Category Archives: Offshore

Vattenfalls offshore wind-to-hydrogen pilot project in Scotland is moving towards filing consent applications, with a public consultation event set to be held next month and the developer appointing a UK-based consultancyfor the metocean design criteria for the project.

The Hydrogen Turbine 1 (HT1) project is said to bring the world its first hydrogen-producing offshore wind turbine as it involves placing an electrolyser directly onto an existing operational turbine at Vattenfalls 97 MW Aberdeen offshore wind farm, also known as theEuropean Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. The hydrogen produced at sea will be piped to shore at Aberdeen Harbor.

Vattenfall intends to submit applications for a marine licence with Marine Scotland and for onshore planning consent with Aberdeen City Council to realise the project and have it in operation by 2025.

Since HT1 is now in the pre-application period, it is required to undergo public consultation under the Pre Application Consultation (PAC) regulations.

The developer has scheduled an event in Aberdeen on 14 November to inform stakeholders about the HT1 pilot and gather comments and feedback, which the stakeholders will also be able to deliver to the company in written form until 28 November.

Vattenfall has also hired the UK consultancy MetOceanWorks to deliver key design criteria for the planned hydrogen pipeline for HT1.

Having access to reliable design criteria will be hugely important for the team. We are pleased to be working with MetOceanWorks, whose extensive experience is a great asset to the project, said Matthias Johannsen, Metocean Project Manager at Vattenfall.

According to earlier information about the project, with an output of 8 MW from one of the offshore wind farms Vestas turbines, HT1 will be able to produce enough hydrogen every day to power a hydrogen bus to travel 24,000 kilometers.

The project aims not only to be the first in the world to test the full integration of hydrogen production with an offshore wind turbine, but also to map out development and consent processes for large-scale hydrogen projects co-located with offshore wind farms to speed up future development.

Earlier this year, Vattenfall was awarded GBP 9.3 million in innovation funding from the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply 2 fund by the UK government to develop Hydrogen Turbine 1.

In July this year, Vattenfall submitted a bid in the Dutch offshore wind tender for Hollandse Kust West, where the company also plans to utilise hydrogen-producing wind turbines.

In the Netherlands, Vattenfall proposes to build an offshore wind farm that would comprise the worlds first offshore green hydrogen cluster, with three 15 MW turbines equipped with electrolysers.

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Hydrogen-Producing Offshore Wind Turbine Project Progressing Towards Permit Application - Offshore WIND

Dive Brief:

The issuance of the environmental assessment is another step forward in possible wind farm development off the West Coast, an area where floating wind turbines will be the main option for offshore wind because of the depth of the water.

The move comes weeks after the Biden administration launched a floating wind turbine initiative that includes leasing enough deep-water acreage to support 15 GW of floating offshore wind capacity by 2035.

The California Energy Commission in August approved planning goals of up to 5,000 MW by 2030 and 25,000 MW by 2045 for offshore wind development.

The completion of our environmental review is an important step forward to advance clean energy development in a responsible manner while promoting economic vitality and well-paying union jobs in central California, BOEM Director Amanda Lefton said in a statement.

BOEM will continue to work with tribes, state and federal partners, and key stakeholders to make sure wind farm developers avoid or minimize their projects effects on the ocean and region, according to Lefton.

At least 23 companies are qualified to bid in any West Coast offshore auctions, including Algonquin Power Fund, Avangrid Renewables, Equinor Wind US, Orsted North America and Shell New Energies US, according to a proposed sale notice published in the Federal Register in May.

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California offshore wind lease auction for up to 3 GW advances with BOEM assessment - Utility Dive

ST International is a South Korean energy company that is expanding its renewable energy project footprint adjacent to its work in the coal industry. The Korea-Tra Vinh Wind Power No.1 intertidal wind farm, located in Vietnams Tra Vinh province, is their first investment in Vietnam which it undertook alongside Climate Investor One, a blended finance facility delivering renewable energy infrastructure projects in emerging markets.

Vietnams natural wind capacity is vast, with 3000kilometres of coastline and consistently fast windspeeds, from 5.5 to 7.3 m/s. The biggest opportunity for large-scale wind power generation lies offshore World Bank estimates Vietnams offshore wind potential as ranging up to 500 gigawatts. With realizing that potential forming a key part of the governments National Power Development Plan 8, the country is set to become a leader in the offshore energy industry.

ST International progressively recognises that the quality of that expansion is as important as its volume, and have partnered with ONYX to collaborate on enabling a scale-up of their O&M predictive maintenance strategy that will both minimise O&M costs while maximising energy availability from the get-go. The advanced sensing and analytics solutions provided by ONYX, alongside its practical engineering expertise, will be key to ensuring maximal profitability, longevity, and output.

Condition monitoring systems enable the predictive maintenance of assets, detecting and preventing minor faults from developing into catastrophic failures, saving millions. They can also be used to identify lost energy issues, such as yaw misalignment and deteriorating drivetrains, which can drastically hamper the output of a turbine. AI HUB centralises the data gathered from these issues and processes them into workable solutions.

Jihwan Oh, Business Development Manager at ONYX Insight, said,Data analysis is as important as root cause analysis. Our monitoring systems dont just find out whats wrong with individual turbines; they provide an actionable plan to fix those issues.

"Were delighted that TWPC has committed to a long-term AI HUB subscription, which is a linked-up digital platform that connects wind turbine hardware and software in an intuitive way. Were very excited to work on more projects in Vietnam, and to bring AI HUB elsewhere in the East Asia market.

Kim Junchul, Senior Manager Renewable Energy Team / Development at ST International, said,In our process to select a digital partner for the wind farm, there were several other digital O&M companies from Europe and Asia in the running but we were particularly impressed by ONYXs offering. As we continue to expand our renewables portfolio, we are fully taking stock of the profitability and efficiency that digitalization can bring.

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Wind - ONYX Insight Signs 5-year Offshore Wind Contract with ST International for Digital O&M - Renewable Energy Magazine

Offshore aquaculture enclosure

Salmon firms need to optimise everything from fish biology, site location, farming infrastructure, operational costs and licensing for offshore aquaculture to meet its potentialForever Oceans

Despite the innovative production designs and growing industry hype around offshore aquaculture, the sectors re-location to open waters probably wont in all likelihood be a linear process. According to a recent case study in Reviews in Aquaculture, a lot of things need to go right for the industrys offshore ambitions to become reality. Using the Atlantic salmon industry as an example, the researchers found that firms need to optimise everything from fish biology, site location, farming infrastructure, operational costs and licensing for offshore sites to meet their projected potential.

They also note that many of the production benefits highlighted by offshore advocates namely reduced disease burdens and fewer algal blooms are more complex than initially conveyed. Though moving salmon aquaculture offshore could be the industrys next step forward, the researchers note that farming fish in open water will be more challenging than the current fjord-based model. Operational costs will be higher and production gear has to become more specialised and resilient to withstand offshore conditions. If the industry can meet these economic challenges, select appropriate sites and make sure theyre meeting the salmons biological needs, offshore aquaculture can cease being visionary and become viable.

Though the buzz around offshore aquaculture has been ramping up, many of its predicted benefits are largely theoretical. According to the researchers, the purported advantages of offshore aquaculture have been touted without enough science-based evidence to back their claims. Because of this, the industry needs to review the data and look at current offshore projects to see if the hype is warranted.

Many of the purported advantages of offshore aquaculture have been touted without enough science-based evidence to back the claimsGael Force

Offshore farming is a potential game-changer because it presents a solution to recurring pain points in the salmon industry. The sectors current production model is coming under pressure. Most Atlantic salmon firms produce fish sea cages in sheltered, fjordic lochs with restricted water exchange. However, countries that boast this geography like Norway, Chile and Scotland are facing farming challenges like sea lice and algal blooms. Theyre also contending with stricter environmental regulations to crack down on nutrient pollution, pharmaceutical residues and fish escapes. The number of available nearshore locations is declining as well, so firms cannot build enough farm infrastructure to meet increasing demand for salmon.

These factors have led many salmon companies to make initial investments in offshore aquaculture. The offshore pitch usually points out that moving farm activities away from the coast allows producers to benefit from high-energy waves and currents. Fish that are reared in this environment can take advantage of improved water exchange rates and higher dissolved oxygen gradients than their nearshore counterparts. Wastes, treatment chemicals, sea lice and harmful algal blooms (HABs) are also more easily dispersed on offshore sites.

Offshore advocates also say that taking farms out of fjords can help the industry maintain high stocking densities without courting parasites or other pathogens. Sea lice infestations and disease outbreaks cost the industry billions each year and is a constant problem in fjordic enclosures. Parasite control becomes increasingly difficult when several farms occupy the same region or if different companies fail to coordinate anti-parasite treatments the farms could re-infect each other as the parasites grow more resistant to medicinal treatments.

Offshore advocates also say that taking farms out of fjords can help the industry maintain high stocking densities without courting parasites or other pathogensInnovaSea

Separating the sea cages across a larger offshore environment lets producers take advantage of improved water dispersion and may reduce parasite pressure. At the very least, it could prevent neighbouring production sites from infecting one another.

The researchers look a close look at offshore trials and case studies to verify whether expectations matched the in-the-water reality. They looked at economic and engineering feasibility studies to identify potential pitfalls for new offshore farms. They also prioritised studies that focused on dispersive currents offshore, as advocates claim this impacts everything from sea lice levels, nutrient pollution and HABs. They also assessed studies that explored the health and welfare impacts offshore aquaculture could have on salmon.

The importance of site selection was recurring theme in the literature and is probably the first hurdle to the sectors offshore shift. The researchers noted that firms must identify sites that have ideal oceanographic conditions waves, currents, dispersal patterns, benthic conditions and oxygen levels for their target species to make offshore aquaculture viable. Data-driven models must map and predict incident wave conditions and the hydrodynamics must also be developed. If this is overlooked, producers will face heavy economic losses from poor fish health and damaged farm structures.

Offshore infrastructure will be battered by higher waves and more frequent storm events, meaning that farm equipment will experience greater wear and tear and be repaired or even replaced frequently.

Moving salmon aquaculture offshore has logistical and economic implications. By nature, viable farm sites will be remote and subject to harsh environmental conditions. Offshore infrastructure will be battered by higher waves and more frequent storm events, meaning that farm equipment will experience greater wear and tear and be repaired or even replaced frequently. The researchers also note that transport costs will increase as the industry moves away from the fjords. This will translate into higher maintenance and costs, as well as operational limitations.

Offshore farm structures will have to change to accommodate the production reality becoming larger, more robust and expensive. The industry is currently developing new fish cage designs. Closed-containment systems, submersible cages, vessel-like structures and repurposing oil rigs are being trialled to see what can withstand the harsh offshore waters.

Moving offshore will make routine husbandry checks more challenging Jeffrey Milisen

Permits, licensing fees and other governance frameworks are another costly bottleneck for the industrys offshore push. The literature shows that many oversight bodies dont have an agreed definition of offshore aquaculture nor do they have regulatory systems to develop offshore technologies. Firms will need to have sufficient up-front capital to meet these development challenges before they can get in the water.

Salmon aquaculture already takes place in remote and rural areas and taking farm activities offshore will only make this more pronounced. As the industry moves production away from the coasts, transport costs for personnel will skyrocket. This has implications for on-farm husbandry checks and routine monitoring.

Daily farm activities like health and welfare checks, size grading, monitoring stocking densities, structural maintenance and cleaning will be more difficult and time consuming. Frequent storms are an additional consideration: bad weather could limit a firms ability to safely send technicians to farm sites and lead to husbandry lapses.

The only way to safely farm salmon offshore is to invest in aquatech that lets production become more self-sufficient. Adopting remote monitoring tech and precision farming would allow operators to automate and control important tasks from a base on land. The researchers also suggest investing in wireless tech and satellite uplinks, but that sector will need to develop products that can send and receive data during storm events. They also note that developing low-maintenance and reliable power supplies to keep offshore sites operational is a must when personnel are kept on land.

Moving offshore will likely require stronger farm infrastructure and aquatech solutions to accommodate the harsh and remote conditions Rizhao Wazefeng Fishery

The theory that offshore sites have decreased disease and sea lice burdens is largely anecdotal. For diseases like amoebic gill disease (AGD), there isnt any comprehensive evidence that moving offshore would address the issue. This makes predicting the potential infection path and impact of salmon diseases at offshore sites complicated. On the one hand, increased oxygen and water exchange offshore may keep parasite levels low, or conversely, the offshore environment may make it more difficult for infected fish to recover.

For sea lice, the evidence is similarly ambiguous. The researchers couldnt find much to support claims of lower lice counts offshore in the published literature the sole study that compares nearshore and offshore sea lice burdens and health performance is from 10 years ago. That publication compared the production of Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) at two farm sites in Australia. The key findings from that study showed that tuna raised 25 nautical miles from the coast had better overall growth and health performance than those raised 16 nautical miles from the coast. The study also concluded that sea lice prevalence was significantly lower offshore.

There are indirect reasons to believe that offshore aquaculture could keep sea lice at bay. The dispersive environments and greater distance from the coast will likely reduce lice retention and exchanges between production sites. Offshore environments are also marked by higher surface salinities, current speeds and varying water temperatures that make it difficult for lice to attach to farmed salmon.

Sea lice can still reach offshore sites and cause devastating infestations. Some natural de-lousing strategies like cleanerfish arent effective offshore either.

Though the researchers concede that this finding is good news, it certainly doesnt mean that theres zero risk of sea lice infestation. They warn that sea lice can still reach offshore sites and cause devastating infestations. Some natural de-lousing strategies like cleanerfish arent effective offshore either.

An additional concern is that moving farms to remote offshore locations makes it more challenging to monitor fish for signs of lice infestations or other diseases. This gap in monitoring could makes it more difficult for producers control outbreaks if they emerge.

Harmful algal blooms are putting increasing pressure on the salmon industrys production status quo and in some cases have scuppered potential aquaculture developments. HABs tend to occur from nutrient pollution from farm activities and can be made more severe by the restricted water exchange in fjordic environments.

The researchers found that the dispersive environment in offshore locations have the potential to scatter farm wastes and chemical treatments away from fish pens. Though at first glace this dispersal could benefit benthic communities and limit the formation of HABs, the impact of the dissolved wastes is more complex. The impact could either be positive or negative depending on the oceanographic conditions of the offshore site.

Many HABs develop and bloom extensively offshore before moving towards the coast

The researchers note that while HABs are devastating in nearshore environments, many of these harmful organisms develop and bloom extensively offshore before moving towards the coast. Its possible that an offshore site could be caught in the path of a growing bloom event. Given the difficulties of monitoring offshore aquaculture sites and HABs in general, they still pose a risk to offshore farm operators. The researchers suggest developing a combination of satellite and in-situ monitoring along with data modelling to minimise the risk of HABs.

The researchers identified some health benefits to moving salmon farms offshore. Studies showed that raising salmon in moderate water velocities (0.36 0.63 body lengths per second) can be beneficial for growth and muscle fibre size the increased speeds stimulate feed intake and energy conversion efficiency. The researchers also noted that salmon raised in these environments were more robust than salmon reared in coastal net pens.

Strong offshore currents and frequent storms have implications for the fishes natural behaviour though. Moving farms away from the coasts means farmed salmon must withstand a myriad of unpredictable events during the production cycle. The remote nature of offshore farming also means that fish may experience husbandry lapses or food deprivation if there is bad weather.

The nominally better operational welfare indicator (OWI) of offshore salmon farms may be a statistical fluke

The researchers warn that the nominally better operational welfare indicator (OWI) of offshore salmon farms may be a statistical fluke. The harsh offshore environment means that weaker animals will die more easily. This partially explains why there are fewer fish with deformities, cataracts and injuries observed in offshore farms. Salmon with these conditions are typically recorded as mortalities. Had the fish been raised in nearshore sites, they probably would have included in a low OWI cohort.

Strong currents have other implications for salmon welfare. The offshore environment tends to dictate the swimming pattern and speed for farmed salmon instead of letting the fish self-regulate according to their own endurance. The researchers noted that high current speeds where the fish had to sustain 2.5 body lengths per second led to incidences of inflammation and skin and pelvic lesions. Though Atlantic salmon are migratory and can swim at a fast speed, forced swimming for long periods may exceed their physical capabilities. It also means that the fish will use more energy trying to maintain homeostasis instead of growing to slaughter weight.

Because of this, the researchers suggest opting for land-based production for juvenile fish and moving larger post-smolts (measuring 63.5 cm or 3.4 kg) into offshore cages. This deviates from the current farm model that transfers smolts into seawater at around 300 g. They also suggest acclimating the fish in seawater at low energy sites and using current speed reducing technologies like skirts or double nets to avoid fish mortalities.

Salmon farmers should raise juveniles on land and acclimate them near the coast before deploying them offshore Freshwater Institute

One final welfare consideration lies in dissolved oxygen levels in large offshore cages. Multiple studies found that oxygen levels decrease as offshore cage sizes increase. Oxygen concentrations are also negatively impacted when lice shielding skirts are deployed. The researchers said that the industry needs to address this challenge and design a cage that can accommodate the 1,000 to 10,000-tonne biomass goals without creating a de-oxygenated dead zone.

According to industry analysts, offshore aquaculture is one of the few ways to keep the sector on a growth trajectory. New coastal aquaculture developments are few and far between salmon aquacultures journey offshore may come because there isnt enough space in the fjords.

Despite this prevailing trend and consensus, the industry still needs to conduct significant groundwork before offshore farming can overcome its initial challenges. Everything from licensing and permitting, farm infrastructure and precision monitoring technologies need to be developed to accommodate the requirements of offshore production. The researchers also note that offshore operations will be much more capital and resource intensive than their nearshore counterparts. Though there are notable benefits to moving salmon aquaculture into the open sea, the industry still needs to clear its initial hurdles before offshore aquaculture can meet its potential.

Read the full analysis in Reviews in Aquaculture.

Megan Howell first started writing about aquaculture in 2019 as part of the editorial team at 5m Publishing and The Fish Site. She has a MSc in applied research methods from Trinity College Dublin. She currently lives and works in Ireland.

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Are salmon producers able to capitalise on offshore opportunities? - The Fish Site

There are plans in place to develop the UKs Dogger Bank offshore wind farm in three phases: A, B, and C. It will become theworlds largest offshore wind farmupon completion, with an installed capacity of 3.6 gigawatts (GW). And it looks likely that it will get a fourth phase, Dogger Bank D, making it even more massive.

Dogger Bank, which is located between 78 and 180 miles (125 and 290 km) off the east coast of Yorkshire, is a joint venture between Norwegian energy giant Equinor (40%), British utility SSE Renewables (40%), and Italian energy company Eni Plenitude (20%). SEE Renewables and Equinor are looking into creating Dogger Bank D. A spokesperson told OffshoreWind.biz:

SSE Renewables and Equinor are currently assessing seabed for the potential of expanding Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which is currently under construction, with an additional phase, Dogger Bank D. The potential project is supported by a grid connection for up to 1320 [megawatts] MW.

Surveys on the potential Dogger Bank D site started in August and are expected to conclude at the end of November.

A, B, and C alone will be capable of powering up to six million UK homes once its completed in 2026 and there are approximately28.1 million householdsin the country.

If the fourth phase is carried out, the capacity of the worlds largest offshore wind farm would reach nearly 5 gigawatts.

In May, Electrek reported that offshore construction work had officially started with the installation of the first length ofHVDC export cableoff the Yorkshire coast. Dogger Bank will be the first HVDC-connected wind farm in the UK.

In December 2021, SSEand Equinorannounced that they hadsecured financingto proceed with the construction of the $3.98 billion Dogger Bank C.

GE Renewable Energy will provide 87 units of the enormous Haliade-X 14 MW wind turbines for Dogger Bank C. AsElectrekpreviously reported, According to GE, one turbine can generate up to 74 GWh of gross annual energy production, saving up to 52,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide the equivalent of the emissions from 11,000 vehicles in one year.

Photo: General Electric

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The worlds largest offshore wind farm is going to get even larger - Electrek.co

Now that Elon Musk appears to be on the hook to buy Twitter on the original terms he offered, it isn'tthat muchof a surprise to see great Tesla news pouring in.

Just days ago, the company announced that its first semi trucks would be shipping to Pepsi in December (we'll take the'over'on that date) and, this weekend, we found out that the company sold 83,135 China-made vehicles in September, setting a record.

The China Passenger Car Association revealed the numbers on Sunday, which mark an 8% increase from August and "outpaced the more than the 5% month-over-month growth of all wholesale electric vehicle sales in China",CNBC noted.

The prior sales record was set in June when the company sold 78,906 China-made vehicles. The new record comes after Tesla shut down Shanghai for a portion of the summer in order to upgrade the facilities.

Recall, the automaker also broke total delivery records for Q3, despite the fact that it missed expectations from Wall Street for the quarter.Tesla reported 343,830 deliveries for Q3 2022.

The company delivered 325,158 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, and delivered 18,672 Model S and Model X vehicles. It blamed logistics for its miss of estimates and noted that a number of vehicles were "in transit".

"Historically, our delivery volumes have skewed towards the end of each quarter due to regional batch building of cars. As our production volumes continue to grow, it is becoming increasingly challenging to secure vehicle transportation capacity and at a reasonable cost during these peak logistics weeks," the company wrote in itspress releaseearlier this month.

"In Q3, we began transitioning to a more even regional mix of vehicle builds each week, which led to an increase in cars in transit at the end of the quarter. These cars have been ordered and will be delivered to customers upon arrival at their destination."

By Zerohedge.com

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The World's Longest Offshore Gas Pipeline Could Get The Green Light Next Year - OilPrice.com

In the light of Nord Stream methane leaks, geopolitical tensions, and general global security issues, the US-based company C-Power has brought to spotlight the potential role its wave energy technology could play in protecting increasingly important remote offshore assets.

The Nord Stream pipeline, which delivers gas from Russia to Germany via a subsea route through the Baltic Sea, was the victim of apparent sabotage in late September. Multiple leaks, created by what experts believe were underwater explosive devices, led to what the United Nations said is likely the largest single release of methane ever recorded.

In addition to the climate and environmental impacts, which are substantial, the fact that critical infrastructure assets are now targets of attacks has created a new, more fraught reality for owners. The stakes of geopolitical conflicts have risen in a way the world has not experienced in decades.

Days after the leaks were discovered, the United States, Russian, and European governments continued to point fingers in different directions as to who was responsible. Russias ongoing war in Ukraine loomed in the background, an event that had already led to rising tensions between Russia and the West as well as skyrocketing natural gas prices in Europe.

Unfortunately, geopolitical tensions are not only on the rise in Europe. For example, China continues a program to expand its influence and control of seas across the Pacific and Indian oceans, not to mention renewed friction in its long-simmering conflict with Taiwan. In C-Powers view, these tensions present challenges to the ocean economy and add risk to offshore operations and assets.

However, the ocean economy is immensely valuable and critical to global commerce. Businesses and governments have no choice but to find ways to protect their assets.

Infrastructure security is essential in a world in which bad actors are not only willing but capable of launching an attack. Whether the offshore asset is a pipeline, an oil and gas field, a fiber optic cable, or even a coastal industrial or defense facility, organizations of all kinds need solutions now more than ever to provide inspection, monitoring, intrusion detection, surveillance, and reporting.

Delivering that level of infrastructure security requires 24/7 power and communications. Unfortunately, the ocean today still remains a power desert.

C-Powers SeaRAY autonomous offshore power system (AOPS) generates power from reliable ocean waves and enables real-time, two-way data and communications. That means a SeaRAY, or array of SeaRAYs, can be co-located with critical offshore assets, delivering continuous power to the autonomous, digital, resident technologies needed to provide 24/7 security, according to C-Power.

Just as important, the ability to send and receive data in real time allows those technologies to report threats as they emerge and even receive instructions to perform an operation to avert the threat.

The SeaRAYs claimed game-changing potential for offshore and coastal infrastructure security is a big reason why the technology was selected for the US Navys Coastal Trident port and maritime security program, according to the company. It also led to C-Power receiving a 2022 TechConnect Defense Innovation Award in September.

To remind, C-Power is currently preparing for the demonstration of a 20kW SeaRAY AOPS at the US Navys Wave Energy Test Site (WETS), which is supported by a US Department of Energy grant and the US Navy, hoping to prove the energy generation capabilities of the technology as well as its potential for infrastructure monitoring.

Offshore Energy Marine Energy LinkedIn

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What could be the role of wave power in protecting remote offshore assets? - Offshore Energy

The move follows the CRUs decision to require EirGrid, Irelands state-owned electric power transmission operator, to issue grid connection assessments (GCAs) to each Phase One applicant. A GCA, which details the method and cost of connecting a project to the transmission system at its onshore connection point, is required for Phase One projects to participate in the first upcoming offshore auction.

Murphy added: There are a number of inter-dependencies between all the processes that relate to consents, the auctions process, and grid connections for offshore generation projects. Because of this, continued close collaboration and co-ordination will be needed with DECC, EirGrid and industry as this work continues. Work in some areas, such as the process for transferring transmission connection assets to EirGrid, needs to be clarified as quickly as possible ahead of the first offshore auction.

Following an earlier consultation on grid connection and charging policies, the CRUs decision set out a number of changes to its initial proposals, including the timing of milestone payments and extension of the connection offer validity periods. It also provided further clarity on pass-through costs, explaining that EirGrids new standard process for such costs onshore will be used for offshore Phase One projects too. EirGrid will also communicate pass-through statements to Phase One projects every financial quarter after the Full Connection Offer has been executed.

The CRU decision also includes greater flexibility with Maximum Export Capacity (MEC) modifications, which it said will not necessarily cause a GCA to become invalid. It extended the MEC capacity testing period duration from twelve months plus an additional one month for every 10MW of MEC above 50MW to 24 months up to 400 MW of MEC, with an additional month for every 50 MW above 400 MW.

It also made changes to the MEC capacity testing bond payment timing, which will now be 25,000 per MW of MEC for renewable generation due on the earlier of three years post consents issue date (CID) or prior to energisation. Under the CRUs initial proposals, the bond would have been due on the earlier of two years post CID or prior to energisation.

The CRU also extended the term of connection agreements, which will now commence upon the date of execution and end no earlier than 30 years after the operational date, with an automatic one-year rolling extension. The regulator said this will continue until either party serves written notice of termination on the other party of no less than two years. The connection agreement term had previously been set at 25 years with one-year automatic rolling extensions.

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Use of existing grid connection rules for Irish offshore projects 'makes absolute sense' - Pinsent Masons

Plans are critical, but its putting them into action that counts. As part of our strategy to get wind turbines turning, specialist vessels and crew are out on the Irish Sea undertaking massive seabed survey work. Its an early but important step on the road to building some of the UKs biggest offshore wind farms.

Once up and running, our Morgan and Mona projects could deliver enough capacity to power 3.4 million homes with clean electricity and help the UK to meet its climate goals. Their near-shore location around 30 kilometres off the coast of northwest England and north Wales will allow for lower-cost, more reliable transmission infrastructure, making them a core part of our plans for more secure and lower carbon energy for the UK.

Richard Haydock, project director, bp

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UK offshore wind: laying the ground work today | News and insights | Home - BP

Offshore staff

SWANSEA, Wales Marine Power Systems has joined forces with WavEC to deploy its modular floating offshore wind platform technology in the north region of Portugal.

This follows the recent news that Marine Power Systems is to demonstrate a commercial scale array at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland.

The Portuguese government has a target of 10 GW of capacity by 2030.

Furthermore, according to the Global Wind Energy Council, Ocean Renewable Energy Action Coalition, and the World Banks Energy Sector Management Assistance Program, a staggering 90% of the 131 GW offshore wind potential identified in Portugal is dependent on floating foundations as opposed to fixed bottom turbines.

WavEC is a co-founder of the OceanACT consortium, which intends to generate an institution aimed at promoting offshore testing infrastructures in Portugal for blue economy technologies. WavEC has grown to become a center of excellence in offshore renewable energy and is one of the co-managers of the Agucadoura test site in the north region of Portugal.

WavEC will supportMarine Power Systemsthroughout the licensing and consenting process as well as the environmental impact assessment and performance monitoring in Portugal.

Under the memorandum of understanding, Marine Power Systems and WavEC intend to lay the foundations for a long-term relationship that identifies opportunities for the implementation of Marine Power Systems technology in Portuguese waters, including at the future Technological Free Zone at Viana do Castelo, and other potential sites. Furthermore, this collaboration will generate a two-way bridge for sharing data and optimizing the deployment of MPS technology in Portuguese waters.

Technological Free Zones provide a pre-consented area with grid connection where renewable energy technology can be more easily deployed and tested without incurring all the normal regulatory processes.

10.12.2022

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Marine Power Systems, WavEC to deliver floating wind project in Portugal - Offshore magazine