Offshore Wind: Building the UK’s First Nearshore Artificial Nesting Structures
As offshore wind rises to meet ambitious climate goals, balancing the need for infrastructure with maintaining biodiversity has become a pressing challenge. One innovative, recent example is the installation of the UK’s first nearshore artificial nesting structures, designed to safeguard seabirds while enabling the development of the world’s single largest offshore wind farm.Hornsea 3, developed by Ørsted, plays a critical role in the UK’s clean energy transition. Yet the project faced a significant environmental challenge by needing to protect the black-legged kittiwake…
DEME Set for Monopiles, Cables Installation Job at Polish Offshore Wind Farm
DEME has secured three contracts for the installation of monopile foundations, inter-array cables, and the export cable at the BC-Wind offshore wind farm in Poland.The combined contracts are valued between $174 million and $350 million (€150 million and 300 million).BC-Wind, developed by offshore wind firm Ocean Winds, a 50-50 joint venture between EDP Renewables and ENGIE, is located approximately 23 km off the Polish Baltic Sea coast.With a planned capacity of up to 390 MW, the wind farm will generate clean electricity for around 500…
Ocean Winds Hires Seaway7 for Offshore Wind Job in Poland
Seaway7, part of Subsea7, has secured a sizeable contract by Ocean Winds for the work on the BC-Wind offshore wind project in Poland.Seaway7’s scope of work includes the transport and installation of 26 transition pieces and an offshore substation with offshore activity expected to commence in 2027.The BC-Wind offshore site is located in the Baltic Sea, approximately 23 kilometers off the Polish coast, and will comprise 26 wind turbine generators.When fully completed, BC-Wind will have a total capacity of up to 390 MW…
Carney Changes Climate Requirements in Energy Deal with Alberta
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney signed an agreement with Alberta's premier on Thursday that rolls back certain climate rules to spur investment in energy production, while encouraging construction of a new oil pipeline to the West Coast.Under the agreement, the federal government will scrap a planned emissions cap on the oil and gas sector and drop rules on clean electricity in exchange for a commitment by Canada's top oil-producing province to strengthen industrial carbon…
COWI Supports Landsvirkjun in Delivering Iceland’s First Large-Scale Wind Farm
COWI’s supervision and advisory role in the Vaðölduver project marks the first integration of wind energy into Iceland’s electricity generation portfolio. The 120 MWwind farm, led by Landsvirkjun, is the country’s first commercial-scale wind development. The project represents a significant step forward for Iceland’s renewable energy sector, introducing wind power as a new and complementary source alongside the nation’s well-established hydropower and geothermal systems.The Vaðölduver wind farm…
Study: Allseas SMR Tech Seen as Key Maritime, Industry Decarbonization Tool
Allseas’ small modular reactor (SMR) technology could generate up to $150 million billion in economic value for the Netherlands and create as many as 40,000 new jobs by 2050, according to an impact study released on Monday by the offshore engineering group.The study, conducted by consultancy Roland Berger, found that deploying the company’s 25 MWe / 70 MWt high-temperature gas-cooled SMR could also help cut grid congestion, strengthen energy security and deliver major emissions…
Cadeler to Install Turbines at Ocean Winds’ Polish Offshore Wind Farm
Danish offshore wind installation firm Cadeler has signed a firm contract with Ocean Winds for the transportation and installation of 26 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW offshore wind turbines at the BC-Wind offshore wind farm in the Polish Baltic Sea. The signing of this firm contract follows the Vessel Reservation Agreement (VRA) signed in February 2025 between Cadeler and Ocean Winds.The installation is set to start in 2028 and to continue for approximately four months. Cadeler will deploy…
UK’s First Electric Shipping Routes Set to Slash Irish Sea Emissions
NatPower Marine and Peel Ports Group are set to commence installation of shore power at Heysham in September 2025, with the first plug live in the initial phase and expansion to four across all berths, by 2026.This will enable all Heysham routes within the Irish sea to operate with zero emissions while at berth and at sea, supporting full electric propulsion of the ferry services, as the first part of the full electrification of the Irish sea.Once all four berths at Heysham are electrified…
China Rolls Out 17MW Floating Wind Turbine Prototype
The world’s most powerful direct-drive floating offshore wind turbine, rated at 17 MW and co-developed by Dongfang Electric Corporation and China Huaneng, has been rolled out in China.With the highest single-unit capacity and the largest rotor diameter globally, the milestone marks a new breakthrough in China’s offshore wind power equipment manufacturing and provides vital technological support for expanding into deepsea offshore wind development.The turbine has a rotor diameter of 262 meters and a swept area of about 53…
Maritime Batteries 101: What to Consider When 'Going Green'
In the current pathway, global shipping greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are forecast to rise in this decade and eventually return to 2010 levels by ~2050.The chart represents the three scenarios for shipping emissions developed by the International Energy Agency (the IEA) and adds in the IMO Strategy targets for emissions reduction. The IEA’s aspirational case (i.e. what governments and companies aspire to do rather than are actually doing – that is the current pathway) closely mirrors the IMO’s 2023 updated strategic direction.
Glosten Designing Floating Nuclear Power Plant for US Ports Barge-Based Infrastructure
CORE POWER (US) Inc. has engaged with Glosten to help its team design a floating nuclear power plant (FNPP) to power U.S. ports. Created by CORE POWER, the FNPP concept is a nearshore infrastructure system that includes a barge-based nuclear power plant, barge support services, electrical grid integration, and operational teams. Easy to transport and rapidly deploy, the FNPP will provide an estimated 175GWh of clean electricity per year. The FNPP connection will allow ports to achieve zero-emissions electrical generation for visiting ships…
Washington State Awards $26.5 Million for Port Electrification Projects
Eleven ports in Washington have been awarded a total of $26.5 million to electrify their operations, a move aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions by over 140,000 metric tons over the next decade. This funding marks the inaugural round of grants from the Port Electrification Grant Program, established by the Legislature in 2023 and financed through Washington’s Climate Commitment Act.The grant program, which was open to all 75 public ports in the state, is part of a broader initiative to tackle carbon emissions in the transportation sector…
Scotland's Largest Commercial Shore Power System Enters Construction Phase
Construction of Scotland’s largest commercial shore power system has started at Port of Aberdeen as part of a $5 million (£4 million) project designed to supply clean electricity to vessels at seven berths.The ‘Shore Power in Operation’ demonstrator project is one of the first of its kind in the U.K. and was awarded match funding as part of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Zero Emissions Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition.The shore power system, also known as ‘cold-ironing’, is being installed by PowerCon, the developer of shore power technology.
New 250kW Hydrogen Fuel Cell Prepped for Maritime
Sydrogen Energy Pte. Ltd. (Sydrogen), a Singapore-based fuel cell components and systems company, announced its entry into the maritime market with a 250 kW fuel cell power module. Developed in a collaboration signed with Shanghai Hydrogen Propulsion Technology Co., Ltd. (SHPT), this system aims to accelerate the adoption of hydrogen technology in the shipping industry, supporting Singapore's maritime decarbonization goals."Through a slew of initiatives both on shore, and at sea…
When Efficiency Does Not Help Sustainability
My brother and I had a discussion about methanol where we concluded that methanol is a promising sustainable liquid fuel for transportation devices when batteries cannot do the job. While Methanol is initially not carbon zero, as long as we focus on developing zero carbon electrical energy, eventually we can produce zero carbon green methanol. Once there is plentiful green methanol, existing methanol vehicles will automatically become zero carbon transportation.The core argument…
Maine Selects Sears Island as Preferred Site for Floating Wind Port Facility
The government of Maine has selected a section of state-owned area on Sears Island as its preferred site for a port facility development that will support the floating offshore wind industry.The selection of the site, announced by the Governor of Maine Janet Mills, follows an extensive public stakeholder process led by the Maine Department of Transportation and Maine Port Authority to consider the state’s primary port development options, including multiple potential sites in the Port of Searsport…
US to Establish National Offshore Wind Center of Excellence
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has set out plans to invest $4.75 million to establish a new national center of excellence to accelerate offshore wind deployment across the United States.The Academic Center for Reliability and Resilience of Offshore Wind (ARROW), led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst with approximately 40 partners, will focus on workforce development, targeted research, and partnerships and strategies to advance offshore wind development.As offshore…
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…
Prysmian Commissions Inter-Array Cable System at French Offshore Wind Farm
Prysmian Group has commissioned the inter-array cable system for the Fécamp offshore wind farm, located in the English Channel, offshore France.The Fécamp offshore wind farm is composed of 71 wind turbines with a total capacity of nearly 500MW.It will be able to generate clean electricity equivalent to the power needs of over 770,000 people.Prysmian had secured this project in 2020 with a contract awarded by EDF Renewables and its partners.Asso.subsea was contracted by Prysmian Group to execute the seabed preparation, installation and protection works for the cables.
US Invests Nearly $10 Million to Advance Marine Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced nearly $10 million for seven projects that will accelerate development and testing of marine energy technologies. These investments advance research on wave-powered technology for use in seawater desalination and support a feasibility study for a potential ocean current test facility. “Marine energy technologies have incredible potential to provide clean electricity as well as clean water,” said Alejandro Moreno, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
How Do Floating Wind Turbines Work?
Northern California has some of the strongest offshore winds in the U.S., with immense potential to produce clean energy. But it also has a problem. Its continental shelf drops off quickly, making building traditional wind turbines directly on the seafloor costly if not impossible.Once water gets more than about 200 feet deep – roughly the height of an 18-story building – these “monopile” structures are pretty much out of the question.A solution has emerged that’s being tested in several locations around the world: wind turbines that float.In California…
Next US Energy Boom Could Be Wind Power in the Gulf of Mexico
With passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which contains US$370 billion for climate and energy programs, policy experts are forecasting a big expansion in clean electricity generation. One source that’s poised for growth is offshore wind power.Today the U.S. has just two operating offshore wind farms, off of Rhode Island and Virginia, with a combined generating capacity of 42 megawatts. For comparison, the new Traverse Wind Energy Center in Oklahoma has 356 turbines and a 998-megawatt generating capacity.
Innovative Fishing Vessel Launched in Turkey
Turkey's Cemre Shipyard held a launch ceremony for the newbuild trawler Selvåg Senior being constructed for Norwegian owner Sørheim Holding.Developed in partnership with Skipsteknisk and Selvåg AS, the 79.5-meter-long Selvåg Senior purse seiner trawler will be the third in the world to use liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel, after the Cemre-built Libas and Sunny Lady.Thanks to the LNG fuel system, the new trawler will adapt to the new "environmentally friendly" vessel flow by reducing carbon emissions being in accordance with IMO Tier III.
