Chevron is marketing its share in several Gulf of Mexico facilities, including Petronius, the 2100′ compliant tower which was initially installed by Texaco in 2000.
Petronius and Baldpate (supportively named for those of us who are follicly challenged 😉) are the Gulf’s only compliant towers – freestanding structures that sway up to 2% of their height to safely absorb ocean forces.
Also on the market are Chevron’s interest in Tubular Bells, a floating spar platform in 4300′ of water, and Llano, a subsea development tied back to Shell’s Auger tension leg platform.
Tubular Bells spar was installed by Hess in 4300′ and began production in 2014.
The SAS data indicate that the number of wind turbine incidents has risen sharply in recent years (see chart below). The increased number of turbines worldwide and the inclusion of SafetyOn data (from 2020 on) for UK onshore wind facilities contributed to the sharp increase. Nonetheless, the growing number of incidents is disconcerting, as is the absence of comprehensive industry and government summaries and reports.
SAS has records of 274 fatalities from 195 fatal incidents. 67 of those fatal incidents have been since 2016.
SAS acknowledges that their list, which is dependent on publicly available reports, is merely the “tip of the iceberg.” For example, their list does not include the June 2, 2025, Empire Wind project fatality.
Unsurprisingly, SAS data (table below) show that blade failure and fire are the most common incident types. We previously reported on a Windpower article suggesting an average of 3800 blade failures per year. Presumably, “routine” blade failures, are not classified as incidents.
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026 as of 9/30
blade failure
21
19
28
25
32
18
24
15
23
17
12
fire
28
26
27
25
25
21
19
17
23
16
15
A high priority for wind industry regulators in the US and internationally should be establishing a consistent wind energy incident reporting regime and making the data available to the public in a timely and organized manner.
Jackdaw “will start to supply gas to British homes and businesses from as early as the end of this month, helping heat millions of homes and protecting hundreds of jobs”
Chancellor John Healey says a new “Energy Wealth Fund”, using tax revenue from oil and gas extraction, will invest in “green transition” (but of course!😉🙃)
Two lease areas for bid as identified in the map above
Sale date: Thursday, November 19, 2026
20 year primary lease term
Oral auction bidding to be livestreamed at boem.gov
Minimum Bonus Bid Amount: $3,000,000 for each lease area
Royalty: 2% on all mineral production during the first five years of production, 5% on production in years 6+
Rental rates:
Yesterday, EarthJustice, representing a council of matai (chiefs or leaders) from American Samoa’s Manu‘a Islands, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Hawaii seeking to block the lease sale.
Capt. David Bacon is a boating safety consultant and expert witness, with a background in high-tech industries and charter boat ownership and operation. He teaches classes forSanta Barbara City Collegeand, with a lifelong interest in wildlife, writes outdoors columns forNoozhawkand other publications.
I believe those oil rigs offshore create, attract and sustain more life than all of our radical enviro orgs crying, “The sky is falling and the world is being destroyed, so send us your money” can ever hope to accomplish.
Our ocean and seagoing critters lost big-time when the four inshore rigs off Padero Lane and Carpinteria were removed some years back. They were taken down to the ground, and all that was left were mounds of mussel shells.
Let’s not repeat that massive forced die-off by removing any more oil rigs.
There was argument about whether our oil rigs attracted or produced life. That argument is long over. They do both.
The structure above the waterline serves pinnipeds and birds, which feed on the life below. Our rigs support a wide-ranging variety of sea life.
When I look at the rigs from a close-up and personal perspective while I fish near them, I see the obvious. They are massive life generators and supporters, leading me to call them our Rigs of Life.
We also need to keep our oil rig structures even after we decommission them, because to have abundant sea life, we need to create and maintain more supporting habitat.
For those of us who agree with the Captain that these structures have great value to society, the main questions are:
How do we maintain valuable offshore structures after the production of oil and gas ceases?
Who bears responsibility for their ultimate decommissioning? Is there a liability regime in place for any structure that remains?
Who manages the post-production uses of the platform which could include oceanographic, biological, and alternative energy research, national security and space applications, communications, weather observations, and much more?
Is there a business plan that works for the companies responsible for decommissioning and platform users, while also protecting taxpayers from liabilities?
One approach would be for the lessees responsible for decommissioning to retain that obligation and continue to maintain the structures in accordance with Federal regulations. This assumes the financial benefits from deferring decommissioning are sufficient to justify such a commitment. This could be a flawed assumption in some (most?) cases.
Alternatively, for companies that would prefer to be relieved of decommissioning obligations, John Smith’s proposal would allow qualified 3rd parties to accept title and liability for the structures. A company, consortium, nonprofit, or entrepreneur could, for a fee, acquire the structures and obtain insurance or other financial protection in accordance with their business plan.
The best way to preserve the reef environment is to extend the life of the platform for post-production activities. Can we make this work?
JL Daeschler, North Sea pioneer and BOE contributor, met this week with Jim Fraser, an Aberdonian PhD Researcher working at the University of Edinburgh.
Jim is investigating how North Sea oil and gas has transformed social and cultural life in Aberdeen, and what the future holds for the region considering the current uncertainty within the North Sea industry. Who better to learn from than JL, an important figure in North Sea oil and gas development?
Our best to Jim as he pursues this important research.
Serhii Kusnetzov (center), Ukrainian army officer, at his trial in Hamburg-Reuters photo
In July, German state prosecutors accused Ukrainian “state authorities” of ordering the attacks on the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 lines: “The aim was to permanently halt gas supplies via the pipelines and prevent Russia from using the revenue from natural gas trade to finance its war effort.”
Wednesday (10/14) was day one of the trial of Serhii Kuznetsov for leading the pipeline sabotage.
The trial will resume on 10/27.
Kuznetsov’s lawyers argued that the trial should not be taking place at all. They said the defendant had been held almost entirely in solitary confinement for 11 months, and that he was being treated “like a pawn on a chessboard.”
The attorneys argued that he could not defend himself in the conventional manner because he was an army officer, which forbade him from speaking.
The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, which has soared in popularity and is currently leading in German polling:
Argues that German aid for Ukraine must cease and the pipeline be reinstated.
Asks why Germany poured billions of euros into a political regime that deprived them of cheap energy.
Calls this an attack on German sovereignty.
Has requested the establishment of an investigative committee to clarify what the federal government knew and to what extent Ukrainian authorities were involved.
The AfD supports “Protection of the Environment”, but not the “German Climate Protection Policy” and plans for “decarbonization” and the “Transformation of Society”. They want to end the perception of CO² as an exclusively harmful substance and stop Germany’s maverick policy in the reduction of CO² emissions.
Because the average output is so variable, renewable energy generators are not viable replacements for conventional large power stations.
Renewable sources necessitate a massive expansion of the electric grid systems and jeopardize grid stability.
Fracking: Explore Opportunities and Risks, Involve Citizens
Nuclear Energy: Explore Alternatives, Grant Lifetime Extensions in the Interim
MMA discontinues daily hurricane activity reports when <10% of production is shut-in. Yesterday, oil production reached that threshold (9.92% shut-in) and gas fell just short (11.07% shut-in), so it is assumed there will be no further production updates for Isaias.
Yesterday, the trial of a Ukrainian officer began in a Hamburg courtroom. See the X post and video below.
The big issue, of course, is the extent of Ukrainian govt involvement in the sabotage.
🇩🇪🇺🇦Germany puts a Ukrainian officer on trial for blowing up Nord Stream as a WAR CRIME ordered by Kyiv
Serhii K. will walk into a Hamburg courtroom today as the first person ever tried for the 2022 blasts that cut Germany off from the pipeline that once carried half its gas… pic.twitter.com/nBWPKWAPzj
