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Charles Hendry News

09 Jul 2012

Two of Three New UK Offshore Wind Farms Get Go Ahead

The two approved wind farms at Race Bank and Dudgeon in the Greater Wash off the Norfolk coast will have a combined capacity of more than 1 gigawatt, potentially generating enough electricity to power 730,000 homes, reports 'Wales Online'. A third offshore wind farm proposal at Docking Shoal, also off the Norfolk coast was not given the go-ahead because of the potential impact on Sandwich terns, whose colonies at Blakeney Point and Scolt Head Island fall within a Special Protected Area, which is protected under EU wildlife laws. The total amount of offshore wind power now operational, under construction or consented has reached 6.6GW. UK Energy minister Charles Hendry said: "The UK is racing ahead of the global field and these two new offshore wind farms underline this momentum.

23 May 2012

U.K., Norway, Oppose Harmonised EU Offshore Safety Legislation

Norway’s oil industry has objected to the EU initiative. They believe that the EU has very little expertise in offshore operations, and there may be negative consequences if it tries to regulate safety on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, reports Aenergy. A united UK oil industry shares the Norwegians’ criticism of the proposed regulations, believing they are a threat to offshore safety. “I have been in contact with the Norwegian Oil and Energy Minister Ola Borten Moe about this matter and we share a common line. Norway and the UK can confirm that we have the most robust safety regime in the world. This dynamic work must in no way be undermined or put at risk,” Charles Hendry, Conservative Minister of State, Department for Energy and Climate Change, tells Aftenbladet.

02 Mar 2012

U.K. Could Save $5.6 Billion by Linking Offshore Wind Farms: Report

Bloomberg reports that the U.K. could save as much as $5.6 billion by connecting offshore wind farms to each other, cutting down on construction and operating costs. As much as 15 percent of the cost could be knocked off the bill for building wind infrastructure, according to a report today from the Department of Energy and Climate Change and energy regulator Ofgem. The U.K. is seeking to have about 18 gigawatts of turbines at sea installed, up from 2 gigawatts at present,  to meet climate change goals. A European “supergrid,” linking Britain’s electricity network to the continent, could reduce the cost of connecting offshore wind farms by a quarter, according to the U.K. parliamentary Energy and Climate Change Committee.

08 Sep 2011

Westwood: N. Sea Future is "Bright"

John Westwood, Chairman of energy business advisors Douglas-Westwood, addressing delegates at OceanTech Expo 2010. (Photo: Greg Trauthwein)

“Despite a long-term decline in oil & gas production in the North Sea, its services and support industry has a bright future,” said John Westwood, Chairman of energy business advisors Douglas-Westwood, in Aberdeen this week. Addressing a major event organized by the Norwegian British Chamber of Commerce on opportunities and challenges for the industry in the North Sea area, Westwood noted that the North Sea is a major world-class basin that for the past 40 years has delivered huge economic benefits to Norway and The UK. “However, oil & gas production is in decline,” he said.

10 May 2011

UK Government Backs Marine Current Turbines Application

An application from Marine Current Turbines, the UK tidal energy developer, to secure money from the European Union’s New Entrant Reserve (NER) scheme has been approved by the UK’s Department of Energy & Climate Change. Marine Current Turbines’ application for its proposed tidal farm in Scotland’s Kyle Rhea will now go forward for consideration by the European Investment Bank. The EU’s NER scheme is a fund worth around EUR4.5 billion to support carbon capture and storage and innovative renewable projects, such as the Kyle Rhea tidal scheme, across the European Union. Marine Current Turbines (MCT) is one of four marine energy companies that have passed the UK Government’s criteria for the NER scheme.

13 Jan 2011

UK to Review North Sea Drilling Rules

According to a report from Reuters, Britain said on Jan. 12 it would review its regulations covering offshore oil and gas drilling in the North Sea following the publication of a U.S. investigation into BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The review will start within a month and will report later this year, Energy Minister Charles Hendry said in a statement. (Source: Reuters)

29 Sep 2010

Carbon Trust Launches Global Tech Competition

The Carbon Trust is today launching a global competition to find world-leading solutions to the problem of transferring engineers and equipment safely from boats to wind turbines as far as 300km offshore in 3 metre wave heights. The project aims to improve the economics of offshore wind by boosting revenues by as much as £3bn at a crucial time for the next generation of Round 3 offshore wind farms. The need for better access solutions is driven by the location of the next generation of wind farms to be built over the decade. Today’s wind farms are typically less than 20km from shore in relatively benign sea conditions, but in future…