In this case, it’s a State of Maine research project for up to 12 floating turbines. This type of project is not viable without large subsidies which are apparently not forthcoming. See the Notice below.
Archive for the ‘Wind Energy’ Category
Another Atlantic wind project “paused”
Posted in Offshore Wind, tagged floating wind turbines, Maine, project paused, research lease on March 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Atlantic wind: attention shifts to EPA
Posted in Offshore Wind, Regulation, tagged Ack for Whales, air emissions, Atlantic Shores, Atlantic wind, EPA, New England Wind, Vineyard Wind on March 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »
In February, EPA Region 2 asked the agency’s Environmental Appeals Board to remand Atlantic Shores’ air emissions permit back to the Region for reconsideration. That remand (attached) was granted on 14 March over the objections of Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind.
Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind still exists despite the exit of 50% partner Shell and a $940 million write down by the remaining owner EDF. The diagram depicts Atlantic Shores South (0499) and North (0549) lease areas.
EDF intends “to preserve the company and its future development.” Whether or not they can hold the leases indefinitely without pursuing development remains to be seen. BOEM’s diligence regulations for offshore wind projects are vague, and neither the Construction and Operations Plans nor BOEM’s Record of Decision (Atlantic Shores South) include work schedules.
Does EDF have the right to sit on the lease until the financial and regulatory environment is attractive? That is not allowed for oil and gas leases, and rightfully so. (See a related post on Total’s wind lease.)
Meanwhile, ACK for Whales has petitioned EPA Region 1 to reopen and reanalyze the air permits for permits for the New England Wind 1 and 2 projects asserting that:
- The analysis does account for emissions related to and resulting from blade failures, which would warrant emergency repairs or replacement activities.
- The decision to group Vineyard Wind 1, New England Wind 1 and New England Wind 2, as a single stationary source is both legally questionable and could have the effect of masking localized emission spikes.
- Insufficient consideration of cumulative vessel emissions could lead to 1-hour NO₂ exceedances.
- The emissions from pile driving are not adequately modeled in isolation or synergistically.
GB Energy bravado may not comfort North Sea workers
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Energy - General, Offshore Wind, UK, tagged Aberdeen, carbon capture, energy jobs, GB Energy, hydrogen, Juergen Maier, Keystone Pipeline, Louise Gilmour, North Sea oil and gas, Offshore Wind, the Scotsman on March 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Juergen Maier, chairman of GB Energy, “a planned British government-owned renewable energy investment body,” is promising to revive Aberdeen with “green energy” jobs, and to create “something special for the years ahead.”
Maier: “Floating offshore wind, green hydrogen, and carbon capture should be as synonymous with Aberdeen’s future as oil and gas have been with its past.” This is an interesting comment given that the success of the industries he is promoting is far from assured; nor is the continuation of government edicts and subsidies on which they are dependent.
How many times have we been told that the government driven energy transition would create thousands of jobs? How many workers in economically important industries have been told to transition to politically favored professions? How many Keystone Pipeline workers found the promised “green energy jobs?” Why were coal miners condescendingly told to “learn to code?”
Perhaps Mr. Maier should broaden his message by showing support for development of the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields, and for sustaining production of oil and gas, on which the UK will be dependent for many years. As Louise Gilmour wisely opined in her column in the Scotsman:
“We need more of it because even the most ardent supporters of renewable energy, the most vocal proponents of net zero, quietly admit oil and, especially, gas will be needed for a couple of decades at least. That obvious truth, that inarguable necessity, is not, apparently, enough for ministers to encourage UK production, however, or temper their rhetoric around renewables.“
“Allowing our rigs and refineries to power down and relying on other countries to keep the lights on still seems a little, well, counter-intuitive. We will import oil and gas but not produce it while happily exporting contracts, skills and jobs overseas? The practical impact of Labour’s refusal to grant new exploration licences in the North Sea might remain unclear but the message it sent was absolutely crystal.“
Irish Sea wind theft? Wake losses threaten offshore wind sector
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Wind, Regulation, tagged Ørsted, competitive reservoirs, correlative rights, Irish Sea, oil industry compairson, Wind Theft, wind wakes on March 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »
The oil industry has a long history of dealing with the correlative rights issues associated with oil drainage from competitive reservoirs. Similar issues are arising in the offshore wind industry.
Orsted believes ‘catastrophic wake losses’ threaten the existence of their Irish Sea wind farms, claiming that wakes from EnBW, BP, and RWE projects could shorten the life of Orsted’s assets. Note that wind wakes can stretch as far as 100 km.
Orsted claims that four nearby wind farms in the Irish Sea could result in a drop in Orsted’s annual energy production of up to 5.34%, and is seeking mitigation or compensation.
This is all rather familiar to the oil industry and its regulators, particularly the call for compensation!
BSEE: Lightning protection system was not operational on Vineyard Wind turbine
Posted in accidents, Offshore Wind, tagged BSEE, Vineyard Wind, wind turbine, blade failure, lightning strike, lightning protection on March 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »
BSEE statement:
BSEE’s report on the initial (7/13/2024) blade failure has still not been released.
“Groundhog Day” on Nantucket?
Posted in accidents, Offshore Wind, tagged blade failure, Groundhog Day, lightning strike, Nantucket, Vineyard Wind on March 5, 2025| 1 Comment »
The same Vineyard Wind turbine blade that failed last summer has now been struck by lightning:
“Lightning struck the fractured stub of Vineyard Wind’s broken turbine blade in the early morning hours on Friday (2/27), according to representatives from Vineyard Wind and the Coast Guard. It was the remnants of the broken blade that snapped this July that were still attached to the turbine.”
“It appears the town (Nantucket) was not informed of the lightning strike by Vineyard Wind until it received media inquiries about it, over 48 hours after it happened.”
BOEM rescinds controversial Rice’s Whale requirements
Posted in Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Energy - General, Offshore Wind, tagged biological opinion, BOEM, court order, deadline, NTL, rescinded, Rice's whale on February 27, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Although Rice’s Whale lease stipulations were deleted from Sale 261 leases by court order, similar NTL restrictions remained in effect for all oil and gas operations in the Gulf of America. Those NTL restrictions, some of which may be excessive and premature, have now been rescinded.
A previous post compared the Rice’s Whale restrictions applicable to Gulf oil and gas operations with the less onerous Right Whale restrictions for the Atlantic wind industry.
Of course, this is not the end of the Rice’s Whale dispute. A Federal judge in Maryland has ordered the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) to prepare a new biological opinion that better protects the Rice’s whale. The deadline for the new biological opinion was extended to May 21, 2025. After that date, no new Gulf leases may be issued and no new operating plans may be approved pending a new biological opinion that is acceptable to the Court.
Stay tuned.
Sad news: 2 workers die in fall from Nebraska wind turbine
Posted in accidents, Wind Energy, tagged 2 workers died, fall, Nebraska, Wayne County, wind turbine fatalities on February 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Posted on Facebook by the Wayne County, Nebraska Sheriff’s Office:
“On 02-22-25, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of two work-related fatalities.
South of Winside, NE, a wind turbine maintenance crew experienced an equipment failure, which resulted in two men falling from a turbine. Eddy Noriega Sebinet (age 46) and Raidel Justiz Noriega (age 37) were pronounced deceased at the scene.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Winside Volunteer Fire Department.
The accident remains under investigation.”
Apparently, the Washington Post now supports an “all of the above” energy policy. How convenient!
Posted in energy policy, Wind Energy, tagged all of the above energy, Big Oil, China coal consumption, Denmark energy, Secretary Burgum, Washington Post, wind opposition on February 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Now that the favored wind industry is struggling, the Washington Post is conveniently endorsing an “all of the above” energy policy and urging Interior Secretary Burgum to “stand up for wind energy.” Where was this support for “all of the above” when offshore oil and gas leasing was halted, important pipeline approvals were being denied, States were banning hydraulic fracturing, nuclear plants were stalled, and coal workers were being told to “learn how to code?”
Additional comments on the Post’s opinion piece:
WP: “Opponents of wind power — many of them tied to the fossil fuel industry — have taken note and are furiously lobbying the government to block projects already under construction, as well.”
Comments:
- The fossil fuel industry is frequently accused of supporting groups that oppose wind energy, yet names and details are never provided.
- Most opponents of offshore wind are members of grass roots groups that have no connection to the oil and gas industry.
- Supporting anti-wind groups would be foolish from legal, political, and public relations standpoints.
- Wind opposition would also be contrary to the business plans of most oil and gas companies, some of which are/were major wind energy investors.
- Lastly, most anti-wind groups are also opposed to offshore drilling. Would “Big Oil” fund groups like this?
WP: “China’s capacity for wind power is already three times that of the United States.”
Comment: Does this make China an environmental leader? Does the WP also support China’s world-leading and still growing coal consumption (see below)?
WP: “Denmark derives about 60 percent of its total energy from wind.”
Comment: Is the WP unconcerned about the intermittency of wind power, the dramatic fluctuations in capacity factors, and the need for alternate power sources, typically coal and natural gas? How do these wind capacity factors look (chart below)? Does the WP support other Danish climate policies like the tax on cow emissions?
Letter requesting the withdraw of wind project permits
Posted in energy policy, Offshore Wind, tagged Atlantic wind, CFACT, incidental takes, letter to Burgum, withdraw wind permits on February 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Groups and individuals opposing Atlantic wind projects sent the attached letter to Interior Secretary Doug Bergum asking for the withdraw of wind permits.
The groups cite serious problems with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Letters of Authorization (LOA) for Incidental Take of endangered and threatened species. The LOAs authorized cumulative Takes of 548 individuals from a population of around 338.
The groups’ “no list” (project analysis deficiencies):
- No EIS for the NMFS Incidental Take Authorization
- No consideration of the impact of harassment in the Biological Opinion including cumulative impacts
- No harassment authorization for the turbine installation ship
- No consideration of using suction caissons instead of pile driving
- No consideration of sediment plumes from ocean currents flowing through wind facilities
- No assessment of a project’s contribution to the overall effects of multiple wind projects
- No consideration of continuous operating noise
- No consideration of physical presence-based harassment
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 