be prevented through the use of new technological processes.

We are talking about using the latest technologies developed by scientists. The theme of the conference is relevant, since it is already necessary to begin cooperation with important partners and competitors, he added.

Denis LeMarchal, Managing Director at TOTAL E&P Azerbaijan, stressed that despite the increasing use of alternative and renewable energy sources, oil and gas are still the main sources of energy.

Touching upon problems and risks in the oil and gas industry, LeMarchal spoke about the modern technologies used by the company in terms of reducing the risks of field exploitation.

Over the past few years, the use of new technologies has transformed the oil and gas industry. New digital approaches have been introduced to simplify a number of operational processes, reduce person-hours, increase equipment reliability and safety.

As part of the theme Digital Transformation: Enabling the Future, the conference will discuss the impact of digital technologies on the oil and gas industry, as well as how this will affect current and future digital trends and applications.

The conference, which includes three keynote panel sessions, namely Past, Present, and Future; Sustainability, Growth and Profit and New Generation Talent and Human Factors, will last until October 18.

SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) provides its services to more than 156,000 specialists involved in the extraction and development of energy resources in 154 countries of the world.

Its mission is to collect, disseminate and exchange technical knowledge on the exploration, production and development of oil and gas resources and related technologies that bring public benefit, as well as providing professionals with opportunities to enhance their technical and professional competencies.

SPEs 5th Annual Caspian Technical Conference was held in Kazakhstan in 2018.

---

Leman Mammadova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter:@leman_888

Follow us on Twitter@AzerNewsAz

Read the original:

SOCAR reveals volume of production in Azerbaijan's offshore oil&gas fields [PHOTO] - AzerNews

US Senators have the chance to enact a permanent ban on offshore drilling in nearly all U.S. waters.

The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to permanently ban offshore drilling in the Pacific, Atlantic, and eastern Gulf of Mexico. Both bills passed and are on their way to the Senate.

If passed, this legislation will be an incredible victory for marine wildlife and ocean ecosystems. Offshore drilling causes habitat destruction, ocean acidification, and oil spills, resulting in immense loss of wildlife and damage to coastal communities.

We need your help to thwart President Trumps plans for expanded offshore oil drilling. Will you email your Senators today and urge them to pass this critical legislation?

H.R. 1941, the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act of 2019, wouldpermanentlyblock offshore oil and gas leasing in the Atlantic Ocean, Straits of Florida and the Pacific Ocean. H.R. 205 would amend the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 topermanently block offshore oil and gas leasing off the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Our diverse marine ecosystems are already imperiled as a result of human-driven climate change. We cannot let the Trump administration continue to expand offshore drilling to the benefit of the oil industry and huge detriment of wildlife, and indeed all life and increase the burning of fossil fuels at a time when we need to be curbing use dramatically to slow the climate crisis.

Marine wildlife, including endangered sea turtles, dolphins, whales and sea birds, will continue to be injured and killed senselessly if we dont put a stop to President Trumps plans to expand offshore drilling.

Please, urge your Senators to act NOWfor marine wildlife for our irreplaceable oceans and for our future generations. Tell your Senators to vote YES on H.R. 205 and H.R. 1941, and enact a permanent ban on offshore drilling in nearly all U.S. waters.

Original post:

Tell the Senate to Block Expanded Offshore Drilling - Turtle Island Restoration Network

How will offshore wind play its part in the energy transition? Find out during Offshore Wind Conference 2019. This animation delves into the session Is the offshore wind business case bankable?

If the world is to be powered solely on electricity, the offshore wind industry must be here to stay. This is only feasible if offshore wind has a strong financial position. How can the industry finance the future of offshore wind? With each turbine installed, the LCoE is decreased.

Serious concern has arisen as to how the industry will continue to thrive and survive. Is the offshore wind business case feasible? This session will be opened by a statement with the following panel discussion triggering delegates to join in.

Contributions from:

Offshore Wind Conference will be taking place on 7 and 8 October 2019 during Offshore Energy 2019 in the Amsterdam RAI, the Netherlands.

View the program HERE and secure your seat to find out how offshore wind plays its part in the energy transition.

Here is the original post:

Offshore Wind Conference 2019: Is the Offshore Wind Business Case Bankable? - Offshore WIND

Offshore wind is still a young industry in the U.S., but thats rapidly changing. Interest has exploded in the three years since the Block Island Wind Farm became the first U.S. offshore wind project to come online. Now the second project, a 12 megawatt (MW) Dominion Energy wind farm, recently began construction off Virginias coast, a harbinger of whats to come. In total, there are currently more than 26,000 MW of offshore wind in various stages of development off the East Coast and in the Great Lakes, with additional potential off the West Coast.

The momentum for offshore wind continues leading into AWEAs Offshore WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition, taking place later this month in Boston. Weve been blown away (no pun intended!) by the response to this important event, and are grateful to our sponsors and event partners. Our program chairs, Jason Folsom, National Sales Director at MHI Vestas, and Rachel Pachter, Vice President of Permitting Affairs at Vineyard Wind, have shown great vision and guidance for the educational conference content and we are thankful for the time theyve spent working with our team to put together such a compelling program.

As more steel goes in the water, this event will only continue to grow in value and scope. We hope to see you in Boston, October 22 23! View the full speaker list, event schedule and register now!

Go here to see the original:

AWEA's Offshore WINDPOWER: Realizing the promise of offshore wind - Into the Wind - Into the Wind - The AWEA Blog

A few Saturdays ago, I was up at the crack of dawn so I could board the SeaBreeze Charters boat, the Four Seasons, for a trip out into ocean to find pelagic birds. Wings Over Willapa was in full swing by then. By definition, pelagic birds are seabirds that spend most of their time on the ocean away from land except during their nesting period. Albatross, petrels, shearwaters skuas and jaegers are examples of pelagic species.

As we motored our way out of the Ilwaco harbor it was ebb tide. The mud-flats were lined with great blue herons stalking their breakfast prey. Bald eagles were sitting on old cannery posts on the lookout for their next meal, and double-crested cormorants were drying their wings after diving for their breakfasts. Hundreds of western grebes were sighted along the way as we left the harbor for more open water and a flock of brown pelicans rested on a tiny spit of land revealed by the ebbing tide.

As we moved farther out the swells became high, but the birds were there.

The captain followed the plume which is where seabirds congregate to feed. The plume is where the fresh water from the Columbia and the ocean salt water meet and interact. It is the place where anchovies, a major food source, spawn. The plume area is dominated by sooty shearwaters and common murres. According to National Audubon, California gulls, brown pelicans, Caspian terns, Heermanns gulls, double-crested cormorants, pelagic cormorants, and Brandts cormorants also use the plume in spring, summer and fall. Marbled murrelet and rhinoceros along the plume.

As we moved on further out there many sooty shearwaters still flying about and fattening up in preparation for the trip to their New Zealand breeding grounds. We see them off shore by the thousands in our area on both the ocean and Willapa Bay any time from August to September.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a Sabines gull that was parading up and down our beaches feeding and resting. It was a lucky find because they are rarely seen on land. To my delight and amazement, as we traversed the ocean a Sabines gull flew by. The best bird for me was the pink-footed shearwater. It was a lifer! How lucky to see this bird. It is only seen here in the fall and it is considered rare for the Peninsula. Overall, for Pacific County, though, it is considered to be uncommon.

Pink-footed shearwaters nest from November to May on three Islands off the coast of Chile, but after the breeding season they fly north to Mexico and the western coast of the USA, where they tend to be common offshore in the Pacific Northwest. They are large seabirds with a wingspan of over 3 feet. Their main colors are dark brown above, but all white below. It tends to flock with other sea-birds and often scavenges around fishing boats.

I have to say that pelagic trips are always a thrill! The opportunity to see birds that one does not usually see from land is amazing. This is a must experience!

See original here:

Birding: Offshore birds: The thrill of a lifetime - Chinook Observer

Heavy seas and strong winds caused a large section of a dock in Nikiski that supports the Cook Inlet oil industry to collapse into the water Tuesday, officials said.

The mishap at the Offshore Systems Kenai dock, involving the loss of a section estimated at 50 feet wide by the U.S. Coast Guard, means the facility is indefinitely unable to provide fuel to the vessels that service offshore oil and gas platforms, said Lisa Krebs-Barsis, a supervisor for spill prevention and response in the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

I dont know how deeply the impacts will be felt, but it will certainly will have an impact, she said.

That facility is close to the platforms and is the main servicing area for the platforms," which need fuel, potable water and other supplies, she said.

Other docks can be used, but they are farther away, she said.

Around 300 gallons of diesel fuel spilled and dissipated into the Inlet, said Petty Officer 2nd Class Melissa McKenzie, a Coast Guard spokeswoman.

Photos provided by the Coast Guard show what appears to be pipelines poking from the earth after a chunk of the dock was ripped away.

A portion of the Offshore Systems Kenai dock in Nikiski, Alaska collapsed on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. (United States Coast Guard)

Officials at the facility reported 70-knot winds and very high tides preceding the accident, said Krebs-Barsis. A weather forecast of the Inlet on Tuesday predicted 10-foot seas.

The responsible party for the fuel spill is Nikiski Fuel, the fuel operator at the dock, she said. She said both areas that provided fuel to vessels have been shut down.

The Coast Guard said in a statement that the dock continues to erode, but oil and hazardous materials have been removed. The north end where the accident occurred will be closed until permanent repairs are made, the statement said.

The closure of that section is being done "as a precaution to protect life and property as well as reduce further impact to the environment, said Sean MacKenzie, Coast Guard captain of the Port for Western Alaska.

Two DEC responders sent to the scene Tuesday did not observe fuel on the beach, said Krebs-Barsis.

Hilcorp Alaska, the primary oil and gas operator in Cook Inlet, did not respond to requests for comment.

The dock is about 15 miles north of Kenai.

Krebs-Barsis said the facility will need approval from the DEC before fuel operations can resume. She said its unknown when that will be.

They are trying to figure things out right now, she said.

See more here:

Heavy seas blamed for partial collapse of Nikiski dock that supports offshore drilling - Anchorage Daily News

A trough of low pressure passed over the Pac NW and flattened the ridge of high pressure which powered some recent offshore flow. Now that that feature is moving off to the east, we will again get some offshore flow and temps will start to rise again. The changes Friday will get coastal valleys into the upper 70s and lower 80s but Saturday and Sunday some upper 80s and lower 90s are in the forecast, even beaches will be in the mid-70s this weekend.

Northeast winds also expected to pick up in and around the Santa Lucias along the Central Coast Friday night into early Saturday with gusts to between 25 and 35 mph.

Offshore flow Sunday is a little weaker but air mass is warmer and temps should be at least as warm as Saturday with slightly less wind.

Light offshore winds look likely well into next week. This will keep temps warm, skies mostly clear and conditions dry.

Offshore flow expected to briefly weaken and turn onshore Wednesday as the next trough approaches but then quickly turns offshore again later Thu into Friday.

Models are indicating potential of a cooler and potentially wetter pattern developing after mid-month, but that is some time off and just needs more examination at this point.

The rest is here:

Offshore winds get reinforced into the weekend - KSBY San Luis Obispo News

Vineyard Wind has reached a settlement in Massachusetts that will allow it to utilise an undersea transmission corridor to connect the first major US offshore wind farm south of Marthas Vineyard with the mainland electric grid.

The Conservation Commission in Edgartown on the island agreed to drop its earlier opposition to Vineyard laying two export cables beneath the seabed from the future 84-turbine array to one of two possible landfall sites on Cape Cod.

The project developer had appealed the Commissions decision to deny a permit with the state, the other signatory to the settlement.

Under state law, the Commission has jurisdiction for certain bottomlands near Martha Vineyards eastern shore in Muskeget Channel, a mid-point in the cable corridor before it enters Nantucket Sound the nearest body of water to shore.

Plans call for burying two cables in the corridor at 1.5 metre depth. Each will consist of three smaller diameter core 220kV alternating current cables. The route from the arrays electrical service platforms to landfall will be 22-24km (14-15 miles).

Once ashore, the cables would then run underground to a new electrical substation that will be built next to an existing one in Hyannis.

Preserving the export cable corridor is important for the project because of its first-mover advantage. It represents an almost straight shot to the mainland whereas future projects in four other nearby lease areas may not have such favourable routings to connect with the onshore grid and that could raise the cost of construction and permitting.

The settlement is also milestone in Vineyards ongoing effort to advance the $2.8bn, 800MW project toward construction, which the Department of Interior (DOI) delayed in August to conduct further environmental review.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), part of DOI, has indicated that it intends to complete the study late this year or in early 2020 and then open it to public comment.

BOEM, which oversees wind energy development in federal waters on the outer continental shelf, had set a 15 March 2020 target deadline for completing its project regulatory reviews. That was before DOI ordered the supplemental environmental study.

Industry participants believe BOEM will eventually approve the project sometime next year. The agency will likely require changes to the project that address commercial fishing industry concerns and perhaps others involving cumulative impacts from Vineyard and later projects could have on the regional ecosystem.

The rest is here:

Vineyard offshore wind project reaches accord on export - Recharge

With a dozen offshore wind energy projects planned on the East Coast, New York port interests are in high gear pitching their state as the industrys logical future base.

A few years ago, we would have had trouble filling this room. But as you can see things are moving quickly, said Michael Stamatis, president of Red Hook Terminals in New York City, at the State University of New York Maritime Colleges offshore wind energy conference Sept. 26.

There is no better place to be in for offshore wind than New York and New Jersey, said Stamatis.

This is going to be in the middle, declared Boone Davis, president of Atlantic Offshore Terminals, whose company aims to develop a new offshore wind energy port facility on Staten Island, well clear of the citys bridges and other limits on moving massive wind turbines by ship.

But New York has plenty of competition. From New Bedford, Mass., to Norfolk, Va., port operators and their allies in business, labor and politics are working to snag a share of the business.

There is no U.S. mega port comparable to European bases used by the wind industry there, said Alan Duerr, director of offshore wind in North America for classification society DNV GL and former lead of offshore wind for the U.S. Department of Energy.

We arent a cut-and-paste of Europe here in the U.S., said Duerr. It wont happen overnight. There will be a need for multiple ports.

Those will range from deepwater ports like New York and Norfolk, to smaller locations where turbine foundations and other components can be shipped out for assembly.

Closer to the project sites, developers are already sizing up locations to berth survey boats and crew transfer vessels (CTVs) to ferry workers. In Montauk at the east end of Long Island, N.Y., wind developer rsted has a deal to base some vessels at the Inlet Seafood dock, despite tense relations there between the company and the commercial fishing community.

Northeast fishermens concerns, backed by NOAA fisheries officials, pushed the federal Bureau of Offshore Energy Management to hold back on an environmental impact statement for the Vineyard Wind project off Massachusetts while BOEM conducts a broader review of the industrys potential cumulative impacts.

But that step back has done little to dampen port operators enthusiasm. Some 140 miles up the Hudson River from New York Harbor, the Carver Companies at the port of Coeymans near Albany are lined up for building turbine foundations and floating them south by barge.

The port has shown how to tie upstate jobs to downstate projects by building massive bridge and power plant components onsite and shipping them out, squeaking under the Hudsons 132 air draft bridges, said Steve Kelly of Carver.

We can see offshore wind is going to be exactly the same, he said. We can do anything here, thats the bottom line.

Norfolk is the largest East Coast port without a height restriction a major consideration with the next generation of 12-megawatt turbines more than 800 feet tall.

Being able to assemble and move turbines from ports will make wind energy projects more price competitive, said Davis of Atlantic Offshore Terminals. But with the biggest projects now proposed in the New York Bight, Davis said the port of New York and New Jersey makes sense.

There are no potential mega ports, he said. Compared to the likely costs of networking New York locations through a final assembly point there, Norfolk might as well be Denmark for the higher costs of bringing vessels and turbine components north, he said.

New York State officials on Wednesday announced they will seek port operators and market participants who are interested in upgrading and investing in New York ports to support the states burgeoning offshore wind industry, offering up to $200 million in funding.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Empire State Development and Department of Transportation issued a request for qualifications as a first step toward selecting potential partners for public-private investment in port infrastructure. Proposers must identify at least one port facility, the level of site control there and its value and viability for offshore wind operations.

The states ports are expected to unlock billions in long-term local economic develop potential and will be serving as a hub for the broader northeast regions offshore wind industry, according to the announcement by NYSERDA.

Read this article:

Port promoters aim for offshore wind business - National Fisherman