New record high for power prices in Denmark!
Archive for the ‘Offshore Wind’ Category
Uh oh! Return of Die Dunkelflaute
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Wind, tagged Denmark, Die Dunkelflaute, Europe, Jens Christiansen, Wind Energy on December 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) Supports Green Oceans Lawsuit Against Revolution Wind
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Wind, tagged Aquinnah, Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, Gay Head, Green Oceans, Revolution Wind, Wampanoag Tribe on December 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »
BusinessWire: “These turbines destroy our culturally sacred viewshed, destroy our traditional and historic fishing grounds, and threaten the continued existence of the North Atlantic right whale,” said William “Buddy” Vanderhoop, a member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head.
“We are known as ‘The People of the First Light,’” said Tribal Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais. “The unobstructed eastern view of the ocean from our ancestral lands from Nantucket, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard (‘Noepe’) and southeastern Massachusetts is inextricably intertwined with who we are as a people and our cosmology, and is essential to our spiritual beliefs and practices.”
More on the absence of bidders for Danish offshore wind leases
Posted in climate, energy policy, Offshore Wind, tagged decline in bidding, Denmark wind sale, Jens Christiansen, no bids, US Atlantic on December 6, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Jens Christiansen offers this explanation for the absence of bids for wind leases offered in the recent Danish sale:
“The value of offshore wind energy in Denmark has declined.
The capture price remains consistently lower than the market price throughout 2024. When the wind blows, the market saturates and the capture price drops This is why the latest offshore wind tender yielded nothing.”
A related BOE post points to the sharp decline in bids for US offshore wind leases.
North Sea shutout – no bids for Danish wind leases
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Offshore Wind, tagged Denmark, no bids, North Sea, Orsted, wind leases on December 6, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Danish Energy Agency: “The deadline for bidding on the first 3 GW of Denmark’s 6 GW offshore wind tendering procedure expired on Thursday. The Danish Energy Agency has not received bids for any of the three offshore wind farms in the North Sea put out to tender. The Minister for Climate, Energy, and Utilities has asked The Danish Energy Agency to engage in dialogue with the market to identify why no bids have been submitted.“
Even Orsted, which is 50.1% Danish govt owned, failed to submit a bid. Perhaps the economic realities of offshore wind, as reflected in Orsted’s share price (below) are sinking in.
Buyer’s remorse in Nantucket
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Offshore Wind, tagged Good Neighbor Agreement, Nantucket, Nexit, petition, SouthCoast Wind, Vineyard Wind on November 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »
A recent Nantucket Current piece criticizes the Nantucket Select Board for failing to address community concerns about the attached Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA) with Vineyard Wind. In particular, any discussion about the GNA was throttled at a recent public forum on the SouthCoast Wind project.
Some key points from the article and related thoughts:
- Over 2,000 individuals and 150 businesses have signed a petition asking the Nantucket Select Board to withdraw from the GNA.
- The GNA established a long-term relationship between Vineyard Wind and Nantucket. In essence, Nantucket became a partner and an advocate for the projects.
- Sections 5.2 and 5.3 of the GNA are particularly striking and believed to be unprecedented in the history of Federal offshore energy programs.
- Section 5.2 defines Nantucket’s broad advocacy responsibilities.
- Section 5.3 stipulates that “the Nantucket Parties shall use their reasonable best efforts to inform federal, state, and local elected officials of their support for the Projects” throughout the environmental, historical, and state review processes. Wow, nothing subtle about that directive!
- By signing the GNA with Vineyard Wind, Nantucket withdrew from the important National Historic Preservation Act consulting process for these projects.
- Vineyard Wind, New England Wind, and the other projects that are covered under the GNA will add approximately 350 turbines off Nantucket’s south shore beaches.
- Given the partnership with Vineyard Wind, it’s difficult for Nantucket to challenge the mitigations for another project, SouthCoast Wind, which is not covered by the GNA.
The Nantucket GNA controversy should be carefully considered by other communities that are tempted by developer incentives to enter into agreements that may not be in their best long-term interest.
Will Nantucket exit (Nexit) the GNA? The pressure is building.
Gone with the Wind (££-$$-€€)
Posted in climate, energy policy, Offshore Wind, UK, tagged Beatrice Wind, Block Island Wind, German wind power, Gone with the Wind, subsidies, Wind Energy on November 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »
The Beatrice Offshore Windfarm has become the fourth UK windfarm to have received more than £1 billion in subsidy payments. The landmark was reached in just its seventh year of operation, suggesting that it could reach £2 billion over the course of its subsidy agreement.
Block Island Wind Farm – “America’s Starting Five” (first 5 offshore turbines) – reliably generates subsidies (table below).
Projected PPA subsidies for other Atlantic wind projects:
Vom Winde verweht: Germany will pay as much as €20 billion to wind and solar operators through the end of 2024, twice what grid operators had forecast in last October.
More on the alleged GE Vernova turbine blade data falsification. Possible US civil or criminal penalties?
Posted in accidents, Offshore Wind, Regulation, tagged civil penalties, criminal penalties, data falsification, Gaspe plant, GE Vernova, Quebec, turbine blade failure, Vineyard Wind on November 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »
On Oct. 24, Radio Gaspesie reported serious data falsification allegations related to the manufacturing GE Vernova turbine blades at their Gaspé, Quebec facility. GE Vernova’s delay in commenting on those charges is surprising given their economic and legal implications in both Canada and the US.
GE Vernova has informed the New Bedford Light that they have taken corrective actions at their blade facility in Gaspé after an extensive internal review of their blade manufacturing and quality assurance program. However, they have yet to comment on the data falsification allegations.
Actions speak louder than words, and the Light reports that GE Vernova laid off nine managers and suspended 11 unionized floor workers at the Gaspé factory. A representative for the union informed the Light that the production manager has been dismissed and the general manager has resigned.
Neither Vineyard Wind nor BSEE, the Federal safety regulator for the Vineyard Wind project, has commented on the matter. BSEE’s investigation of the blade failure is still pending and has seemingly gotten more complicated as a result of the manufacturing issues.
In addition to legal proceedings in Quebec, GE Vernova and Vineyard Wind are subject to possible civil and criminal penalties in the US. Civil penalties, which are administered by BSEE, seem likely given the extensive pollution from turbine blade fragments.
Criminal penalties, which are possible if the data falsification charges are proven true, are imposed by the Dept. of Justice. The applicable criminal penalties statute is pasted below.
43 U.S. Code § 1350 – Remedies and penalties – (c) Criminal penalties
Any person who knowingly and willfully (1) violates any provision of this subchapter, any term of a lease, license, or permit issued pursuant to this subchapter, or any regulation or order issued under the authority of this subchapter designed to protect health, safety, or the environment or conserve natural resources, (2) makes any false statement, representation, or certification in any application, record, report, or other document filed or required to be maintained under this subchapter, (3) falsifies, tampers with, or renders inaccurate any monitoring device or method of record required to be maintained under this subchapter, or (4) reveals any data or information required to be kept confidential by this subchapter shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than $100,000, or by imprisonment for not more than ten years, or both. Each day that a violation under clause (1) of this subsection continues, or each day that any monitoring device or data recorder remains inoperative or inaccurate because of any activity described in clause (3) of this subsection, shall constitute a separate violation.
Outer Cape residents reject pro-wind ballot initiative
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Wind, tagged 4th Barnstable District, Cape Cod National Seashore, Gulf of Maine, Massachusetts, offshore wind initiative failed, Outer Cape ballot Question 7, wind sale on November 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Ballot Question 7: Shall the State Representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of legislation that would support the development of SouthCoast Wind and Commonwealth Wind and other possible future offshore and onshore wind power developments in Massachusetts?
This nonbinding initiative, which was reportedly the work of an individual wind advocate, was a surprise addition to the ballot for residents of the 4th Barnstable District of the Massachusetts House. That district includes the Outer Cape towns of Chatham, Eastham, Harwich, Orleans, Provincetown, Truro, and Wellfleet (see map above).
While nonbinding, the ballot initiative was intended to demonstrate support among Outer Cape residents for offshore wind development. However, perhaps unexpectedly, the initiative failed with 52.4% voting against (graphic below). It’s noteworthy that 82% of South Shore (Massachusetts) voters supported offshore wind development when a similar initiative was on the ballot in 2008. That’s a massive decline in support albeit in a different coastal area of the state.
The opinion of Outer Cape residents is important because their towns are the closest to 3 of the 4 leases (0564, 0567, and 0568 in the graphic below) receiving bids at the Gulf of Maine sale. Those leases are directly offshore from the Cape Cod National Seashore.
Interest in the Gulf of Maine sale was weak. All bids were for the minimum allowable amount of only $50/acre.
Quebec media outlet is reporting possible data falsification at plant where defective Vineyard Wind turbine blades were manufactured
Posted in accidents, Offshore Wind, Regulation, tagged falsified data, Gaspe plant, GE Vernova, turbine blade failure, Vineyard Wind on November 8, 2024| 4 Comments »
See the translated excerpts below from a Radio Gaspesie report. This is a massive scandal if true.
“Yesterday, the vice-president of global operations at GE Vernova reportedly addressed all employees at the Gaspé plant to provide an update on the situation.
The investigation, led by GE Vernova’s lawyers, reportedly revealed that employees were asked by senior company executives to falsify quality control data. Data associated with a well-made blade was then associated with poorly made blades. Our sources indicate that this is a widespread practice in the industry.
The senior management of the Gaspé plant also allegedly implemented a points system that encouraged employees to skip verification steps, thus prioritizing production quantity over quality.
Our sources say the points system allegedly involved tight management oversight that bordered on intimidation of employees.
The oversized 107m blades that were produced in Gaspé for the construction of marine parks are said to be affected. The integrity of the entire production of the longest blades in America is currently being called into question.“
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 
Total wants to sit on their wind lease until the next administration (2029). Can they do that?
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Wind, tagged Attentive Energy, BOEM, CEO comments, COP deadline, diligent development, lease cancellation, OCSLA, Total, wind lease on December 3, 2024| Leave a Comment »
Impressive arrogance from the CEO of a foreign company that paid $795 million for a lease (OCS-A 0538) that was worth pennies on the dollar even before the Presidential election:
“Offshore wind, I have decided to put the project on pause” with Trump’s return, Total Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne said at an energy industry conference in London on Tuesday.
“I said to my team, the project in New York, we’ll see that in four years,” he said. “But the advantage is it’s only for four years.”
Perhaps Mr. Pouyanne thinks Total owns those 84,332 acres in the Atlantic or that they have the right to hold the leased area indefinitely. They do not. The OCS Lands Act calls for diligent development of leases and BOEM has promulgated implementing regulations.
The Total (Attentive Energy) lease was issued on 5/1/2022. Per 30 CFR § 585.235(a)(1), the company must submit a Construction and Operations Plant (COP) no later than 5/1/2027, more than 20 months before the end of the Trump administration. BOEM will have ample time to act on the plan prior to the next administration.
BOEM could also call for progress updates and an earlier COP submittal if there is evidence that the lessee is not moving forward with development plans (as would already seem to be the case given Mr. Pouyanne’s public statements in London).
In the absence of progress in developing the lease, BOEM could seek cancellation (§ 556.1102) for failure to comply with the diligence mandate in OCSLA (556.1102 (a)). Cancellation could also be pursued based on misrepresentations in acquiring the lease (556.1102 (c)) or the threat of unacceptable harm to the environment or national security (556.1102 (d)).
Rather than making rash comments at a public forum in London, perhaps Mr. Pouyanne would have been wise to first meet with energy officials of the new administration early next year. At a minimum, the CEO’s comments will help justify any attempts to cancel the Total (Attentive Energy) lease on diligence grounds.
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