Category Archives: Offshore

Sep 15th 2021

COMPANIES ARENT going to be able to hide their income in places like the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, declared President Joe Biden this spring as the US Treasury detailed its tax plan aimed at helping fund $2trn-worth of infrastructure spending. Mr Biden wants to let loose a barrage of legislation to stamp out profit-shifting, following on from Donald Trumps Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, which many tax experts argue got watered down with loopholes and exemptions.

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Shifting income is the practice by which multinationals artificially divorce their reported profits from where they actually do business. A tech giant, for example, may park its intellectual property in Bermuda, then charge its subsidiary in a higher-tax country such as France or America for using the IP. Profit is thus magicked away to the tax haven.

Martin Sullivan, an American economist, has long been exposing such schemes. He is known for combing the footnotes of large multinationals financial reports to divine what taxes are paid where. Now his Tax Notes newsletter has some good news. A great repatriation of profits by American tech companies is in full swing. That should mean higher tax revenue.

Looking at 20 American technology companies, Mr Sullivan calculates that in 2017 the firms had booked as much as two-thirds of their profits overseas. Recently, their domestic profits as a share of total profits rose sharply, from 40% in 2019 to 56% in 2020. Pandemic and supply disruptions notwithstanding, actual business activity is unlikely to explain this big a jump. Four tech titansMicrosoft, Apple, Alphabet and Facebookbrought home a whopping $49.3bn.

Some firms recorded a far higher share of their profits overseas than in previous years. As the pandemic raged, ten Big Pharma firms booked just 11% of their global profits at home, notes Mr Sullivan, down from a quarter in 2019. Yet overall, for all publicly traded American multinationals, domestic profits as a share of worldwide profits rose from 51% to 56% between 2019 and 2020.

The likely explanation, writes Mr Sullivan, is that the TCJAs international provisions are at last taking effect. The act employed both carrot and stick. The carrot was a tax deduction for foreign-derived intangible income (FDII), including earnings on intellectual property and other assets that are not physical in nature. The stick was its Gilti levy on what it called global intangible low-taxed income booked in Ireland, Caribbean islands and elsewhere.

Despite Gilti and other elements, the act had been seen as weak because of other provisions that alleviated tax for corporations. But Mr Biden may now have to acknowledge the TCJA had some good effects. He still wants to go further. He plans to raise the Gilti tax rate from 10.5% to 21% and repeal the FDII deduction. The measure with the biggest potential impact would be a 15% minimum book tax on big firms that report high profits but have little taxable income. That might further lift the share of profits being booked in America.

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American tech firms are repatriating billions in offshore profits - The Economist

9/15/2021

The British Consulate-General in Boston, Massachusetts, has commissioned global energy consultancy Xodus to undertake a US industry analysis to determine the opportunities available for UK companies to enter the growing US offshore wind market.

The study states that a lack of maturity in the US offshore wind supply chain currently translates to the need for a rapid expansion in products and services required to deliver projects on time and on budget. Developers tend to de-risk a project by sticking with known entities and avoiding the perceived additional cost of EPCI contracts, especially for those with complexity, long lead times, and critical components.

The research shows there are multiple opportunities for experienced UK companies to become involved at early stages of industry development, assist from their home bases and leverage this acceleration to establish a local presence in the US.

Dr. Peter Abbott OBE, British Consul General to New England, comments, Im delighted that the Xodus analysis has identified so many opportunities for UK companies to support the growing US offshore wind industry with their experience and expertise. With the largest amount of installed offshore wind capacity anywhere in the world, the UK is a global leader in offshore wind and our private and public sector expertise is therefore uniquely equipped to play a vital role in the US. In order to better support British companies from the UKs thriving Northern Powerhouse region, home to some of Britains most dynamic offshore wind clusters, we have appointed Hannah Webb as the British Consulates offshore wind and clean energy Trade Officer to develop long-lasting partnerships in New England and along the East Coast of the United States.

Currently all contracted offshore wind farms under development in the US are located on the east coast. It is anticipated that $80 billion in CAPEX expenditures will be made in developing the industry by 2030, and that up to 80,000 jobs will be created. With the recent Record of Decision granted to Vineyard Wind I, the first commercial scale US offshore wind farm, it is anticipated that the approval of the other projects in the pipeline will accelerate.

There is a push to develop local content in the US offshore wind industry, and states are eager to attract industries that support all phases of wind farm development, construction and operations. It is expected that these industries will cluster around eastern US ports, and the growth of a supporting supply chain will quickly follow.

A critical consideration for companies looking to enter the US offshore wind market is where to establish a presence. Supply chain clusters in the UK have been seen to support the development of unique skills and technology solutions in the offshore wind sector, said Hannah Webb, Trade Officer of Offshore Wind and Clean Energy for the UK Department for International Trade. Effective clusters work to leverage the supply capabilities within their membership to create linkages and generate growth opportunities. The collective demand from participants enables efficiencies in both identification and delivery of contracting opportunities and sector-wide support.

With the intel that Xodus is providing, we are working to understand the location and strengths of potential US supply chain hubs and strategizing successful market entry for companies from the Northern Powerhouse, UK. These companies have significant offshore wind development experience in the UK, Europe, and even Asia, to offer to the US market and we are building impactful partnerships around the clusters and ports that Xodus has identified along the East Coast of the US.

Over the last twelve months, Xodus team has conducted research into the local and regional supply chain around Massachusetts and carried out an assessment and gap analysis for Hampton Roads and the southern Virginia region. The company is also supporting SMEs in the growth of the offshore wind supply chain across the Atlantic, in Scotland.

Hillary Bright, US VP for Renewables at Xodus said: Developers, OEMs and Tier 1 offshore suppliers are committed to developing a US-based supply chain. Communicating requirements and drawing the right companies into the US offshore wind supply chain has been cited as a challenge by developers and Tier1 suppliers. Economic development agencies, industry associations and public-private partnerships have been established to improve local knowledge of the industry. These organizations are focused on a streamlined exchange of information between local companies and potential industry partners to improve the integration of the US supply chain in offshore wind.

There is a significant benefit from first mover advantage in the developing the US supply chain. The ambitious federal offshore wind capacity targets are creating project demand to warrant a long-term US supply chain. There are significant export opportunities for UK supply chain companies throughout the offshore wind project phases, however these appear to be strongest in project development, construction and O&M services where UK companies can offer both established and innovative solutions based on their experience supporting domestic offshore wind projects.

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New study outlines opportunities for UK companies in growth of US offshore wind - WorldOil

TOKYO, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Japan's industry ministry will open bidding for an area off Akita, northern Japan, for the development of an offshore wind farm while designating four "promising areas" and identifying 10 as potentially suitable for development, it said in a statement.

Japan's offshore wind power market is expected to grow after the government introduced a law in 2019 to develop wind farms and set a goal last year of installing up to 10 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity by 2030, and 30-45 GW by 2040. read more

The ministry plan was to identify and auction off areas capable of generating 1 GW of offshore wind power a year but only the 360 megawatts (MW) Happo-Noshiro, off Akita, was selected for auction this time.

"It has taken more time to consult local communities as many stakeholders are involved and as physical meetings have been postponed due to the coronavirus," a ministry official said on Tuesday.

The public auction for the Happo-Noshiro project could start in about four months, said the official.

The new promising areas include three in the Sea of Japan - one each off Akita, Yamagata and Niigata in northern Japan and one in the Pacific Ocean, off Chiba, near Tokyo.

For those areas, the preparation process, which includes wind and geological surveys and the formation of councils to consult communities, will start immediately while the process for three areas identified earlier as promising will continue.

The ministry chose a consortium led by Toda Corporation in June for the 16.8 MW Goto floating offshore wind farm in Nagasaki, southern Japan, in the first auction under the new law. read more

From a first round of the process to select operators, areas with the capacity to generate about 1.5 GW were designated as enhanced areas and went forward to a bidding process, according to the ministry official.

Reporting by Yuka ObayashiEditing by Robert Birsel

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Japan to open bidding for Akita area offshore wind farm - Reuters

HALIFAX -- As prominent climate scientists argue that new offshore oil and gas extraction must end off Canada's East Coast, the three main political parties either support continued development or are unclear on precisely what they would change.

Andrew MacDougall, a professor at St. Francis Xavier University who contributed to the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- or IPCC -- report, says if Canada is to meet its international commitments to keep temperature rise within safe limits, the age of offshore fossil fuels will have to wind down.

"If the government is serious about Canada's commitment (in the Paris agreement) to help reach the 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius target, there is no further need for oil and gas development," he said in an interview from his office in Antigonish, N.S., on Monday. "All of the fossil fuels that are necessary for transition have already been found."

The 2015 Paris agreement committed signatories to cutting carbon emissions to levels that would limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius, and preferably 1.5 degrees, above pre-industrial times by the end of this century. Scientists have concluded in IPCC reports that if emissions goals aren't met, more frequent and worse heat waves, droughts, mass migrations and flood-inducing downpours can be expected.

MacDougall said climate modelling indicates the winding down of offshore oil and gas must begin in the mandate of the next federal government: "This is the decade where Canada's emissions really need to come down ....They've stabilized, but they have to start dropping if we have any hope of making 2050 targets (of net zero carbon emissions.)"

Similarly, climate researcher John England, professor emeritus at the University of Alberta, said the time has come to "bite the bullet."

England said in a telephone interview on Monday he understands that the oil and gas industry faces a difficult future, but if the region doesn't begin a shift toward other offshore energy industries, it may fall behind nations that are focusing on developing renewable energy.

"To promote new wells is not the answer," he said.

Raymond S. Bradley, a professor at the climate system research centre at the University of Massachusetts, said in a phone interview, "there definitely should not be further developments. The priority, he said, is "to reduce our dependence on oil and gas as fast as possible, and the notion we need to do more exploration flies in the face of that."

On the campaign trail, only the Green Party has stated explicitly it believes the offshore industry must end in the next government's mandate.

The Liberal party acknowledges that overall emissions for the oil and gas sector must go down and said in an email Tuesday that if re-elected they would cap emissions and ensure they decline "at the pace and scale needed to get to net-zero by 2050, with five-year milestones along the way."

Asked about the offshore industry Wednesday, New Democrat Party Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party would end fossil fuel subsidies, but he didn't specify his party's position on ending new developments.

"We would prioritize investing in renewable energy, prioritize training workers and supporting workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow. We would use those same skills in retrofitting abandoned oil wells, in converting them into geothermal energy production," he said during a campaign stop in Essex, Ont.

"We are a workers' party that is committed to fighting the climate crisis, and to do that we need to make sure workers are part of the solution."

The Conservatives said in an email Tuesday the party is committed to supporting Newfoundland and Labrador's offshore oil industry by investing $1.5 billion in an "offshore rebound fund to spur the continued growth of the offshore oil industry, creating jobs in a sector that is critical to the province's future."

The party says that over time it sees a "lower carbon future" but adds, "we should make sure that democratic countries use Canadian resources and not resources from Saudi Arabia or Venezuela or Russia."

Supporters of the offshore oil and gas industry in Atlantic Canada have argued that the fossil fuels produced from the underneath the Atlantic produce fewer carbon emissions per barrel than other oil producers around the world, including Alberta's oilsands.

However, the climate scientists interviewed said the relevant comparison for carbon emissions are with renewable energies like hydro, solar or wind power, and the differences among various crude oils and natural gas are minor in comparison.

Bradley, who has studied the impact of global warming on the Canadian Arctic, said the argument for less polluting forms of hydrocarbons "doesn't make sense" when there are existing alternatives.

The scientists acknowledge there would a significant economic impact from ending new developments offshore but argue that the next government can create transition programs to new industries and set up major retraining efforts.

The offshore industry is particularly critical in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the provincial government says the oil and gas and related services industries accounted for 20.6% of nominal GDP in 2019 and about two per cent of the province's total employment.

"When an industry gets shut down, it's hard on people and families. And there needs to be a transition to other fields, such as offshore wind or other renewable resources that will hopefully make up a major portion of the future energy supply," MacDougall said.

Whoever is elected prime minister Monday will soon be joining nations at international climate negotiations in Scotland in November, where world leaders will face pressure to cut carbon pollution.

According to the most recent IPCC report, tropical cyclones are getting stronger and wetter, while Arctic sea ice is dwindling in the summer and permafrost is thawing. In addition, the kind of heat wave that used to happen only once every 50 years now happens once a decade. The IPCC reports are summaries of the latest climate science, modelling and projections created to advise national leaders.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2021.

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Federal parties fuzzy on offshore future as scientists call for end to extraction - CTV News Atlantic

Are offshore wind power projects on track to become profitable without subsidies? In its latest round of auctions, Germany awarded the rights to install a combined 958 MW in three locations without government support except for a free grid connection, which will be paid by consumers through network charges.

Furthermore, several participants asked for zero incentives in their bids for each lot. In line with the propositions for the so-called central model for auctions, the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) chose the winner by drawing lots. RWE Renewables got two zones and EDF was awarded the remaining one.

According to Chief Executive Officer of WindEurope Giles Dickson, thats not a functioning market, because there isnt any kind of equilibrium between supply and demand.

WindEuropes Dickson: The auctions were crowded due to a three-year break

There was huge interest from wind farm developers. They were desperate to get the market share, just to get the permits to build, rather than to minimize their financing costs. It was the first offshore wind auction in three years and its not entirely clear when the next ones are going to be taking place. You have to have long-term visibility. Then the supply side is going to be much more confident about how it behaves in these auctions, he told Balkan Green Energy News.

It was the first time that Germany used the central model for offshore wind auctions. Some zero support bids were registered in the previous two rounds as well.

The latest auctions were made more complicated by the fact that the original developers of two of the projects have the right to step in on behalf of their costs in the early stages of planning. Namely, the rules have changed with the introduction of the auction system in 2017, so now they can opt to participate in the projects by November 2, but only under the same conditions.

Zero support bids were registered in all three round of auctions that were held so far

We still dont have final certainty and clarity on who is going to develop these sites, despite having waited three years for an auction, Dickson said. Weve been saying for many years to the German government: you have to introduce contracts for difference. CfDs are the auction system for offshore wind in the United Kingdom, France, Poland and Denmark, and they will be in Greece in Lithuania. Only Germany and the Netherlands operate a different system, which allows for zero bidding. It means higher financing costs and higher costs for society.

RWE Renewables won the N-3.7 zone in the North Sea, located near the island of Borkum. The envisaged capacity is 225 MW.

The same company was the luckiest in the lottery for 300 MW in O-1.3 in the Baltic Sea, 40 kilometers from Rgen island. Iberdrolas Windanker has entry rights for the location.

EDF from France won N-3.8 in the North Sea, also near Borkum. The planned capacity is 433 MW. Northland Power and RWE Renewables have the preemption rights there and they can exercise them via their joint venture Nordsee Two, which was the early investor.

The winning bidders are obligated to complete the facilities by 2026. They have the right to run them for 25 years.

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Winners of offshore wind auctions in Germany chosen by lottery - Balkan Green Energy News

FRYING PAN SHOALS (WWAY) A Pender County couple became the first couple to get married on Frying Pan Tower off the coast of North Carolina on Saturday.

Audrey and Ben Black live in Surf City but decided they wanted to get married in the middle of the ocean more than 30 miles offshore and 85 feet above the ocean.

It was everything Ive ever wanted, ever dreamed of, Audrey Black said. It was perfect.

Frying Pan Tower was constructed in the early 1960s to replace a U.S. Coast Guard lightship that was stationed in Frying Pan Shoals for more than 100 years to help mariners navigate the shallow waters. The tower continues to help people safely maneuver through the area. It is used for environmental research and serves as a shelter to a natural ecosystem.

Richard Neal bought the tower at auction in 2010 and established the 501(c)3non-profit FPTower in 2018 to begin restoring the structure. Hes dedicated to the mission of restoring Frying Pan Tower to restore,protectandpreserve the retired USCG light tower.

Ben Black volunteered to help with the restoration of the tower in 2020. Exactly one year ago on the day of the wedding, he sat on the helipad and prayed that his soulmate be placed in his life. Four days later, he got a notification on his phone alerting him it was Audreys birthday. They had been good friends for about a decade, but theyd lost touch and not spoken for years. He wished her happy birthday and the rest is history.

When Audrey suggested getting married at Frying Pan Tower, he was instantly sold on the idea. At 7:20 pm on Saturday, she walked out onto the helipad for the most special day.

My heart skipped a few beats, Ben said. She was absolutely the most beautifully stunning woman Id laid my eyes on.

To their knowledge, their wedding was the very first ever held on the tower.

It wasnt necessarily a race to get out there to be the first by any stretch, it just so happened it worked out that way, Ben said. To be the first to get married out there is pretty cool.

Local Photographer Jeff Wenzel and his assistant with Above Topsail Portrait Studio were charged with capturing the magic. Wenzel specializes in portraits and landscape artwork of Topsail Island, but when Ben asked him to shoot their wedding, Wenzel was excited to shoot the one-of-a-kind wedding.

To be able to capture it, but more importantly for those images to be seen by them, by their children by their relatives, by their friends its just so important to me to not only capture the story but for them to be able to display it and see it, Wenzel said.

Wenzel is working on the final product, but it is without a doubt going to be a beautiful story told.

This is exactly what we wanted, this is the perfect way to start things off and for us to start our future together, Ben said. This isnt the last time well be back on the tower for sure.

For more information on Frying Pan Tower, visit the website.

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Pender Co. couple weds 40 miles offshore in first wedding ever on Frying Pan Tower - WWAY NewsChannel 3

Warner Bros/Legendary Pictures sci-fi epic Dune is starting early rollout this weekend, looking to capitalize on momentum coming off of its star-packed world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, which was followed by an event at Paris Grand Rex cinema and screenings in Deauville and Toronto all in just the past two weeks.

The Denis Villeneuve-directed adaptation of Frank Herberts 1965 classic will be playing in just 24 markets this weekend, beginning offshore rollout tomorrow. Of the majors going this session are France, Germany, Russia, Italy and Spain. Our industry sources are projecting a launch in the mid-$20M range. PLFs will play a large part; IMAX is on about 150 screens.

Pandemic era comps to consider for Dune include Black Widow, while Villeneuves 2017 Blade Runner 2049 is also worth noting given the films pedigree and history. In like-for-like markets, and at todays rates, those films opened to $22.8M and $24.4M, respectively.

Related Story'Dune' Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve On The Decision To Go Day & Date With His Sci-Fi Epic: 'The Enemy Right Now Is The Pandemic' - Toronto Studio

Anticipation is high for Dune in Europe and theres a fair bit of rain washing across the continent over the coming days which is music to distribution and exhibitions ears. Then again, the long runtime will impact the number of showings. Because the film only hits HBO Max on October 22, in line with the domestic release, piracy may be less of a concern at least in terms of pristine copies.

Critical reception and word of mouth were strong out of Venice where the movie received an extended standing ovation. Its currently carrying a 87% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.

ArrivalOscar nominee Villeneuves adaptation of Dune is a tale of warring families, inhospitable landscapes and giant creatures. It splits the complex tome in the middle, focusing the action in this first half on establishing the dense lore and specifically on the young Paul Atreides (Timothe Chalamet), son of a ruling house whose fate the series tracks. Billed as Part One (a Part Two is yet to be greenlit), it concludes with Zendayas Chani as seen in the trailers intoning, This is only the beginning.

Such is the case for the films rollout. Dune hits other overseas majors like Korea, the UK, Brazil and Mexico well into October, in line with domestic. While the film has been granted a certificate in China, a date is still pending.

The rollout is bifurcated for a couple of reasons. Europe is expected to be the biggest region on Dune (again, China is not yet dated) and with Warners/Legendary pulling out the stops to bring talent to Italy and France, it would have been folly to wait another several weeks to get the movie into theaters and not use that global media attention as a springboard.

This also gives it a jump on the September 29 overseas rollout of James Bonds latest, No Time To Die. For example, Dune will hit the UK three weeks after 007.

Essentially, were in for a long ride at the international box office Dunes Middle East markets start up on September 22 with Japan and some other Asian and EMEA markets on October 15, followed by Korea, the UK, some smaller Euro markets and all of Latin America during the October 20 frame. Australia, given the state of cinema closures there, is currently dated December 2.

Villeneuve has made the rounds, encouraging moviegoers to see Dune in cinemas. At Venice, he said, It has been dreamed, designed, and shot thinking about IMAX. When you watch this movie on the big screen, its almost a physical experience. We designed the movie to be as immersive as possible, and for me, the big screen is part of the language.

Accompanying Villeneuve in Toronto were Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson who had also been in Paris along with Zendaya. Those four also were at Venice with Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgrd and Chen Chang.

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Dune Poised For $20M+ Early Offshore Debut; Only The Beginning As Global Rollout Starts International Box Office Preview - Deadline

Ocean Winds and Aker Offshore Wind submitted bids to develop 6GW of floating offshore wind projects in Scotlands recent leasing round, the companies have announced.

The pair aims to build the capacity in the outer Moray Firth, off Scotland's north-east coast.

They would use the semi-submersible floating platforms developed by Principle Power, in which the two companies own majority a majority stake.

Ocean Winds has helped to develop 950MW of operational offshore wind capaity off Scotland andis developing a further 860MW, while Aker launched its offshore wind unit in 2020 to target renewable energy.

Meanwhile, the Thistle Wind Partners (TWP) consortium, comprising Belgian renewables developers Deme Concessions and Aspiravi International, plus French clean energy company Qair Marine, has also announced they entered the Scotwind tender.

TWP has not confirmed how much offshore wind capacity it bid for or whether it plans to use fixed-bottom foundations of floating platforms. The auction regulator believes the auction could see leases awarded capable of supporting up to 10GW of offshore wind capacity.

Scotlands offshore wind leasing round closed for submissions in July, and the regulator is expected to announce the results in early 2022.

Competition in the ScotWind tender will be tough.

Trios of TotalEnergies, the Green Investment Group and the Renewable Infrastructure Development Group, SSE Renewables, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Marubeni Corporation and rsted, Falck Renewables and BlueFloat Energy, and pairings of Vattenfall and Fred Olsen Renewables, BP and German utility EnBW, ScottishPower and Shell, Simply Blue Energy and Subsea 7, Ideol and Aker Solutions, Invenergy and BW Offshore as well as Eni and Red Rock Power had also all announced their intention to bid. RWE and Equinor have also submitted standalone bids.

The Crown Estate Scotland is expected to announce the results of this round of ScotWind leasing in early 2022.

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Ocean Winds and Aker plan 6GW Scottish floating offshore wind - Windpower Monthly

September 15 (Renewables Now) - UK shipyard Harland & Wolff has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Spanish state-owned shipbuilder Navantia and wind tower maker Windar Renovables to cooperate on offshore wind projects, it was announced today.

The partners will seek to secure and together execute bottom-fixed and floating offshore wind projects mainly in the UK. The companies would share the work based on their yard capacities and availability, material handling capabilities and quayside load-out capacities, according to a stock exchange statement by InfraStrata plc (LON:INFA), Harland & Wolffs owner.

The partnership is expected to allow Harland & Wolff to take better advantage of the offshore wind opportunities in the UK, benefiting from Navantia's experience and advanced technologies.

Navantia and Windar have partnered since 2015, working together on seven offshore wind projects. The companies are currently investing in a new XXL monopile facility in Spain.

Through this strategic partnership, we will be able to strengthen the scale and footprint of a combined multi-site offering which will de-risk customer schedules, drive more innovation and efficiency and enable projects to be monetised quicker. We now look forward to working with both organisations as we rapidly advance within the market," said InfraStrata chief executive John Wood.

Harland & Wolff has facilities in Belfast, Methil, Arnish and Appledore. The Methi and Arnish sites in Scotland were acquired in February 2021 and will focus on fabrication work in the renewable, oil and gas and defence sectors.

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UK shipyard Harland & Wolff to partner on offshore wind with Navantia, Windar - Renewables Now

Monday, September 13, 2021

On 24 August 2021, Siemens Corporation announced a commitment to develop a new manufacturing facility in the United States to produce more than 1 million commercial and residential AC electric vehicle chargers within the next four years. The facility is expected to begin producing the VersiCharge Level 2 AC series in 2022 as part of Siemens eMobility solutions branch. Siemens has yet to identify a location for the facility, but it intends to select a site later this year.

The new facility will compliment Siemens existing facility in Wendell, North Carolina, where it manufactures DC fleet charging equipment for buses, trucks, and heavy-duty electric vehicles. Other Siemens facilities in Texas, California, and South Carolina produce make-ready electrical infrastructure equipment to prepare sites for installation of charging points.

On 15 August 2021, federal researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) made a significant breakthrough in photovoltaic (PV) cell technology to capture artificial indoor light and convert that light to electricity. The NIST team used multiple types of PV cells to determine that even the most inefficient PV cell absorbed enough power from standard LED lights to charge and power Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices.

Low-light energy harvesting potentially presents a more efficient opportunity to power large sectors of infrastructure. The operation of IoT devices presents a unique opportunity, particularly for large commercial buildings that have LED lights constantly running, to eliminate the need to replace batteries in wireless devices. The ability for these indoor PV cells to charge at night also removes any daytime charging and power restrictions previously considered as a downfall to PV technology.

On 30 August 2021, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced that the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will begin the permitting process for the Sunrise Wind offshore wind project. The project, developed by Eversource and rsted, is proposed to be built in a lease area in federal waters approximately 31 miles east of Montauk, New York; 19 miles south of Marthas Vineyard, Massachusetts; and 17 miles offshore near Block Island, Rhode Island. Sunrise Wind is expected include 122 wind turbines and an installed capacity of between 880 to 1,300 megawatts. In total, the project will be capable of powering approximately 600,000 households. Additionally, the project will help New York meet its clean energy goal of achieving 70 percent electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

BOEMs Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement opens a 30-day public comment period on the proposed construction plan, with the comment period closing on 30 September 2021.

On 24 August 2021, Chevron U.S.A. Inc., and Brightmark LLC announced that their joint ventureBrightmark RNG Holdings LLC (the Joint Venture)will expand its dairy biomethane holdings nationwide as part of Chevrons strategy to increase investment in renewable natural gas (RNG). Dairy biomethane is a form of RNG generated from cow manure.

The Joint Venture is currently developing 28 biomethane RNG projects in five states. Chevron plans to buy the RNG produced by these projects and use it to power its own trucks, buses, and other vehicles that currently run on compressed natural gas. Expanding on these existing projects, both Chevron and Brightmark are now funding the construction and operation of 10 additional dairy biomethane projects at new sites in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and South Dakota.

Chevron is developing biomethane projects as part of its overall goal to reduce carbon emissions and increase its RNG production volumes in 2025 to 10 times that produced in 2020. The biomethane produced by the Joint Ventures RNG projects is carbon-negative and aims to deliver environmental benefits while providing economic benefits for the Joint Ventures dairy farm partners.

Co-authors:Maeve C. Tibbetts, Oretha A. Manu

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BOEM Permitting Process for Sunrise Offshore Wind; NIST Indoor PV Cell Innovation - The National Law Review