Energy

With dozens of offshore wind projects in the pipeline off U.S. shores, federal agencies, states, and grid operators must immediately begin collaborative planning to identify cost-effective transmission solutions to bring that power online, according to a Brattle Group report commissioned by ACP released on January 24.

The last major pieces of the contract to build the wave energy test facility PacWave South have been executed, paving the way for the completion of the Oregon State University-led facility off the coast of Newport.

The Business Network for Offshore Wind National Offshore Wind, in partnership with Research and Development Consortium (NOWRDC), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and others, released a report identifying how the United States can develop a robust and equitable domestic supply chain required to achieve the national offshore wind target of 30 gigawatts (GW) by 2030.

Boskalis has acquired the contract to construct a large offshore windfarm off the United States coastline. The Boskalis project scope includes the transportation and installation of the wind turbine foundations and power cables for which two crane vessels, several transport and cable-laying vessels will be deployed.

Plenitude, Benefit Corporation (Società Benefit), a company of Eni, and Simply Blue Group, an Irish blue economy project developer, have signed an agreement for the joint development of a pipeline of new floating offshore wind projects in Italy. Through this collaboration, the parties wish to combine Plenitude’s technical and financial capabilities and experience in the Italian energy market, with Simply Blue Group’s track record in developing global floating wind projects.

The first two floating offshore wind projects, "Messapia" in Apulia and "Krimisa" in Calabria, have already been submitted to the relevant authorities.

The Messapia project, located about 30km off the Otranto coast, will have a total capacity of 1.3 GW and will be able to provide annual power generation of about 3.8 TWh.

The Krimisa project, located about 45km off the coast of Crotone, will have a total capacity of 1.1 GW and will be able to provide annual energy production of up to 3.5 TWh.

Overall, it is estimated that the two projects will be able to cover the energy needs corresponding to the electricity consumption of more than 2.5 million households, contributing to the country's decarbonization goals.

The partners will work alongside local communities and other key industry players to develop innovative technological solutions and consolidate the Italian floating offshore wind supply chain.

Stefano Goberti, CEO of Plenitude, commented: "With this partnership Plenitude expands its portfolio of floating wind projects in line with its target of reaching 15GW of renewable capacity by 2030 and reaffirms its commitment to creating an offshore wind supply chain in Italy. For Plenitude, offshore wind is a key contributor to the energy transition path and the achievement of our 2040 carbon neutrality targets to provide fully decarbonized energy to our customers."

Sam Roch-Perks, Group Chief Executive Officer of Simply Blue Group said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Plenitude and increasing our pipeline of global projects. Italy represents a big opportunity in floating offshore wind, and we look forward to combining our expertise and delivering innovative projects that will provide real solutions to the climate crisis”.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has announced a Determination of No Competitive Interest for a proposed research lease area offshore Maine.

Saitec Offshore Technologies in Bilbao, Spain, has specified Roxtec cable seals for their innovative SATH floating wind turbine concept. After having experienced the seals in the previous BlueSATH project, they decided to use several different Roxtec solutions for their DemoSATH 2MW project.

The offshore wind sector witnessed another year of high growth despite global financial uncertainties.

The Department of the Interior has announced the transfer of regulations governing offshore renewable energy activities – including workplace safety and environmental compliance – from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).

Crowley and Danish offshore maritime leader ESVAGT will jointly build and operate a service operations vessel (SOV) under a long-term charter with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, enhancing a service crucial for the U.S. clean wind energy market.

Houlder, a design and engineering consultancy with sustainability at its core, is collaborating with Blue Sea Power, an integrated energy solution provider as a gas-to-power company based in Athens, to develop three innovative floating LNG-to-power barges (FSRPs).

So, you have heard of solar power and wind energy, but what about their younger cousin, marine energy?