Tag: offshore wind farm

UK’s Transition from Coal to Clean Energy

UK’s Transition from Coal to Clean Energy

March 24, 2023 |

The UK is now aiming to achieve complete decarbonisation of the power sector by 2035—a world-leading target. This ambition is even more impressive given that power demand in the UK looks set to halt its decline and begin to rise rapidly—doubling by 2050—as more of the UK economy electrifies. There is no single cause for the rapid decline of coal in the UK. Instead, the journey from fossil-fuel dependent to renewables champion can be attributed to five main factors: setting of ambitious short-term targets, the changing economics of coal, policy support for wind power, market reforms, and investments and innovations in the grid.

Read More
US BOEM Proposes First Offshore Wind Auction in the Gulf of Mexico

US BOEM Proposes First Offshore Wind Auction in the Gulf of Mexico

March 13, 2023 |

On February 24, 2023, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) in the Federal Register that includes three proposed lease areas in the Gulf of Mexico for offshore wind development. One lease area is in the Lake Charles Wind Energy Area (WEA), offshore of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and two are in the Galveston WEA, offshore of Galveston, Texas.

Read More
New Actions for US Offshore Wind Expansion

New Actions for US Offshore Wind Expansion

March 5, 2023 |

For the first time, the Department of the Interior (DOI) is announcing a proposed offshore wind lease sale for three areas in the Gulf of Mexico, offshore Texas and Louisiana. These areas have the potential to generate enough clean energy to power almost 1.3 million homes. The proposed auction includes provisions that would incentivize new investments in workforce training and a domestic supply chain, to expand economic opportunities across offshore wind manufacturing, port operations, and more.

Read More
US Offshore Wind Development Review: Briefing

US Offshore Wind Development Review: Briefing

February 16, 2023 | ,

Offshore wind is an energy source that has seen explosive global growth over the past decade. In the United States, the offshore wind industry had another landmark year in 2022, and the authors expect the same for 2023. Mayer Brown’s Year in Review highlights the major US milestones in 2022, some expected in 2023, projects underway, and the status of state incentive programs.

Read More
UK signs agreements for six offshore wind projects

UK signs agreements for six offshore wind projects

January 30, 2023 |

In a major milestone for the UK’s energy security and net zero commitments, The Crown Estate announced that it has signed Agreements for Lease for six offshore wind projects which could begin to generate green electricity by the end of the decade and have the potential to generate c.8GW of renewable electricity, enough for more than seven million homes. Signing these agreements represents a significant moment in the UK’s response to climate change and energy security, and further bolsters the country’s thriving offshore wind industry, reinforcing its position as the second largest offshore wind energy generator in the world.

Read More
US Offshore Wind Supply Chain Roadmap

US Offshore Wind Supply Chain Roadmap

January 25, 2023 | ,

The national offshore wind energy target of 30 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 referenced the potential benefits of establishing a domestic supply chain. NREL led the 30 GW by 2030: A Supply Chain Road Map for Offshore Wind in the United States project to create a road map that identifies challenges and solutions to developing a nationally focused offshore wind energy supply chain that has the potential to manufacture all major components domestically by 2030.

Read More
<strong>Eolus and PNE to build 1 GW offshore wind project in Latvia</strong>

Eolus and PNE to build 1 GW offshore wind project in Latvia

January 23, 2023 |

Eolus, a Nordic wind power company, has formed a joint venture with PNE, a German firm, to build a 1 GW offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea. The Kurzéme offshore wind farm is located off the west coast of Latvia and is scheduled to be operational by 2030. The project will be able to produce 4.5 TWh of renewable electricity annually once it is fully operational. 

Read More
Offshore Wind in Europe: TSOs to deploy new solutions for large-scale integration

Offshore Wind in Europe: TSOs to deploy new solutions for large-scale integration

January 8, 2023 |

According to the Marienborg declaration of August 30, 2022, eight Baltic Sea countries – Poland (5.9 GW), Germany (3.8 GW), Denmark (6.3 GW), Lithuania (1.4 GW), Estonia (1 GW), Sweden (0.7 GW), Latvia (0.4 GW) and Finland (0.1 GW) – have set a combined offshore wind target in the Baltic Sea region of at least 19.6 GW by 2030, which is seven times the current capacity. The declaration also recognises the potential for offshore wind in the Balitc Sea basin of up to 93 GW.

Read More
UK Offshore Supply-Chain Dilemma: IEEFA Report

UK Offshore Supply-Chain Dilemma: IEEFA Report

December 23, 2022 | ,

The UK government has increased its offshore wind capacity ambitions from 11 gigawatts (GW) of current total installed capacity to 50 GW to be installed over the next eight years. The offshore wind industry shares critical supply chains with the offshore oil and gas sector. Both rely on a limited pool of available ports, vessels and personnel. Stimulating both sectors at the same time will spur competition over scarce resources, driving up costs—which will affect the lower-margin offshore wind sector more severely than the oil and gas sector.

Read More
Holistic Network Design: A key step for achieving 50 GW offshore wind in the UK by 2030 

Holistic Network Design: A key step for achieving 50 GW offshore wind in the UK by 2030 

September 3, 2022 |

In July 2022, the country’s electricity system operator, National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO), released its ‘Pathway to 2030’ Holistic Network Design (HND). This is part of the government’s Offshore Transmission Network Review (OTNR) efforts to find appropriate solutions in the medium term. The HND sets out a single, integrated design to support the transmission of large-scale offshore wind generation to load centres across Great Britain.

Read More
Offshore Wind and the US Inflation Reduction Act

Offshore Wind and the US Inflation Reduction Act

August 20, 2022 |

The Inflation Reduction Act modifies the investment tax credit requirements for offshore wind projects, ties offshore wind leasing to offshore oil and gas leasing while also opening new areas for potential offshore wind development, and appropriates additional funds for the planning and development of interregional electricity transmission and transmission of electricity generated by offshore wind.

Read More
Multi-Purpose Interconnectors for offshore wind development in the UK

Multi-Purpose Interconnectors for offshore wind development in the UK

July 15, 2022 |

As the UK strives towards its ambitious target of 50GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, large-scale investment will be required in the offshore wind industry. It is increasingly clear that point-to-point connections between offshore wind farms and the grid will not be efficient for an expansion of this magnitude. Multi-purpose interconnectors combine the transmission of offshore power with cross-border interconnection between the power grids of nearby countries.

Read More
Offshore Wind in Western United States: Briefing

Offshore Wind in Western United States: Briefing

July 12, 2022 | ,

The United States’ West Coast has vast, untapped offshore wind resources to help decarbonize the country’s energy system. Offshore wind would diversify generation resources while reducing land-use conflicts in the Western U.S., where 80 percent of customers are served by utilities with net-zero carbon emission mandates. Coastal states make up 57 percent of Western electricity demand.

Read More
Strategy Paper for Establishment of Offshore Wind Energy Projects in India

Strategy Paper for Establishment of Offshore Wind Energy Projects in India

July 9, 2022 | ,

Preliminary studies carried out by NIWE across the coastline of India indicate good potential both off the southern tip of the country and the West coast for offshore wind farm development in India. Based on a multi-criteria approach involving assessment of various parameters such as wind resource, bathymetry etc., eight zones each off the coast of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu were identified as potential offshore wind energy zones.

Read More
Biden Administration Launches New Federal-State Offshore Wind Partnership to Grow American-Made Clean Energy

Biden Administration Launches New Federal-State Offshore Wind Partnership to Grow American-Made Clean Energy

June 30, 2022 |

On June 23, the White House joined with eleven governors from up and down the East Coast to launch a new Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership that will accelerate the growing offshore wind industry. The partnership will support efforts to provide Americans with cleaner and cheaper energy, create good-paying jobs, and make historic investments in new American energy supply chains, manufacturing, shipbuilding, and servicing.

Read More
ACCIONA Energía acquires 24 per cent stake in Eolink

ACCIONA Energía acquires 24 per cent stake in Eolink

June 1, 2022 |

ACCIONA Energía, a Spanish renewable energy company, has purchased a 24 percent investment in Eolink, a French start-up that creates floating foundations for offshore wind farms. Acciona Energía invested in Eolink by taking part in the French company’s financing round. No financial terms or other details of the investment have been disclosed by the company.

Read More
Biden Administration Proposes First-Ever California Offshore Wind Lease Sale

Biden Administration Proposes First-Ever California Offshore Wind Lease Sale

May 31, 2022 |

On May 26, 2022, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) that includes three proposed lease areas in the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area (WEA) off central California and two proposed lease areas in the Humboldt WEA off northern California. The lease sale in two regions hundreds of miles apart is novel. Taken together, the five proposed lease areas total approximately 373,268 acres that have the potential to unlock over 4.5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy.

Read More
US Offshore Wind Supply Chain: Report by NREL

US Offshore Wind Supply Chain: Report by NREL

May 31, 2022 | ,

NREL released a report outlining supply chain needs required to reach the United States’ national offshore wind goal of 30 gigawatts by 2030. With international offshore wind supply chains already near capacity, there is an immediate need to develop a domestic network to scale up this industry. This report estimates achieving 30 GW of offshore wind capacity will require at least 2,100 wind turbines and foundations and 6,800 miles of cable.

Read More
Offshore Wind Roadmap for the M&OE Sector in Singapore

Offshore Wind Roadmap for the M&OE Sector in Singapore

April 28, 2022 | ,

As the offshore wind industry expands to new and early-stage markets in Asia, the labour requirements call for technical and specialised roles across the entire offshore wind supply chain. Often, those roles are not being fulfilled locally and require transfer of knowledge or experience from more experienced companies, like those in Singapore. 

Read More