Build Infrastructure News

Con Edison Transmission and National Grid Ventures submitted a plan to carry offshore wind power to New Jersey's electric grid as the state aims to meet renewable energy goals, according to a press release on Thursday.If awarded, the 'Garden State Energy Path' proposal involves building transmission infrastructure that would be operational by early 2029 and deliver about six gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power, Con Edison said."This project is foundational to helping New Jersey reach its goal of 11 GW of offshore wind by 2040," it said.Earlier this week, California’s grid operator recommende

A German government-backed liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal project at Mukran on Ruegen island in the Baltic Sea, near existing LNG reception facilities delivering into the mainland port of Lubmin, will be downsized.The quest for alternative imports intensified as the country sought to end reliance on Russian pipeline gas after Russia invaded Ukraine last year.Apart from gas, industry and the government are anticipating increased use of hydrogen, which when produced using renewable energy can help the transition to a lower carbon economy.Germany would need to import much of its hydrogen needs and the low density of the gas makes transportation over long distances complicated unless a carrier…

Shell PLC's LNG Canada export project in British Columbia plans to start building its proposed second phase with natural gas-powered turbines and switch to electricity as more renewable power becomes available, a top executive said, a decision that means the expansion project will initially generate high greenhouse gas emissions.LNG Canada, in which Japan's Mitsubishi Corp owns a 15% stake, is set to be Canada's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal. The first phase…

The region of Tuscany has asked for hundreds of millions of euros in investments in exchange for allowing a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the Tuscan port of Piombino, the Italian region said.In a statement on Monday, the region's administration said it had approved the new terminal, adding it was sending a list of requests to the national government.In June Italian state-controlled gas grid operator Snam bought a new floating storage and regasification unit (FRSU) in an effort to boost the country's energy security in the face of dwindling Russian gas supplies.Tuscany President E

An all-electric, battery-powered tanker—said to be the world's first—has been launched at the Koa Sangyo  Co., Ltd. shipyard in Japan.The new vessel, named Asahi, was built for Japanese shipping company Asahi Tanker Co., Ltd. and is scheduled to enter service in Tokyo Bay as a bunker fuel supply ship following completion and delivery in late March 2022. The 62-meter-long vessel has a tank capacity of 1,280 cubic meters.The battery-powered vessel was designed by e5 Lab Inc., a…

British aerospace, defense and security company Babcock has launched a new shipbuilding approach enabling international customers to build and support the company’s Arrowhead 140 frigate (AH140) in-country. Launched at DSEI 2021, Arrowyard enables the construction of the AH140 hull, superstructure and components, final assembly and outfitting and also supports the development of sovereign in-service fleet support capability.Babcock will share its experience in preparing and investing in facilities…

One of the United States' top oil export ports said it plans to build infrastructure for bunkering vessels fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG).The Port of Corpus Christi Authority said it inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Stabilis Solutions to facilitate the use of LNG as a marine fuel at the U.S. Gulf Coast port as vessels running on the cleaner-burning fuel become increasingly prominent among the world shipping fleet.The Port of Corpus Christi said some of the…

Japan will release more than 1 million tonnes of contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear station into the sea, the government said on Tuesday, a move opposed by neighbors including China, which called it "extremely irresponsible."The first release of water will take place in about two years, giving plant operator Tokyo Electric Power time to begin filtering the water to remove harmful isotopes, build infrastructure and acquire regulatory approval.Japan has argued…

Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries has ordered a Corvus Energy battery-based energy storage system (ESS) to integrate it into the zero-emissions all-electric propulsion and electrical systems aboard the “e5 tanker” under construction for Asahi Tanker.The battery-powered vessel was designed by e5 Lab Inc., a consortium of leading Japanese shipping and maritime services companies, including Asahi Tanker Co., Ltd., set up to build infrastructure services focused on electrically powered vessels.

The coronavirus pandemic has slowed efforts to make safer the often hazardous job of dismantling old ships in Bangladesh, officials said, following the latest worker fatality.COVID-19 temporarily shuttered ship-breaking yards in Bangladesh, one of the world’s main destinations for end-of-life vessels, delaying safety reforms ahead of a 2023 deadline.Almost all of the 70 active yards in Bangladesh have submitted Ship Recycling Facility Plans since 2019, according to the Ministry…

On a windy August afternoon in 2017, Akitsinnguaq Ina Olsen was relaxing in the old harbor of Nuuk, Greenland's capital, when a Chinese icebreaker sailed unannounced into the Arctic island's territorial waters."I saw it by chance," Olsen, 50, told Reuters. "My first thought was: 'They're already here!' They're pretty cheeky, those Chinese."She pulled out her phone and took a picture of the 167-meter long Chinese icebreaker Xue Long (Snow Dragon), before it turned around and disappeared.The…

Wintermar announced on Monday it has secured contracts for two platform supply vessels (PSVs) to a major oil and gas company for a total of seven years including options.The PSVs will provide deck and cargo supply runs to support the drilling operations in Eastern Indonesia.Sugiman Layanto, Managing Director of PT Wintermar Offshore Marine Tbk said, "The project requires Dynamic Positioning 2 (DP2) operations while the vessels are approaching the rig. With our long experience in offshore deep water drilling campaigns since 2011…

Shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk said on Friday it is in talks with Russia's state-owned icebreaker operator to send more goods via the Arctic, which is becoming more accessible as climate change reduces the sea ice.Russia has made developing the so-called northern sea route (NSR) - which requires new ports and heavy icebreakers to move goods - a priority, with supporters dubbing the route the northern Suez Canal.Last summer, Maersk carried out what it said was a one-off trial…

A Maersk vessel loaded with Russian fish and South Korean electronics will next week become the first containership to navigate an Arctic sea route that Russia hopes will become a new shipping highway.The Arctic voyage by the 3,600 20-foot container capacity Venta Maersk is the latest step in the expansion of the so-called Northern Sea Route which is becoming more accessible to ships as climate change reduces the amount of sea ice.The brand new Venta Maersk, one of the world's largest ice-class vessels, will also collect scientific data, said Maersk, underlining that the voyage is a one-off trial for now.The decision by Maersk, the world's biggest container shipping group…

Indonesia and India pledged on Wednesday to step up defense and maritime cooperation, with plans to develop a strategic Indonesian naval port in the Indian Ocean, the leaders of the two countries said after meeting in Jakarta. Indonesian President Joko Widodo met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss, among other issues, developing infrastructure and an economic zone at Sabang, on the tip of Sumatra island and at the mouth of the Malacca Strait, one of the busiest shipping channels for global trade. "India is a strategic defence partner...and we will continue to advance our cooperation in developing infrastructure, including at Sabang Island and the Andaman Islands," Widodo told a news conference after the meeting at the presidential palace.

China has begun building its first polar expedition cruise ship, state news agency Xinhua reported Saturday, as the country looks to shipping lanes opened up by global warming to extend President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road initiative to the Arctic. Construction of the 104.4-meter vessel, equipped with an advanced electric propulsion and control system for navigating sea ice, was expected to be completed by August 2019, Xinhua reported. China released its first official Arctic policy white paper in January…

China unveiled its ambitions to develop a "Polar Silk Road" through the Arctic, joining a multinational race to exploit opportunities in the resource-rich region, as the shipping lanes opened up by global warming. China said it would encourage enterprises to build infrastructure and conduct commercial trial voyages, paving the way for Arctic shipping routes, in its first official Arctic policy white paper. "China hopes to work with all parties to build a 'Polar Silk Road' through developing the Arctic shipping routes," the paper, issued by the State Council Information Office, said. According to various media reports,  China would work with Russia and other Arctic countries to develop the polar route.

Indonesia and Japan have agreed to step up maritime security and start discussions on a major railway project to link the Southeast Asian nation's capital and second-biggest city, reported Reuters. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said during a visit to Indonesia that the two Island nations would bolster their cooperation in maritime security and military affairs. "As a fellow maritime country, Japan is prioritizing maritime cooperation with Indonesia. Japan is encouraging active cooperation in the field of maritime security with Indonesia (to develop) its remote islands through Indonesia-Japan Maritime Forum set up last December," Abe said in a joint press conference with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Sunday.

Hastings Funds Management and China Merchants Group have won a state government auction for a 98-year lease on Australia's Port of Newcastle, the world's biggest coal export terminal, paying a higher-than-expected A$1.75 billion ($1.6 billion). An initial New South Wales state budget plan had valued the lease on the port terminal at A$700 million, but fierce competition for Australian infrastructure assets coming on to market has seen a steady rise in multiples paid. The winning bid for Newcastle port came in at 27 times earnings, matching the 27 times earnings Transurban Group, Australia's biggest toll road owner, paid last week for a Queensland state toll road firm.

Bandar Abbas, home of Iran's navy and the main port in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, is currently hosting two Chinese naval vessels on a five-day goodwill visit, underlining the increasingly warm relationship between the two countries. It is the first such port call to Iran by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and highlights the efforts both China and Iran are making to counterbalance the power of the United States in the Middle East and along the sea lanes connecting the oil fields of the Gulf with major energy-consuming centres in Asia. The firepower of the guided missile destroyer Changchun and guided missile frigate Changzhou of the PLAN's 17th escort taskforce is dwarfed by the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquartered in Bahrain.

Greece will ask the European Union for about 700 million euros to build infrastructure to shelter the hundreds of refugees and migrants arriving on its shores daily, the government said on Thursday. The cash-strapped country has seen a rise in the number of refugees and migrants -- mostly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan -- arriving by sea from nearby Turkey. Aid agencies estimate about 2,000 people cross over to Greek islands including Kos, Lesbos, Samos and Chios every day. The interim government said it planned to set up a new operations centre and take steps to improve conditions at existing refugee centers. Economy Minister Nikos Christodoulakis said the country will seek EU funds earmarked to address the crisis.

Bomin & Linde outline JV plans to target infrastructure supply of LNG in the European maritime sector. The Linde Group announce a joint venture with Bomin, a subsidiary of Marquard & Bahls, to build infrastructure for liquefied natural gas in the European maritime sector. The transaction, subject to the approval of the relevant antitrust authorities is due to start its operations in the latter part of 2012 with  headquarters in Hamburg. The Joint Venture company will establish operations in a number of key ports throughout the so-called "Emission Control Areas" in North-West Europe. Vessel emissions in ECAs will have to be reduced from January 1st 2015, which would force ship owners to limit their sulphur emissions drastically.

Alaska's legislature on Monday approved Governor Sean Parnell's plan to join four energy companies in moving ahead on plans to build infrastructure to transport and market 35 trillion cubic feet of North Slope gas to be shipped by an 800-mile pipeline to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant. The project is valued at between $45 billion and $65 billion for the line and gas treatment facilities. Should it come to fruition, gas could hit local and foreign markets in the mid-2020s, according to the state's projections. Companies are increasingly seeking to ship LNG from growing U.S. gas reserves to Asia and Europe, where demand is surging. Companies have complained about red tape in seeking federal approval for U.S. facilities to export LNG.