Category Archives: Offshore

Recently unveiled plans for an offshore wind farm in the Australian state of Victoria face a major hurdle: onshore projects are far, far cheaper.

Right now, in Australia its a very competitive price market, said Robert Liew, senior analyst for Asia-Pacific at MAKE Consulting, which is owned by GTMs parent company Wood Mackenzie. The price of onshore wind is even more competitive than, say, a new-build coal project.

Onshore projects are delivering power at between USD $0.45 and $0.56 per megawatt-hour, he said. Offshore wind in Australia might struggle to come in at twice that level.

In Europe, offshore wind is getting close to Australias onshore price range because countries such as Germany and the U.K. have spent decades building an industry to support their projects. Europe also boasts several major offshore wind turbine manufacturers.

But the lack of native turbine-makers or an established supply chain makes it hard for offshore generation to come anywhere close to the price of onshore projects in Australia.

Nevertheless, Victorias government this month welcomed a proposal from Offshore Energy, a little known developer, to carry out a feasibility study for a 250-turbine project between 10 and 25 kilometers off the coast of Gippsland, in the southeast of the state.

A new renewable power generator of this size would drive down electricity prices, and well support offshore energy wherever we can to progress this study, said Victorias Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily DAmbrosio, in a press release.

If the AUD $8 billion (USD $6 billion) project goes ahead, It is hoped the wind farm could be generating power in time to contribute to the Labor Governments Renewable Energy Target of 40 percent by 2025, the press note said.

Its a big "if," though.

Jack-up barges, which are just one vital element of the offshore wind supply chain, can cost $165,000 a day. There are almost certainly none in Australia, nor, quite possibly, in the whole of the southern hemisphere.

If a barge has to be chartered all the way from Europe, along with all the other vessels needed for construction, support, cable-laying and more, and the turbines and other components also have to be shipped around the world, Its going to be difficult to get the cost down, said Liew.

Onshore wind, in contrast, is cheap and easy. The average size of onshore wind farms in Australia is 130 megawatts, and the projects have capacity factors of between 35 percent to 45 percent.

Add in the low cost of plots in Australias vast open landscape, and the country emerges as one of the best places on the planet to build onshore wind farms. Whether offshore can offer better value is the million-dollar question, Liew commented.

And its not just costs that could pose a problem for offshore wind in Australia.

According to Robert Bates, assistant underwriter at the renewable energy insurer GCube, Earthquakes and cyclones, while infrequent in Australia, are natural-catastrophe-type risks that developers in Australia offshore wind may have to contend with.

The seabed surrounding Australia is diverse and complex, he said. Moreover, different soil types require different foundation types. Detailed geotechnical studies will be crucial in determining what will be best for each site.

Finally, given that there are more than 1,100 offshore oil and gas platforms around the country, safely circumnavigating existing marine infrastructure is especially challenging.

Australia does not appear likely to gain an industrial advantage by planting turbines off Gippsland. It has no original equipment manufacturers that would benefit, or nearby markets to exploit.

That said, it is too early to completely write off the prospect of Australian offshore wind. Liew said he spoke to developers curious about investigating offshore projects in the country.

Australia also has a history of welcoming foreign companies to build infrastructure projects, he said. And with high electricity prices, there might be an opportunity to introduce technologies that would not be viable elsewhere.

Finally, the timeframe for the Gippsland project may leave enough room for further cost reductions. Beyond 2020, a low-cost offshore supply chain might be accessible from Asian markets such as Japan or South Korea.

Turbines, meanwhile, might be supplied by firms such as Siemens, Vestas or Senvion, which already have a significant presence in the Australian onshore market.

I wouldnt rule it out, said Liew. Maybe the conditions [in Gippsland] are just perfect. But its a real tough sell.

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The Big Problem Facing Offshore Wind in Australia - Greentech Media

A widely used method to find oil and gas for offshore drilling can kill tiny sea creatures that are key for feeding many marine animals like shellfish, fish, and even whales. And the impacts on these tiny, drifting creatures called zooplankton are seen in an area much larger than previously thought.

The study, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, adds to the body of evidence that the loud noises produced during oil and gas exploration can disrupt marine life including whales that use sound to communicate and look for food. It also comes just a few months after President Donald Trump has signed an executive order looking to expand offshore gas and oil drilling in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

louder than a Saturn V rocket during launch

Oil and gas companies looking for offshore natural resources use seismic airguns to blast compressed air through the water and into the seafloor. The noise produced by these airguns is louder than a Saturn V rocket during launch, according to Nature. So researchers wanted to see what the effects are on the seas base of the food chain, the zooplankton.

The researchers blasted airguns in the ocean off southern Tasmania, and checked zooplankton populations before and after by using sonar and nets. The abundance of these tiny creatures dropped by 64 percent within one hour of the blast, the study says. Two to three times as many zooplankton were also found dead and the impacts were recorded as far away as 0.7 miles. Scientists previously estimated that impacts would occur only within 33 feet from the blast.

Its not 100 percent clear how the airguns are causing the die-offs, but its possible the blast throws off the receptors the animals use to navigate, disorienting them and causing them to die, according to Nature. Because zooplankton is key for feeding larger marine animals, the die-offs could have serious cascading effects.

"Plankton underpin whole ocean productivity," lead author Robert McCauley, an associate professor at Curtin University in Australia, said in a statement. "Their presence impacts right across the health of the ecosystem so it's important we pay attention to their future."

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The hunt for offshore oil is killing tiny sea creatures that are key for healthy oceans - The Verge

Greece has approved an application by a consortium of ExxonMobil, Frances Total SA, and domestic oil refiner Hellenic Petroleum, to drill for oil and gas off the island of Crete, Reuters reported on Friday, quoting the Greek energy ministry as saying.

Greece has also approved another application, by local company Energean Oil, to start drilling for oil offshore western Greece.

The countrys oil and gas resources management body will launch a tender for exploration licenses in the blocks by the end of June, with the goal to award licenses by the end of this year.

Last month, the energy ministry held talks with Exxon and Total to discuss the potential of offshore gas exploration. Back then, a government official told Reuters that a consortium of ExxonMobil, Total, and Hellenic Petroleum was expected to file an application to explore south of the island of Crete.

Greece, which has been struggling with a severe debt crisis in the past few years and has received billions of euros of EU- and IMF-backed bailout support, is trying to resume efforts to search for hydrocarbons both onshore and offshore and possibly lessen its dependence on energy imports in the future.

In October last year, Greeces energy ministry named a consortium led by Total SA and comprised of Italys Edison and Hellenic Petroleum as the preferred bidder to drill for gas in an offshore block in the Ionian Sea west of the country.

Related:Underperforming Energy Sector May Soon See M&A Wave

The head of the Hellenic Hydrocarbons Resources Management (HHRM), Yannis Bassias, said last month that the country would start opening new onshore oil and gas blocks for exploration in 2018.

As of next year, and perhaps earlier, we will begin announcing that we are opening the door to whoever is interested in onshore sites, according to the head of Greeces oil and gas resource management body.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Greece Okays Exxon-Total Bid To Explore For Offshore Oil - OilPrice.com

6/23/2017

HOUSTON -- The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), with the support of Aqualis Offshore, has matched its own pre-monsoon rig move record set last year offshore India. Aqualis Offshore has also secured a new contract extension to support ONGC.

ONGC executed a total of 33 jack-up rig moves in April, May and June this year. Most the rigs were located on the west coast of India with one jack-up on the east coast. Aqualis Offshore, working together with the ONGC Rigmove cell, assisted with most of these moves, placing each rig on its respective monsoon location before the onset of the seasonal adverse weather conditions.

Aqualis Offshore conducted the work with mariners from the companys Dubai office and with engineering support from London, UK.

Last year I commented that ONGCs pre-monsoon rig move was an impressive milestone in Indian offshore operations. This years achievement is just as remarkable. It is a huge logistics challenge that has been solved safely and effectively by everyone involved, says Rodger Dickson, group marine director at Aqualis Offshore.

In May this year, following last years successfully executed rig moving campaigns, United India Insurance Company once again reappointed Aqualis Offshore to provide marine warranty services to the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limiteds (ONGC) assets offshore India.

Under the agreement, Aqualis Offshore will continue to provide marine warranty services to ONGCs fleet of jack-up rigs and mobile offshore production units (MOPU) in Indian waters.

See the article here:

ONGC, Aqualis Offshore match rig move record offshore India - WorldOil (subscription)

One hundred percent of coastal communities throughout South Carolina have demonstrated opposition to offshore drilling and exploration in the Atlantic, and we thank Rep. Mark Sanford for taking the lead against drilling off our shores.

On May 20 beach-goers and Lowcountry ocean activists took to Folly Beach for a beach cleanup and to participate in Hands Across the Sand.

Locals, both young and old and from various political parties, joined hands on our beach for several minutes, forming a human line in the sand to say no to offshore drilling and yes to a clean energy future.

As we oppose offshore drilling time and time again, we need our elected officials to stand with us particularly given President Trumps latest executive order that promotes energy exploration and production above all else.

Such expansion in the Atlantic poses a direct threat to our beaches that draw millions of tourists, to our fishing industry, and to our way of life. Coastal resources provide over 79,000 jobs and generate $4.4 billion annually statewide.

South Carolina wont trade this in for dirty and dangerous offshore drilling and seismic airgun blasting. I support Mr. Sanfords bill, the Coastal Economies Protection Act, and urge his colleagues in Congress to co-sponsor this legislation that protects our coast.

Marlo Ann Shedlock

Huger Street

Charleston

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Letter: Offshore drilling - Charleston Post Courier

Christian slund/Greenpeace

A ship operates an air gun array while looking for oil deposits off the coast of Greenland.

Powerful sound waves created during offshore surveys for oil and gas can kill microscopic animals at the base of the ocean food chain, according to a new study. And these lethal effects travel much farther than ecologists had previously assumed. Researchers fear that damage to these animals, collectively known as zooplankton, could harm top predators and commercially important species of fish that depend on such species for food.

Seismic surveys blast compressed air to produce pulses of sound that can probe the sea floor thousands of metres down for natural resources. At 220250 decibels, the pulses produced by these air guns are louder than a Saturn V rocket during launch. Scientists have known for decades that whales and other marine mammals that use sound to communicate change their behaviour in response to such noise1. There is increasing evidence that seismic surveys also affect fish2 and marine invertebrates3. And now, researchers have found that the noise from air-gun blasts can kill zooplankton at distances of up to 1.2 kilometres away more than two orders of magnitude farther than previously thought. They reported their results4 on 22 June in Nature Ecology and Evolution.

We were quite gobsmacked, says lead author Jayson Semmens, a marine biologist at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Australia.

Semmens and his team conducted their study off the southeastern coast of Tasmania in 2015. They used sonar and nets to assess populations of zooplankton, including krill larvae and tiny crustaceans called copepods, before and after firing a series of air-gun shots. The team found that zooplankton abundance dropped by 64% within one hour of the blasts. And the proportion of dead zooplankton increased by 200300% as far away as 1.2 kilometres the maximum distance the researchers sampled. This suggests that the impact of the blasts could extend well beyond such distances, Semmens says.

Wim Van Egmond/SPL

Sea urchin larvae are one of many zooplankton groups harmed by air gun blasts.

Dead bodies in net tows don't lie, says Doug Nowacek, a marine ecologist at Duke University Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, North Carolina, who was not involved in the study. He suggests the next question for researchers is figuring out what this means for the ocean ecosystem. If you start impacting the zooplankton population, that can cause a serious cascade through the food web.

The results come as US President Donald Trump proposes opening up large swathes of the Atlantic coast of the United States to seismic surveys. The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is considering permit requests from six companies to conduct seismic surveys that were denied under former President Barack Obama. As part of that process, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) must also evaluate permit requests from those companies since their proposed activities could affect marine mammals. The NOAA permit requests are open for public comment until 6 July.

Although it's unclear if the companies will be able to start seismic surveys, initiating the permit process is part of a larger effort laid out in an executive order that Trump issued in April to expand US offshore energy development.

The study didn't pin down precisely how air-gun blasts kill zooplankton, Semmens says, but the noise they produce probably damages the highly sensitive hair-like receptors that the animals use to navigate. The blast might not kill them all directly, but it could disorient them and make it harder for them to survive.

Semmens is planning a follow-on study with a full seismic air gun set-up similar to that used in industrial activities to determine how far the effects of the noise extend. He and his team also want to look at what these blasts do to zooplankton physically. Although most research has focused on the impact of air-gun blasts on marine mammals, Semmens notes, perhaps its the invertebrates that are most at risk. It could be that our focus has kind of been blinkered because its been on whales, he says. Invertebrates are the forgotten ones.

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Air guns used in offshore oil exploration can kill tiny marine life ... - Nature.com

San Diego is the home of the worlds largest live bait sportfishing fleet.

Beginning in the 1930s, vessels have been fitted to take anglers out for deep sea fishing; tournament fishing grew in the post WWII days of relative leisure. The Bassmasters million dollar events gave rise to TV personalities that made a career out of tossing lures. They, like Bill Dance and Jimmy Houston, had their names stamped on products to the waiting angling masses. But for the average angler, tournaments were prohibitive in cost.

People found a way to compete. Longboarders and kayakers and float tubers have fishing tournaments. But what of those not water savvy enough to join them, and not wealthy enough to provide a stable offshore platform? Thats where the Western Outdoor News comes to the rescue. Their Offshore Jackpot enlists 17 sportfishing vessels carrying an average of 30 anglers each out for a full day of on-the-water competition..

All the boats are from the three landings at Scott Street: Fishermans Landing, Point Loma Sportfishing, and H&M. H&M Landing has 11 boats set with the Relentless, Constitution, Chief, Ocean Odyssey, Old Glory, Ranger 85, Legend, First String, Sea Adventure II, Daiwa Pacific and the Producer. Fishermans Landing has the Pacific Queen, Prowler, Condor and the Liberty. Point Loma Sportfishing has the New Lo An and the Dominator ready for the San Diego Offshore Jackpot. Assuming full loads on each boat, $9,500 in prize money will be doled out to the three largest fish weighed in.

The $275 cost per angler includes $20 jackpot buy-in. Thursday, June 29, midnight through 11p.m. Friday, June 30.

To book your spot, go online to the landings directly. H&M Landing, Fisherman's Landing, Point Loma Sportfishing, 619-223-1627.

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Fish 23 hours on June 29, win Offshore Jackpot - San Diego Reader

June 22nd, 2017 by Joshua S Hill

The speed of technological innovation being seen in the wind energy sector is advancing at such a pace that we can now expect to see 4 MW onshore wind turbines and 12 MW offshore wind turbines making their way into services in the next few years.

This is the key conclusion from a new report from renewable energy analysts MAKE Consulting, which this week published a new research note highlighting next generation wind turbine models. Specifically, MAKE predicts that with the pace of technological innovation continuing at such a rapid clip, forcing ever-more impressive advances, the competition in global market will continue to be fierce, forcing original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to continually innovate and create bigger and better wind turbines to stand out from the crowd.

One of the primary methods OEMs are attempting to differentiate themselves from the pack is to continue to lower the Levelized Cost of Electricity for their wind turbines. Further, most OEMs are focusing their attention on deploying wind turbine platforms, which allow for greatermaneuverability, and allows the companies to accelerate their design cycles. MAKE also points out that this insanely competitive marketplace is causing Turbine Life Cycles (TLC) to shorten, with current products being quickly outpaced and replaced with newer and larger turbines.

More specifically, MAKE Consulting highlights the greater penetration of the 3 MW wind turbine platforms, which now represent more than 23% of global wind energy installations, up from 8% only 5 years ago. In 2016 alone, 3 MW onshore wind turbines were installed in nearly 40 markets, with even emerging economies looking to the larger turbines for their needs. This trend is likely to see the next generation of 4 MW wind turbines quickly make their way to market, and MAKE expects OEMs to announce their 4 MW offerings by the end of the next year.

Interestingly, with severe logistic challenges inherent in turbine blades longer than 70 meters, MAKE expects many OEMs to begin developing modular blades to get around these limitations.

Moving offshore, MAKE predicts that the next generation of 10 to 12 MW wind turbines are similarly only a couple of years away, with R&D already in full swing to bring these turbines to market. 12 MW wind turbines are likely to require rotors in excess of 200 meters.

Already we have seen OEM MHI Vestas reveal interim development progress, earlier this month revealing its 9.5 MW wind turbine, part of its V164 series.This currently ranks as the most powerful serially-produced wind turbine in the world, according to MHI Vestas, with massive 80-meter blades that result in a swept area of 21,124 meters-squared, which is larger than the London Eye.

Check out our new 93-page EV report.

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Tags: 12 MW, 12MW, 3 MW, 3MW, MAKE Consulting, wind OEMs

Joshua S Hill I'm a Christian, a nerd, a geek, and I believe that we're pretty quickly directing planet-Earth into hell in a handbasket! I also write for Fantasy Book Review (.co.uk), and can be found writing articles for a variety of other sites. Check me out at about.me for more.

Original post:

Look Out For 4 Megawatt Onshore & 12 Megawatt Offshore Wind Turbines, Concludes MAKE - CleanTechnica

As the US Gulf Coast oil and gas industry prepares for the arrival of Tropical Storm Cindy late Wednesday, about 17.24% of current Gulf of Mexico oil production has been shut, according to the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement's Hurricane Response Team. That amounts to about 301,618 b/d of lost production.

For natural gas, about 0.32% of production has been shut, representing lost volume of 10.089 MMcf/d, BSEE said.

The shut-ins can usually be accomplished remotely, with personnel able to close subsurface safety valves from off-site. Once the storm has subsided, inspections will take place and undamaged facilities will be brought back online, the BSEE said.

The loss of offshore domestic crude production had little effect on the assessed value of US Gulf Coast crude differentials Wednesday.

Article continues below...

Only Southern Green Canyon, a medium sour produced off the coast of Texas, showed any major movement, rising 35 cents/b. The grade received price support from its ability to be delivered into Texas -- relatively out of the path of the storm -- versus Louisiana, where other Gulf of Mexico grades are delivered. Should Louisiana refineries come offline due to damage from the storm, Texas refineries could pick up the slack in the market.

In contrast, all 17 dynamically positioned rigs in the US Gulf of Mexico have remained on location, with personnel remaining on board. However, the BSEE noted these rigs can move relatively quickly should the need arise.

Anadarko, which operates the Lucius and Heidelberg spar facilities, has evacuated nonessential personnel and said facilities remain operational.

"We are continuing to monitor the weather system as it moves through the Gulf and are prepared to shut in our operated facilities if necessary to ensure the safety of our personnel and to protect the environment," the company said in a statement.

Shell, which operates the Mars B/Olympus, Cardamom and Stones developments, said personnel will remain offshore. The company has, however, suspended all offshore flights from heliports located in central Louisiana and some well operations also have been suspended.

"Production is currently unaffected," Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said in a statement. He noted that all of the company's deepwater production hubs are designed to withstand hurricane-force conditions.

Operator BP, which produces from the Atlantis, Mad Dog, Na Kika and Thunder Horse platforms, evacuated nonessential personnel earlier in the week and has also taken steps to secure its offshore production facilities.

"At this time, there have been no impacts to production," BP spokesperson Jason Ryan said in a statement. "BP's severe weather assessment team is in constant communication with our offshore teams."

BHP Billiton, which operates the offshore Shenzi and Neptune fields, said it does not expect regional storm conditions to warrant an evacuation of personnel based the company's operational response protocol for weather events.

"As far as the Invictus deepwater drillship, nonessential operations have been suspended, and nonessential personnel demobilized as a precautionary measure," the company said in a statement.

Hess, which operates the Stampede and Tubular Bells developments, is monitoring the storm closely with employees remaining in place for the moment.

"We stand ready to activate our response plans for severe weather conditions as needed," Hess spokeswoman Hillary Harmon said. "There has been no impact on production at this point."

Operations at Chevron's Jack/St. Malo development as well as the operator's other Gulf of Mexico production interests has not been affected by the approaching weather system.

"We will continue to closely monitor the system," Chevron spokeswoman Brenda Cosola said.

The most recent National Hurricane Center forecast calls for Cindy to approach the southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas coasts late Wednesday before moving inland into southeast Texas on Thursday.

--Mary Hogan, mary.hogan@spglobal.com

--Edited by Jason Lindquist, jason.lindquist@spglobal.com

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USGC offshore producers brace for Tropical Storm Cindy - Platts

Two of British Petroleums major projects have had the storm pass over them, with equipment successfully weathering rain and minor ocean swells. The oil major had evacuated non-essential workers from the Mad Dog and Atlantis platforms, but those who manage production remained onsite due to the storms waning severity.

Our top priority is the safety of all personnel and protecting the environment, BP said, according to the Houston Chronicle. We remain prepared to respond as conditions warrant.

Chevron and Anadarko Petroleum both have projects in the Gulf of Mexico, and they also evacuated non-essential personnel.

Reuters Tuesdayon Tuesday that the storms slow speed meant it would produce rain for a long time.

The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), the largest private crude storage facility in the U.S., stopped offloading procedures in anticipation of the storm. The ports management expected no disruptions in deliveries from a hub in Clovelly, Louisiana.

On shore, Cindy is expected to bring a foot of rain to the states bordering the gulf on Thursday, potentially causing life-threatening flash floods, according to the National Hurricane Center. Winds could speed up to 50 mph.

Hurricane season began in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico officially on June 1st, but this year, the first tropical storm, named Arlene, hit in April.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

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Offshore Gulf Of Mexico Operations Continue As Cindy Rages On - OilPrice.com