RWE Joins Forces with Spanish Port to Create Floating Wind Hub
Germany's top utility RWE has signed a Letter of Support with the Port Authority of A Coruña to facilitate the scaling-up of the port capacity in support of the Spanish government’s floating wind targets.Working together under a Letter of Support, the partners will investigate the potential for transforming infrastructure at the Port of Coruña, in northwest Spain, into a logistic hub for the marshalling, assembly and deployment of major components for commercial-scale floating…
Launch Ceremony Held for A-O-S' New Jones Act CTV Gripper
An official launch ceremony was held to celebrate the commissioning of a new Jones Act compliant crew transfer vessel (CTV) built for American Offshore Services (A-O-S)—the company's first.Constructed by Blount Boats in Warren, R.I., the 100-foot-long aluminum catamaran is owned and operated by A-O-S, a joint venture formed in 2020 by leading European CTV operator Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S) and U.S.-based investment firm OIC.The vessel will support Ørsted and Eversource’s portfolio of offshore wind farms in the Northeast…
TDI-Brooks' Retrofitted Vessel Arrives to US for Offshore Wind Work
TDI-Brooks' latest dynamic positioning vessel, the RV Nautilus, has reached the shores of the East Coast of the United States ahead of work for offshore wind sector.After undergoing a six-month retrofit in Las Palmas, the 2000-built vessel will be put to work to provide support for offshore wind projects and various other subsea needs.With the length of 75-meters, the DP2 vessel is equipped with advanced technology, including a Geomil Manta-200 CPT that can be deployed through the mid-ship moonpool.The system can penetrate the soil up to 40-50 meters…
Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam: Three Years of Independence
Three years ago in March, Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam gained full independence, and since then, the company has taken strategic steps to chart its own course and strengthen its independent position within the maritime sector.After the closure of the Vuyk shipyard in Capelle aan den IJssel in 1979, marking the end of all shipbuilding activities, former employees established a new company: Vuyk Engineering and Trading. Founded on the principles of technical know-how combined with experience in cost calculation…
US Offshore Wind: Down but Not Out
“The winds of change are blowing wild and free.” – Bob DylanIn the U.S. offshore wind industry, developments over recent months have placed an exclamation point on the word “wild”. Yes, the wind still blows “free”, but mounting challenges have proven that harnessing its power offshore is anything but. In fact, far from it, as rising materials costs, high interest rates, labor shortages and supply chain delays, among other issues, have delivered heavy blows to the commercial viability of several projects.
New York Awards Equinor and Orsted New Offshore Wind Contracts
New York officials on Thursday awarded provisional contracts to two proposed offshore wind projects under a program meant to support the embattled industry and keep the state's clean energy goals on track.The state selected a planned 810-megawatt project, Empire Wind 1, (developed by Equinor) and Sunrise Wind, a planned 924-megawatt project (developed by Orsted and Eversource).The closely watched solicitation by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)…
Record Year for Wind Farms Raises Hope for EU Goals
A record year for building new wind farms and a rebound in investments in the sector have raised hopes that the EU may achieve its clean energy targets, industry group WindEurope said on Wednesday.In an annual report, WindEurope described 2023 as a year of "significant improvements" in key areas of Europe's wind energy sector, which struggled in 2022 with soaring inflation, interest rates and volatile energy markets after Russia invaded Ukraine.Investments in European offshore wind last year jumped to 30 billion euros, up from the scant 0.4 billion euros that were invested in 2022.
Will 2024 Settle the Turbulence of US Offshore Wind?
There is no denying that 2023 was a challenging year for the U.S. offshore wind market. Citing macroeconomic factors including high inflation, rising interest rates, and supply chain bottlenecks, Ørsted announced on October 31 that they were ceasing the development of the Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2 projects, which were scheduled for construction off the coast of New Jersey. Unfortunately, the troubling news has continued into the new year, with Equinor and BP announcing on…
New Agreement to Kickstart Salem Offshore Wind Terminal
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), Crowley Wind Services and the City of Salem announced the transfer of ownership and an agreement for site improvements and ongoing operations for the Salem Offshore Wind Terminal.The agreement will kickstart the transformation of the site into the second port built specifically to support the construction of offshore wind farms in Massachusetts. The Salem Offshore Wind Terminal will also support the construction and installation…
Floating Production – A Growing Segment in Transition
The specialized deepwater oil & gas and floating offshore wind segments will share many of the same stakeholders and supply chains, competing for increasingly scarce resources.To receive a full version of Inteletus analysis, click hereThe established floating production segment is forecast to experience continued growth through this decade, driving demand for, among other things, moorings, subsea systems, umbilicals, risers, flowlines and the large anchor handlers and subsea support vessels that will install and maintain the elements.At the same time…
Five Turbines Power Up at Vineyard Wind
Renewable energy firm Avangrid and fund manager Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners said on Thursday their joint venture, Vineyard Wind 1, has begun operations at five of its wind turbines, supplying 68 megawatts (MW) to the New England grid.Currently, the project has successfully installed nine turbines and is in the process of installing the 10th, with preparations underway to transport the 11th turbine to the offshore project site.Offshore wind projects in the U.S.
Yantai Dual-fuel Methanol WTIV Design Receives ABS Approval
Classification society ABS reports it has issued approval in principle (AIP) to Chinese shipbuilder Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Ltd. for its design of a dual-fuel methanol, heavy-duty, offshore wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV).The WTIV is capable of transporting and installing the largest wind turbines in the world, those capable of producing up to 20 megawatts (MW) of electricity, and promises to reduce carbon emissions with its dual-fuel methanol propulsion system. The design also features a 3…
US Issues Clean Air Permit to Empire Offshore Wind Project
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday, granted a Clean Air Act permit to New York's Empire Offshore Wind owned by Equinor.The permit was given after an air quality analysis showed federal air quality standards would not be compromised during construction and operation of the project, the agency said."When built, this project is expected to generate more than 2,000 megawatts of electrical power for New York State – enough to power as many as a million homes,” said Regional Administrator Lisa F.
Siemens Gamesa Selects Contractor for First SOV Newbuild in Asia
Cyan Renewables, a portfolio company of Seraya Partners, will build Siemens Gamesa’s first service operations vessel (SOV) in Asia to facilitate the servicing of wind turbines for the Hai Long offshore wind projects in Taiwan.Siemens Gamesa awarded a 15-year charter contract to Cyan Renewables. The contract will begin in 2026 and the SOV will be used to service 73 SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbines in Hai Long offshore wind farms, located about 50 km off the coast of Changhua County in Taiwan.As one of the largest offshore wind farms in Taiwan with a total installed capacity of over 1GW…
S&P Downgrades Orsted on U.S. Offshore Risks
S&P downgraded Danish wind power giant Orsted to BBB on Wednesday, citing higher leverage on its balance sheet and major U.S. impairments in 2023 due to supply chain delays and higher costs.S&P said Orsted's business risk profile has weakened from last year, but was still satisfactory. It expects the world's biggest offshore wind farm developer would be able to successfully manage the substantial industry risks it faces.The offshore wind industry has been struggling with rising inflation, interest rate hikes and supply chain delays, which have endangered plans by U.S. President Joe Biden and several states to replace fossil fuels with offshore wind to fight climate change.The ratings agency maintained a stable outlook on Orsted…
IWS to Provide CSOV Fleet for Siemens Gamesa Offshore Wind Projects
Integrated Wind Solutions (IWS) has, through its wholly-owned subsidiary IWS Fleet, entered into a frame term agreement with Siemens Gamesa to provide its commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) fleet for offshore wind farms in North Europe.IWS Fleet will, under the agreement, provide the Skywalker-class walk-to-work CSOVs to support offshore turbine commissioning works across multiple Siemens Gamesa offshore projects in North Europe over a three-year period starting in 2025.The minimum commitment under the charter agreement covers about 1…
Equinor and BP Part Ways on US Offshore Wind Projects
Norway's Equinor said on Thursday it had entered an agreement with BP BP.L to independently pursue separate wind projects under its bid for New York's offshore wind auctions.As part of the agreement, BP would take over full control of the Beacon Wind project, while Equinor takes over the Empire Wind project, the Norwegian firm said."The agreement provides Equinor and BP with the flexibility to pursue their respective priorities under their corporate strategies," Equinor said.New…
New York Offshore Wind Power Auction Set for Big Turnout
Several offshore wind developers will likely bid in New York's fourth offshore wind solicitation by the Thursday deadline, including units of European energy firms Orsted, Equinor and BP.The development of the U.S. offshore wind industry took a major blow last year when companies working in several states said they could no longer complete projects profitably because of rocketing construction costs, higher interest rates and supply chain snags. The problems also hit the wind industry in other countries.The development of the industry is key to meeting both U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S.
New Jersey Approves Two Giant Offshore Wind Power Projects
New Jersey's utility regulator on Wednesday approved two offshore wind power projects with a combined capacity of 3,742-megawatts (MW) whose backers include Invenergy and TotalEnergies.The offshore wind industry is expected to play a major role in helping several states and U.S. President Joe Biden meet goals to decarbonize the power grid and combat climate change.But progress was slow last year after offshore developers canceled contracts to sell power in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey…
Offshore Wind Vessels Charging Study Gets Underway in Irish Sea
Maersk’s offshore vessel-charging venture Stillstrom has launched a collaborative study with EnBW and BP, the developers of the Morgan and Mona offshore wind farms, to assess the viability of integrating offshore charging solutions for service and crew transfer vessels for the two projects.The study will evaluate the operational, technical, and economic viability of integrating offshore charging solutions for Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) and Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) into…
Three New England States Extend Offshore Wind Solicitation Due Date
Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island extended on Thursday the date bids are due in the states' next offshore wind solicitations from Jan. 31 to March 27.Offshore wind is expected to play a critical role in U.S. President Joe Biden's and several states' plans to decarbonize the power grid and combat climate change.But offshore wind industry had a tough time in 2023 with some developers cancelling contracts to sell power in several states because their proposed projects were no longer economic due to soaring inflation…
US Plugs in First Large Offshore Wind Farm as Developers Play Catch-up
The U.S. offshore wind industry reached an important milestone on January 2 when Vineyard Wind 1, the country’s first large scale project, supplied first power to the Massachusetts grid.“As the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm this is a fairly momentous event,” Ken Kimmell, Chief Development Officer for Avangrid, the Iberdrola subsidiary co-developing the project with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), told Reuters Events.The turbine will be joined by 61 additional turbines to provide 806 MW of power to the grid by the end of the year…
Rebuilding the Foundations of US Offshore Wind
As we enter a New Year, the memories of the shocks to the foundations to the U.S. offshore wind segment remain fresh. In short, supply chain inflation and capacity/availability, interest rate increases, and tax credit monetization have been the key themes highlighted by developers to explain why many projects became commercially unviable.Several Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states have reacted rapidly, accepting the termination of power sales & purchase agreements and allowing the canceled projects to be rebid into new solicitations.