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Wind Energy Projects News

11 Jan 2023

Jones Act Uncertainties Persist in US Offshore Wind

© pauws99 / Adobe Stock

The Jones Act is a single sentence long, and yet somehow that reservation of U.S. domestic maritime commerce to qualified U.S.-flag vessels has spawned numerous complications with respect to offshore wind energy projects. Although not supported by prior experience, maybe 2023 will bring some clarity.U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the primary source of guidance for how the Jones Act applies. CBP issued its first two offshore wind rulings in May 2010 and February 2011 in the heady early days of U.S. offshore wind.

18 Aug 2022

Next US Energy Boom Could Be Wind Power in the Gulf of Mexico

© Mosto / Adobe Stock

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.

23 Jun 2022

Biden Administration, East Coast States to Push Wind Energy

© Collin / Adobe Stock

The Biden administration is partnering with 11 East Coast states to accelerate the development of offshore wind facilities, including addressing supply chain issues, advancing construction and boosting jobs, the White House said on Thursday.The move is part of President Joe Biden's push into cleaner energy technologies as part of its efforts to address climate change and comes as rising prices, particularly gasoline, weigh on his agenda."The partnership will support efforts to provide Americans with cleaner and cheaper energy…

22 Jun 2022

US Grain Shipments Through Great Lakes-Seaway Up 39%

(Photo: Nick Corbin, courtesy Chamber of Marine Commerce)

U.S. grain shipments via the Great Lakes-Seaway system totaled 312,000 metric tons from March 22 to May 31, up 39% compared to the same period in 2021. Much of the increase is due to exports of corn and soybeans out of the Port of Toledo and some new trade starting at the port of Oswego this shipping season. The rise in shipments, which are predominantly heading to Europe and North Africa, are in part due to shifting global grain trading patterns as the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine — both major grain exporters — continues.“The Great Lakes-St.

14 Feb 2022

Floating Power Plants: Is Nuclear the Key in the Net-zero Energy Transition?

Image courtesy NuScale Power, LLC

Floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs) may not immediately spring to mind as providing a solution to several of today’s key global challenges – but FNPP development is emerging as a means of decentralized stand-alone production of cost competitive hydrogen-based fuels and clean electricity and water, according to a new report by Intelatus Global Partners.The commercial case for deployment of FNPPs featuring small modular reactors is founded in the growing demand for hydrogen and…

21 Dec 2021

DNV: Hexicon's TwinWay Floating Wind Concept Feasible for Further Development

TwinWay - Credit: DNV

Energy expert and assurance provider DNV has provided Swedish floating wind tech firm Hexicon with a Statement of Feasibility for its TwinWay demonstrator which will be installed and operated at Metacenter, off the coast of Norway. With achieving this first step in the certification process, DNV considers the TwinWay concept feasible for further development towards a full-scale demonstrator.The intention of the TwinWay project is to show proof of concept for Hexicon´s floating wind foundation TwinWind.

27 Oct 2021

U.S. Offshore Wind Expansion: Here’s How Officials Decide Where Turbines May Go

Credit: bphoto/AdobeStock

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…

22 Apr 2021

Enabling America’s Offshore Renewable Energy Opportunity

© Fokke / Adobe Stock

Offshore wind (OSW) energy is a new focus for the U.S. under President Biden, who highlighted it in his January 27, 2021 Executive Order on climate. Since then, there have been several new supporting developments:Rulings by the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP);Announcement that workers in Alabama and West Virginia are supplying 10,000 tons of domestic steel for use at a Texas shipyard where Dominion Energy is building the nation’s first Jones Act compliant wind turbine installation vessel;U.S.

29 Mar 2021

MARAD Announces $230 Million for Port Infrastructure Grants

© Bryan / Adobe Stock

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…

21 Feb 2021

Offshore Wind Firm Atlantic Shores Signs Deal with Six Unions to Train and Hire New Jersey Workers

Credit: Zentilia/AdobeStock

Offshore wind developer Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind -  a U.S. joint venture between Shell and EDF, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with six unions operating in New Jersey as part of its bid submission, "committing to help develop and employ a productive, safe, well-trained local workforce."The company in December 2020 submitted its bid to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to supply the state with up to 2,300 MW of renewable wind energy. New Jersey seeks to award between 1…

10 Dec 2020

Atlantic Shores Bids to Build Up to for 2,3 GW of Offshore Wind for New Jersey

Illustration - Credit: Agrarmotive/Adobestock

Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, the 50-50 joint venture between EDF Renewables North America and Shell New Energies US, has submitted its proposal to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to supply the state with up to 2,300 MW of renewable wind energy.New Jersey seeks to award between 1,200 MW and 2,400 MW of offshore wind energy projects as part of its second solicitation. Atlantic Shores estimates their first project would be completed as early as 2027 and if awarded, the…

13 Oct 2020

US Shipyards See Big Business Shifts

The second of three vessels for New York City’s Staten Island Ferry was launched by Eastern Shipbuilding this summer. (Photo: Eastern Shipbuilding Group)

The American shipbuilding scene, filled with participants constructing all manner of vessels, has been navigating through stormy times (lately, yards along the Gulf Coast have literally been dealing with storms). The orders for newbuild, repair and conversion projects continue to flow in—albeit at a reduced pace—and the boats and ships go down the ways into the water, but the overall panorama has seen tremendous sea changes as the business has shifted.Maritime businesses worldwide have been grappling with currents both internal and external.

02 Dec 2019

Van Oord, Hendrik in Lifting Equipment Deal

Dutch maritime contracting company Van Oord is partnering with compatriot company Hendrik Veder Group for the management of heavy lifting equipment for offshore wind turbines.Rotterdam-based company active in steel wire and fibre rope products and services said that under the terms of the two-year agreement, Van Oord will outsource its hoisting and lifting equipment management to the Hendrik Veder Group, with a focus on sustainable lifting.According to Michiel Pieterman, Offshore Wind Operations Manager at Van Oord: "This partnership enables us to use lifting equipment in a sustainable way. The high-quality lifting equipment has a longer lifespan, because it is either reused or converted into new raw materials, while guaranteeing 100 percent compliance at all times.

24 Nov 2019

Equinor, ESB Target Irish Offshore

Ireland-based energy company Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and Norwegian energy company Equinor plan to jointly develop offshore wind sites and enter them into the country's renewable energy auctions from the mid-2020s.The partnership will work to identify suitable sites for new offshore windfarms in Irish waters and work to mature potential future wind projects. The potential for energy storage technology and other technologies to complement offshore wind operations will also be examined. It is the ambition of the partnership to explore opportunities for large scale wind projects towards commercial operation by 2030, thus contributing to the wider goals of the Irish Government on energy transition.Furthermore…

29 Jul 2019

DNV GL Looks for Partners in LIDAR JIP

The international accredited registrar and classification society DNV GL calls on industry stakeholders to jointly develop acceptance criteria for LIDAR-measured Turbulence Intensity (TI).The world’s largest resource of independent energy experts said in a press note that it is "calling on wind energy stakeholders to join a new Joint Industry Project (JIP) to explore the potential of using light detection and ranging (LIDAR) to measure wind speed TI for various applications in the wind industry."According to the Norway-headquartered organization, measuring meteorological conditions such as wind speed and TI is essential for assessing and verifying the feasibility of new wind energy projects.

01 Jul 2019

US Extends Offshore Wind Tax Credit

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) issued a statement in support of two bills introduced in the U.S. Senate this week, which would both extend the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for offshore wind energy.The legislation comes at a critical time for offshore wind in America, as energy developers prepare to start construction on the first wave of large-scale projects.The Offshore Wind Incentives for New Development Act introduced by Senators Markey (D-MA), Whitehouse (D-RI), and Congressman Jim Langevin (RI-02), as well as the Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act introduced by Senators Carper (D-DE) and Collins (R-ME) would…

11 Mar 2019

VA Offshore Wind: A Strong Foundation

© dell/Adobe Stock

Virginia officials have established a well-planned, extensive strategy to build out an offshore wind industry, including wind towers for electricity generation and the supply chain to support that extensive infrastructure and operations. The State’s big picture is ambitious: developing 2,000 MW of offshore wind by 2028.As currently envisioned, VA’s offshore wind development will likely start this year with two 8-megawatt wind turbines 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. This is a Dominion Energy pilot undertaken in partnership with the Danish wind company Orsted.

20 Feb 2019

Radio Holland to Renew IT Infrastructure for Jack-Up Barge

JB-115 at Kriegers Flak for substation hook up and commissioning. (Radio Holland)

Recently, Radio Holland received the order to renew the complete IT infrastructure for the JB-115 barge of Jack-Up Barge. The order includes design, installation and commissioning of an IT network. The JB-115 is an existing platform which has an IT structure on board, that is no longer Future Proof.Segmented networkThe JB-115 operates as a “hotel-at-sea” with fixed accommodation up to 110 Persons on Board and is often stationed at wind energy projects. Next to providing hotel accommodation the JB-115 also provides operational support at sea…

13 Nov 2018

India Publishes Draft Wind Turbine Certification

India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued a draft scheme on wind turbines in India. Known as the ‘Indian Wind Turbine Certification Scheme’ (IWTCS), the draft has been prepared in consultation with the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), Chennai."The IWTCS is a consolidation of relevant National and International Standards (IS/IEC/IEEE), Technical Regulations and requirements issued by Central Electricity Authority (CEA), guidelines issued by MNRE and other international guidelines," said a government statement.The draft has also strived to incorporate various best practices from other countries to ensure the…

17 Sep 2018

The New York Bight – a Hydra of Difficult Issues

File Image: offshore wind operations (CREDIT: CWind)

The greening of America’s energy signature will not come without the usual discussions, regulatory oversight – and opposition from a raft of special interests.Amidst an atmosphere of possible resurgence in the domestic offshore oil energy, maritime stakeholders are also reminded that there is more than one kind of energy available for development off the four collective coasts of the United States. That process is underway in the Great Lakes; it has already happened off of New England.

31 May 2018

DNV GL Completes Due Diligence of Dutch Windpark Spui

DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts and certification body, has successfully completed comprehensive due diligence of the Dutch Windpark Spui, for a group of lenders who are providing the debt financing for the project. The power generated at Windpark Spui, which will supply renewable electricity to more than 24,000 households, will be sold to Eneco Group, a Dutch sustainable energy company, under a 16-year power purchase agreement. Eurus Energy, a leading Japanese renewable energy company, acquired the project from YARD, a Dutch-based developer of wind energy projects, and its co-developer prior to financial close. “We’d like to congratulate all the parties involved on this momentous achievement.

01 Feb 2017

Indian Ports to Go Green

The Indian Ministry of Shipping, as a part of its ‘Green Port Initiative’ has been emphasizing on use of renewable sources of energy to power Major Ports across the nation. The Ministry aims to set up 91.50 MW of solar energy capacity at the twelve Major Ports and 45 MW of wind energy capacity by the two Major Ports of Kandla and V. O. Chidambaranar. Major Ports have started the process of setting-up renewable energy projects by investing Rs.704.52 crores ($ 104 million) in these projects. When completed, these renewable energy projects will help in the reduction of carbon dioxide emission by 136,500 MT annually. These projects will also help to reduce cost of power purchased by utilization of renewable energy for power generation…

21 Nov 2016

DNV GL Certificates Support Envision

DNV GL has issued full type certificates for Envision’s 2.3 MW turbine EN115-2.3. and 3.0 MW turbine EN120-3.0. This is an important milestone for the smart energy solution provider to compete in international wind energy markets. These certificates confirm that both turbines comply with all the requirements of the global IEC 61400-22 standard ensuring safety and reliability of wind turbines and wind farms. Due to large investments in the wind industry, financing banks, insurance companies and authorities require reliability and safety assessments of wind energy projects. The full type certificates are a key step for Envision to give their customers the confidence that they have high quality turbines ready for international markets.