Latest news with #offshorewind
BBC News
19 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Up to £24m to be invested in west Highland's Kishorn Port
Up to £24m of public money is to be invested in a port on the west Highland was used in the 1970s for the construction of the Ninian Central oil production platform - at the time the world's largest floating concrete and Islands Enterprise (HIE) said its investment would enhance the port's capacity for manufacturing floating offshore wind turbine dry dock, along with other facilities, are to be expanded. HIE said there was potential for the port to support up to 1,500 jobs once the expansion was investment forms part a Scottish government commitment of up to £500m over five years to develop ports and offshore wind energy supply chain. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes described the funding for Kishorn as "significant".She added: "It is crucial to ensuring Kishorn Port and the communities it supports can reap the benefits of the global renewables market."HIE chief executive Stuart Black said the site had provided skilled jobs in a rural area for Port Limited (KPL) director Alasdair Ferguson added: "The port expansion will provide the catalyst for the support and creation of jobs within Wester Ross and the wider Highlands, benefiting communities across the area. "We're grateful to Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish government for their support." The port is in an area of Wester Ross that is home to roughly 1,000 1975 and 1987, the site was a fabrication yard owned by Howard Doris Ltd and in 1977 more than 3,000 people were employed was not enough accommodation for so many workers in this part of the north-west Highlands coast so two retired cruise ships, Rangatira and the Odysseus, were brought in to accommodate yard was used in the construction of the North Sea oil and gas industry's massive Ninian Central Platform in the late structure weighed 600,000 tonnes once completed, making it the largest manufactured moveable object at the time. Seven tugs were required to tow it from Loch Kishorn to its North Sea site. The dry dock was used in the 1990s for the making of two concrete caissons - foundations used for deep water or soft ground - to support the Skye yard was mothballed until 2013 when work started on redeveloping it as a port for supporting the offshore renewable energy 2019, Kishorn was used for servicing the world's biggest semi-submersible offshore drilling rig, Ocean 60,800-tonne rig was towed to the Highlands from Singapore via Las Palmas in the Canaries. Last year, a decommissioned oil rig was destroyed in a controlled explosion in the dry Northern Producer had been used in the Dons oil fields about 100 miles (161km) north-east of it was blown up, various parts of the rig were recycled.
Reuters
a day ago
- Business
- Reuters
Wind opponents sue Trump administration to block New York wind project
June 3 (Reuters) - Fishing companies and offshore wind opponents filed a lawsuit on Tuesday challenging the Trump administration's decision to reverse course and allow construction to resume on Empire Wind, a $5 billion wind farm project off New York's coast. Protect Our Coast New Jersey, Clean Ocean Action, ACK for Whales and 12 fishing industry participants in a lawsuit, opens new tab filed in federal court in Trenton, New Jersey, sought to reinstate a stop work order Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued in April halting construction of Equinor's ( opens new tab wind project. Burgum issued that order after Republican President Donald Trump on his first day back in office on January 20 directed his administration to halt offshore wind lease sales and stop the issuance of permits, leases and loans for both onshore and offshore wind projects. He did so while also moving to ramp up the federal government's support for the fossil fuel industry and maximize output in the United States. Trump as a candidate last year promised to end the offshore wind industry. But weeks after Burgum signed the stop-work order, the administration in a turnabout on May 19 allowed work to resume on Empire Wind, which is being developed by Norway's Equinor and is expected to provide power for half a million homes from 2027 onward. The administration did so in a compromise with New York that could also see canceled plans for a gas pipeline revived. Burgum said he was encouraged that New York Governor Kathy Hochul will now allow new gas pipeline capacity to move forward. Tuesday's lawsuit argued that the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management did not adhere to the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act by failing to provide a basis for restoring the work permits. Bruce Afran, the plaintiffs' lawyer, said the administration had properly recognized the lack of investigation about serious environmental harm from Equinor's project. "The administration correctly pulled the Empire Wind work permit because of these concerns and had no basis to reinstate the work orders a month later," he said in a statement. "This lawsuit seeks to restore the stop work order." Equinor declined to comment on the lawsuit itself but in a statement said the project "has undergone years of rigorous permitting and studies, and secured all necessary federal, state and local approvals to begin construction in 2024." The agency did not respond to a request for comment.
E&E News
a day ago
- Business
- E&E News
Wind opponents sue to stop Empire project
A coalition of fishermen and offshore wind opponents sued the Trump administration Tuesday in an attempt to stop construction of Empire Wind 1. The lawsuit seeks to reinstate a stop work order issued by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in April and comes just as the 54-turbine project under development south of Long Island prepares to commence foundation installation. Protect Our Coast New Jersey, Clean Ocean Action, ACK for Whales and a dozen fishing companies claim Burgum failed to adhere to the Administrative Procedure Act when he lifted the stop work order in May. The suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court District for New Jersey, argues federal regulators illegally approved the project's permit and that it will permanently damage fisheries and the marine environment. Advertisement The lawsuit scrambles traditional political alliances around offshore wind. Wind opponents sought to walk a fine line in a press release announcing the suit, praising President Donald Trump's longtime opposition to offshore wind even as they challenged his administration's decision to allow Empire Wind 1 to move forward.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Beach campaigners recreate Pink Floyd album art
A campaign group against plans to bring an electricity cable from an offshore wind farm onshore at a Devon beach have staged a Pink Floyd-inspired demonstration. White Cross offshore wind farm's plans at Saunton Sands - where the rock band shot the cover for its 1987 album A Momentary Lapse of Reason - were approved by North Devon Council on 7 May, despite more than 1,800 objections. Founder of Save Our Sands, Helen Cooper, held the demonstration on Sunday morning. She said: "If this can be approved in this area, nowhere is safe." North Devon councillors were won over by the developers' argument the project would create new jobs and bring renewable energy to the region. White Cross offshore wind farm wants to put seven floating turbines about 30 miles (52km) off the north Devon coast and plans to bring a power cable onshore at Saunton Sands, then under Braunton Burrows and across the Taw Estuary to connect to a new electricity substation. Ms Cooper said she was "bitterly disappointed but not surprised" after plans were approved. She said the idea for the demonstration came after the council's planning meeting, in which she said she thought the council had its own "momentary lapse of reason to have approved" the plans. When plans were approved, Al Rayner, the project director for White Cross, promised his company would "inject £153m into the local economy" and it was an "enormous" opportunity. Objectors at the planning meeting cited concerns about the impact on tourism, on the environment and about high numbers of heavy goods vehicles. About 100 members of the public came to the meeting with the vast majority against the plans, while leading figures from business and education spoke in favour of the application. The Pink Floyd album artwork depicts dozens of beds with metal frames stretching out far into the distance on the beach, with a man sitting on one bed holding a mirror. Members of the campaign group raised about £895 in less than 24 hours to fund the demonstration, Ms Cooper said. More news stories for Devon Listen to the latest news for Devon "We've been really overwhelmed by the support," she added. "It's to highlight the fact that we feel... we have been silenced. "What we're trying to do is highlight the fact that we really need people to value this area a lot more. "It's a very precious environment. "We feel if this can be approved in this area, nowhere is safe, nowhere in the UK, nowhere in the world." Ms Cooper said the campaign group had not been set up against the wind farm or the cable itself, but it was against the cable route. She added: "Our beauty, our ecology, our environment is so very special, not just in North Devon, and that doesn't seem to be given the sort of respect it deserves." The BBC has asked North Devon Council for comment. Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@ Beach electricity cable plans approved Protest over power line plan for Devon beach North Devon Council Save Our Sands
Trade Arabia
4 days ago
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Aker Solutions wins BalWin2 wind project contract
Aker Solutions has signed a significant contract with Dragados Offshore to deliver the steel substructure for the 2GW HVDC converter station for the BalWin2 offshore wind grid connection system in Germany, developed by Amprion Offshore. With this contract award, Dragados has exercised the option for the second HVDC converter station for the BalWin development in Germany. "We are proud that Dragados Offshore has selected Aker Solutions as the contractor for the second BalWin steel substructure. This will enable us to leverage our standardization and industrialization efforts to increase productivity and drive down costs,' said Sturla Magnus, Executive Vice President for Aker Solutions' New Build segment. Fabrication of the HVDC substructures will be executed by Aker Solutions' yard in Verdal, Norway. At its peak, the project will employ over 450 people. For Aker Solutions, the scope involves procurement, fabrication engineering and construction of the offshore HVDC converter platform substructure. Preparation will commence Q1 2026, while construction is scheduled to begin in Q1 2027, with delivery in 2029. Aker Solutions will book the award as order intake in the second quarter of 2025 in the Renewables and Field Development segment.
