Clean Energy Economy News

Ørsted has installed and powered up all 12 turbines at the landmark South Fork project, and the first utility-scale U.S. offshore wind farm has started delivering power to Long Island and the Rockaways, offshore New York.The commissioning of the wind farm is in its final stage, and when at full capacity of 130 MW, it will generate enough renewable energy to power approximately 70,000 homes.The renewable energy is generated roughly 35 miles off the coast of Montauk, and will eliminate up to six million tons of carbon emissions over the life of the project…

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…

Corvus Energy this week celebrated the grand opening of its new battery factory in Bellingham, Wash., amid growing demand for energy storage systems in the U.S. marine industry.Located in Fairhaven at the Port of Bellingham, the new battery plant produced its first Orca battery module in November 2022 and has already delivered several orders.“We have seen a significant uptake in opportunities for maritime batteries from the U.S. market,” said Geir Bjørkeli, CEO of Corvus Energy.

U.S. offshore wind developer Atlantic Shores, a 50:50 partnership between Shell and EDF, has executed a Pre-Commitment and Capacity Reservation Agreement (PCCRA) with EEW American Offshore Structures Inc. (EEW-AOS) to serve as the manufacturing company for monopiles on its 1.5 GW offshore wind project.Located approximately 10–20 miles off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey, Atlantic Shores Project 1 will generate electricity for more than 700,000 households.According to the wind farm developer, the project will bring $848 million in guaranteed local economic benefits to the state.

The Biden administration on Monday proposed offshore drilling safety measures that it said would help prevent oil spills and protect workers and the environment.The proposal aims to restore safety provisions put in place by the Obama administration in 2016 following the fatal 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon spill, the worst in United States history.The Trump administration had revised the rules in 2019 to reduce what the oil and gas industry said was a financial burden.The Interior Department…

President Joe Biden's administration on Friday unveiled a five-year proposal for offshore oil and gas development in areas of existing production, and said the final plan may have anywhere from zero to 11 lease sales.The range of options, between two auctions a year and none at all, sought to balance the administration's efforts to fight climate change with its calls to increase oil and gas supplies in the face of soaring fuel prices.The proposed plan includes no more than 10 possible sales in the Gulf of Mexico and one in the Cook Inlet off the coast of Alaska…

If awards were given for dominating the sustainable energy spotlight, offshore wind (OSW) would surely be in line for top honors.Consider:Big money: BOEM’s February sale of New York Bight offshore wind development rights drew a record $4.37 billion in developers’ bids. Not only is that real money, but just as critically, “This week’s offshore wind sale makes one thing clear: The enthusiasm for the clean energy economy is undeniable and it’s here to stay,” exclaimed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.Off Broadway: In January…

The U.S. will hold a wind energy auction for two lease areas offshore the Carolinas on May 11, the U.S. Department of the Interior said Friday, as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has completed its environmental review.The lease areas cover 110,091 acres in the Carolina Long Bay area that, if developed, could result in at least 1.3 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, enough to power nearly 500,000 homes, the Department of the Interior said."The Biden-Harris administration is committed to supporting a robust clean energy economy…

The Biden administration's sale of offshore wind development rights off the coasts of New York and New Jersey drew a record $4.37 billion in high bids from developers that included major European energy companies.The auction, which began on Wednesday and stretched into Friday afternoon, is the first offshore wind lease sale under U.S. President Joe Biden, who sees the expansion of the industry as a way to tackle climate change and create jobs.The administration has set a goal to install some 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030 along the nation's coastlines and several states…

The U.S. Interior Department said on Wednesday it approved the South Fork offshore wind power project off the coast of Rhode Island, making it the second commercial-scale wind project with federal approval.The decision comes as the administration of President Joe Biden seeks to rapidly expand the U.S. offshore wind industry as part of its broader effort to decarbonize the nation's power sector by 2035, and the whole economy by 2050, to fight climate change.The approximately 130-megawatt South Fork Wind project, a joint venture of Danish firm Orsted AS and U.S.

Spanish renewables giant Iberdrola has informed that it has started construction work for the Vineyard Wind 1, the United States' first large-scale offshore wind farm.The offshore wind farm will be located off the coast of Massachusetts. It is 25 times larger than an existing offshore wind farm in Rhode Island, which has 30 MW installed capacity and supplies electricity to 17,000 homes.With 800 MW capacity, Vineyard Wind 1 will meet the electricity needs of more than 400,000 households and…

France-based offshore cable manufacturer and installation contractor Nexans announced Tuesday it has officially opened its transformed high voltage subsea cable plant in Charleston, S.C.From the Charleston facility Nexans will deliver subsea cables up to 525kV HVDC and 400kV HVAC, covering the full range of needed products for export cables for offshore wind and subsea interconnectors. The first subsea high voltage export cable will be delivered to an offshore windfarm in the U.K.

The Biden administration has announced ambitious plans to scale up leasing for offshore wind energy projects along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts. In an announcement released on Oct. 13, 2021, the U.S. Department of the Interior stated that it will “use the best available science as well as knowledge from ocean users and other stakeholders to minimize conflict with existing uses and marine life.” University of Massachusetts Boston public policy scholar David W. Cash, who worked at senior levels in state government for a decade…

U.S. offshore wind farm developer Mayflower Wind announced Thursday that it has signed an agreement with Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding/Duclos Corporation of Somerset, Mass. for the specification, design and manufacture of a Jones Act-compliant, hybrid battery diesel electric crew transfer vessel (CTV).The design utilizes technologies that will provide significant fuel savings and emissions reductions, including the use of lithium-Ion battery energy storage to create a hybrid vessel that will be a bridge to full electrification.

The Biden administration on Friday said it was seeking buyers for offshore wind energy leases in the shallow waters between Long Island and New Jersey as part of its effort to ramp up the share of offshore wind generation over the next decade.In a statement, the U.S. Department of the Interior said the proposed sale for offshore wind development on the Outer Continental shelf in the New York Bight has "the potential to unlock over 7 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, powering…

Boatbuilders SAFE Boats International and Diverse Marine are teaming up to build vessels for the burgeoning U.S. offshore wind market.For the past three years U.S.-based SAFE Boats has been working with U.K.-based Diverse Marine promoting SAFE Boat designs in European markets, and now the companies have entered a formal partnership agreement to brings Diverse Marine’s crew transfer vessel (CTV) designs and experience to the U.S. offshore wind market.In support of the Biden Administration’s call to build a clean energy economy…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration is encouraging states and port authorities to apply for $230 million in discretionary grant funding for port and intermodal infrastructure-related projects through the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).“Our nation’s ports are a key part of our critical infrastructure. They create jobs and make our economy more resilient and sustainable,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “This funding…

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday announced offshore wind solicitation aimed at developing up to 2,500 Megawatts of renewable energy and complementary multi-port infrastructure investment.The solicitation includes a multi-port strategy and requirement for offshore wind generators to partner with any of the 11 prequalified New York ports to stage, construct, manufacture key components, or coordinate operations and maintenance activities."New York's second offshore wind solicitation seeks up to 2…

The U.S House of Representatives passed the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act (H.R. 4447) aiming to reform U.S. energy policy and authorize significant investment in the transition to greater use of low-carbon energy.The legislation, which addresses a wide range of energy topics and initiatives, includes an amendment by Congressman John Garamendi (D-Calif.) which would enforce Jones Act requirements for all offshore wind development, construction, production and servicing.The amendment clarifies that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act…

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced plans to create Offshore Wind Training Institute to offer offshore wind training programs.The institute will provide benefits to workers across New York State through new job training programs, tailored college curriculum, and enhanced academic research opportunities.Atlantic Offshore Terminals (AOT), New York-based developer of offshore wind port and supply chain facilities, has applauded Gov's initiative."The creation of the Offshore Wind Training Institute is a critical step in developing the next generation of workers here in New York, who will serve as the backbone for the State’s offshore wind industry and clean energy future for decades to come…

As New Jersey steps up efforts to eliminate fossil fuels over the next three decades, the state is more than doubling its target for offshore-wind energy production under an executive order signed by Gov. Phil Murphy.The order would increase the goal to 7,500 megawatts by 2035, from 3,500 set for 2030.Murphy made the announcement with former Vice President Al Gore, a clean energy advocate, at a news conference in Jersey City at Liberty Science Center.The Executive Order will deliver the clean, renewable energy generation needed to meet the State’s goals of 50 percent renewable energy by 2030 and a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050…

Offshore wind developersØrsted and Eversource have agreed to charter Dominion Energy's Charybdis, the first Jones Act-compliant offshore wind turbine installation vessel in the United States, for the construction of two offshore wind farms in the Northeast.Charybdis is being built in Texas by Keppel AmFels and will first be deployed out of New London harbor to support the construction of Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind offshore wind farms, both of which are being developed jointly by Ørsted and Eversource.

The U.S. Senate on Friday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2021, a massive $741 billion defense bill setting policy for the Pentagon. Importantly for the U.S. offshore and maritime industries, the bill includes an amendment ensuring full enforcement of the Jones Act and other federal laws in offshore wind development.The legislation passed the Senate by a vote of 84-13 and now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature following overwhelming 335-78 veto-proof House passage on December 8.