Offshore wind news

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Meanwhile life goes on in the OWF industry in the rest of the world:

Aker Solutions secures work on German offshore wind project - Splash247

A Spanish company contracts a Norwegian company to design and build the foundation for a converter station at an OWF in German waters in the Baltic for a distribution network in Germany.

And in the UK:

Source Galileo, Portland Port to work together on UK offshore wind farm -...

Welcome to Portland Port

Home | Source Galileo

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Trump Hostility to US Offshore Wind Reverberates Through Supply Chain

Project 2025 is working as planned:

The pullback reflects the trickle-down effect of a dramatic downturn in the U.S. offshore wind industry over the past two years that has caused lengthy delays, cost increases and even failures of many of the nation’s proposed offshore wind farm projects. It could cost thousands of planned jobs and billions of dollars in investments.

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Hand break on hard:

BP puts brakes on New York offshore wind project - Splash247

This is another hit for the US offshore wind industry which is reeling from president Donald Trump’s ban on new offshore wind leases on the country’s outer continental shelf.

[Offshoreworker25]

Hopwfully it can continue to grow. Think there could be issues in the states with trump

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You may hope, but foreign investors is not that hopeful:

EDP Renewables delays US offshore wind project until 2029 over Trump policies...

The four year delay MAY indicate that they are sure Trump will be replaced by somebody more friendly to offshore wind development in 2028.
Not everybody is that sure though:

This decision comes only days after French energy major EDF wrote down $940m in the value of its stake in the Atlantic Shores wind energy project off New Jersey after its former partner in the project, Shell, did the same last month.

Last week, energy supermajor BP withdrew its application for the 320-kilometre-long cable and interconnection plan for its Beacon Wind project in US federal waters between Cape Cod and Long Island.

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Some may be more optimistic (or pessimistic re:Trump’s longevity in office?):

Cadeler’s newbuild wins work on US offshore wind farm - Splash247

This will be the first time Cadeler’s second P-Class newbuild vessel, Wind Pace, will be deployed following its anticipated delivery.
The work is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2025 and the vessel will be committed under this contract until the first quarter of 2026. This will be the company’s second offshore wind project in US waters.
The value of the contract to Cadeler is estimated to be between €67m and €75m ($69.6m and $77.9m).

[Offshoreworker25]

Possibly , I know companies were planning on building cable factories in the states have now changed there mind. Could of increased employment in them areas

[ombugge]

ABS continue being actively engaged in the floating offshore wind farm development:

ABS Approves Novel Floating Wind Platform Developed by Aikido Technologies

Aikido | Making Energy Float

ABS Greenlights XXL Floating Wind Platform Design for Deepwater

ecotlp.com

https://mocean-offshore.com/

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What to do with old disused wind turbine blades have been a problem for some time.
Now maybe someone has come up with an answer to that problem:

Vattenfall carves out new life for turbine blades on the slopes - Splash247

The company is now partnering with the Norwegian company Gjenkraft which specialises in extracting valuable materials such as fibreglass and carbon fibre from end-of-service blades. These materials can be repurposed in various industries, reducing waste and conserving natural resources.
Blades from the decommissioned Dutch wind farm Irene Vorrink were sent to Norway for processing. Vattenfall and Gjenkraft then worked together with Norwegian ski company EVI, known for the use of recycled materials in ski production.

So get out on the ski slops when it is still time.

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RWE slashes US offshore wind jobs over Trump’s renewables policies - Splash247

In a regulatory filing, RWE Offshore Wind Services, a US subsidiary of the company, stated that it would cut its Boston-area workforce by May 6. The filing revealed a plan to lay off 73 employees.

The layoffs will mostly affect workers supporting the long-term development of offshore wind projects across the country.
“Last year we announced that, due to market conditions and increased risk profile, we would delay certain expenditures related to our US offshore wind development projects. With the current regulatory and political environment, we have decided to reduce the scope of our development activities and the size of our US offshore team,” the company said in a statement.

RWE currently has one offshore wind project in the US that is at an advanced stage of development, in a joint venture with National Grid, located off the coast of New York.
The proposed project will open 700 jobs, deliver up to $300m in wages, and drive some $3bn in economic activity, including over $2bn in direct in-state spending. Community Offshore Wind is also looking to invest up to $250m in developing crucial New York manufacturing facilities, accelerating the growth of the local offshore wind supply chain.

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Does this lead back to the middle-ages?:

Permit for New Jersey offshore wind project pulled by Trump's EPA - Splash247

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Aker Solutions introduces new floating wind foundation designs - Splash247

The YFloat is designed to provide a stable platform for wind turbines. Its symmetrical design facilitates efficient pre-fabrication with the option of local assembly, reducing material usage and simplifying the manufacturing process. It also offers scalability that facilitates higher power generation and reduced levelized cost of energy.

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Governing by “sharpie”?:

Trump administration halts work on Equinor’s wind project off New York -...

“As Governor, I will not allow this federal overreach to stand. I will fight this every step of the way to protect union jobs, affordable energy and New York’s economic future,” she added.

Anybody wants to invest in US OWF development?:

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@ombugge

Anybody wants to invest in US OWF development?:

Trump’s Offshore Wind Halt Risks $28 Billion of Investment??

https://gcaptain.com/equinor-weighs-legal-challenge-to-trump-admins-empire-wind-shutdown/??

Meanwhile, in the UK:

UK government investing $400m to strengthen offshore wind supply chain -...

The new investment in domestic offshore wind is part of the UK’s modern industrial strategy and ensures that the clean energy future is ‘built in Britain’. The funding will ensure that the nation builds resilient domestic supply chains for components which are essential to delivering clean power by 2030.

How stupid is it possible to be, wasting time and money on developing clean energy, when you can encourage more oil and gas exploration?

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Not ONLY offshore

Wind industry installs record capacity in 2024 despite policy instability

he 2025 Global Wind Report includes data from every region of the world. Last year’s growth – 109 GW of new onshore wind and 8 GW of offshore wind - brings global cumulative capacity of wind energy to 1,136GW, spread across all continents, with 55 countries installing wind turbines last year.

In 2024, China led the way for new installations ahead of the USA, followed by Germany and India, respectively, with Brazil rounding out the Top 5. Those same five markets now make up the top five for total installations, as of the end of 2024, with Brazil moving past Spain.

There was record growth in other regions. The Asia-Pacific region saw a 7% year-on-year growth rate , while Africa & Middle East saw a 107% y-o-y growth rate, thanks to Egypt installing 794 MW and Saudi Arabia’s 390 MW.
North America, LATAM and Europe experienced a decline in new installations compared with 2023.

[ombugge]

Who wants to invest in US OWFs now?:

RWE stops all US offshore wind activities due to political climate - Splash247

After Trump took office and started his crusade against offshore wind, RWE revealed that it would be scaling back its operations in the US and that it would lay off some of its offshore wind employees.

RWE Offshore Wind Services, a US subsidiary of the company, said at the time that it would cut around 73 employees from the Boston area. The layoffs mostly affected workers supporting the long-term development of offshore wind projects across the country.

Due to the US political developments, Krebber stated that the company would be more stringent regarding requirements for future US investments.

[ombugge]

Photo: EnBW

The first giant 15 MW turbine is up at Germany’s largest offshore wind farm

Germany’s largest offshore wind farm under construction, EnBW’s He Dreiht, just hit a big milestone: The first enormous turbine is now up in the North Sea.
He Dreiht – which means “it spins” in Low German – is using Vestas’s massive 15 megawatt (MW) turbines, the first project in the world to install them.

He Dreiht is located about 85 kilometers (53 miles) northwest of Borkum and 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of Helgoland. At peak times, more than 500 workers will be out at sea building the farm, using a fleet of more than 60 ships. EnBW’s offshore team in Hamburg is running the show.

The installation process is a major operation. The 64 foundations were already set in the seabed last year. Parts for the turbines are loaded onto the installation vessel Wind Orca in Esbjerg, Denmark, and shipped out in a 12-hour journey to the construction site. From there, the turbines are lifted into place. Meanwhile, crews are also working on internal wind farm cabling.

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What has she done!!! Don’t she know what happen when somebody criticise any Trump policy?:

Trump energy official concedes Empire Wind halt was 'dangerous' - Splash247

Beyer, nominated as assistant secretary of the interior, lands and minerals management, was asked by senator Angus King during a confirmation hearing about the administration putting a stop to Equinor’s fully-permitted 810MW offshore wind project.

A few days ago Equinor chief executive Anders Opedal said in a quarterly earnings statement that the company would be seeking to engage directly with the US administration to clarify the matter regarding the $2.5bn offshore wind project, as well as consider its legal options.
“We have invested in Empire Wind after obtaining all necessary approvals, and the order to halt work now is unprecedented and in our view unlawful,” Opedal said.

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More problems in the OWF industry:

Ørsted shelves 2.4GW UK offshore wind project over rising costs - Splash247

Ørsted claimed that this increased the execution risk and deteriorated the value creation of the project, so the company decided to stop further spending at this time and terminate the project’s supply chain contracts. This means that the offshore wind developer will not deliver Hornsea 4 under the CfD awarded in allocation round 6.

He added that the adverse macroeconomic developments, continued supply chain challenges, and increased execution, market, and operational risks have eroded the value creation.

“We’ll keep the project rights for the Hornsea 4 project in our development portfolio, and we’ll seek to develop the project later in a way that is more value-creating for us and our shareholders,” Errboe concluded.

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Equinor could axe wind project off New York within days - Splash247

Some democrats claimed the stoppage of the project would have a “chilling effect” on developers. Even Leslie Beyer, Donald Trump’s nominee for the assistant secretary role in the Department of the Interior, agreed during her confirmation hearing that the order to stop work on the Empire Wind project sent “a dangerous message” as companies needed certainty in the permitting system so they could make financial investment decisions.

Molly Morris, president of Equinor Renewables Americas, said that Equinor had already invested over $2.5bn in the project and that the stoppage caused an “urgent, unsustainable situation”, which is costing the company up to $50m per week. Those costs include 11 vessels on standby.

Morris and Equinor CEO Anders Opedal did have a meeting with the director of the US National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett, last week to try and resolve the issue. However, the Equinor officials were not able to arrange a meeting with Interior secretary Burgum, who is the man responsible for the issue.