OGV Renewables - Issue 2 - December 2022

DAN MCGRAIL CEO OF RENEWABLEUK

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, had much to say about stabilising the economy, encouraging growth and supporting public services. However, he also announced a new Electricity Generation Levy – a 45% tax on electricity generators from January 2023 until March 2028. This is higher than the 35% windfall tax on the oil & gas sector, and there are major concerns about how this might affect investment in the clean energy market.

The new tax could be damaging for the growth of the low carbon energy industry, reducing its attractiveness and opportunities for investment. This comes at a time when we should be ramping up production, scaling up projects and adapting the grid to support a significant increase in home-grown renewable energy.

Wind and solar projects are currently the cheapest sources of new power and are up to ten times cheaper than gas. They also contributed over half to the clean electricity generated in the UK last year, which made up 40% of all electricity produced. Not only is green energy the reason we will be able to reach net zero in the fight against climate change, but it also strengthens the UK’s energy security and export potential for the future. We have made much progress in a relatively short period of time and forecasts for the wind industry are very positive for the coming decade, as we are seeking to attract more than £175 billion of private funding between now and 2030.

The new Electricity Generation Levy puts some of this at risk. If investment is deterred, some of the projects currently being developed could be delayed or even lost. This could also have a significant impact on the feasibility of some new projects in the future.

Instead, the windfall tax should be focused on large, unexpected profits across the entire energy sector. There should also be a fairer distribution of tax on profits made by fossil fuel plants, which are currently exempt from the new levy without explanation.

Moving forward, it is important that the Government incentivises the sector by facilitating

power contracts in order to support the upscaling of clean energy production, to

security for investors and the wider UK economy, as well as benefitting bill

Collaboration and supply chain investments needed to realise the scale of ScotWind projects

While ScotWind and INTOG present a massive opportunity to recapture the supply chain opportunity from offshore wind, the window of opportunity to begin investing in these capabilities is narrowing rapidly.

Without a clear investment plan, this opportunity could very quickly become a constraint with project schedules sliding further to the right as a lack of either capability or capacity stand in the way of progress. This is already apparent in the market in areas such as recruitment, where the number of experienced and competent people available to run and manage projects is being stretched thinner and thinner over more and more project teams.

Fortunately, government, the public sector and the industry have aligned like never before through bodies like SOWEC, the clusters and actions like the collaboration framework and strategic investment model. While this is very much still in the formation stage, the plans are robust and aligned with both industry and political aspirations – setting some strong markers for future success.

The next imperative will be to unlock at least some of the GBP28.8 billion of investment which has been promised through the supply chain development statement (SCDS) processes. Without an integrated approach to this issue, developers will soon lock up their resources and budgets in traditional project bubbles where – by their very nature – aspirations and ambitions are constrained by finite budgets, financeable risk profiles and overall likelihood of project ‘success’.

Industry and government aim to accelerate the number of projects and investment in infrastructure, ports and the supply chain to reach the Scottish Government’s ambitious target of 8-11 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy by 2030 and striving for net zero by 2045 with strong Scottish content.

The ongoing review and analysis of Scotland’s port and quayside infrastructure is crucial to unlock the opportunity of floating offshore wind in particular as the scale of change required for full-scale fabrication and/or assembly of components will take many years to complete and cannot be justified through linking to a single project procurement cycle. Change on this scale will require visibility of the pipeline in an open and transparent manner, which also requires the review of the transmission network to be completed alongside a clear view on

how Marine Scotland will process multiple applications and in what timeline. Investments on this scale will require non-standard finance options and the visibility of pipeline and potential contracts will be crucial to attracting the right parties to the table and keeping the cost of finance to a minimum.

While their construction, operation and maintenance could bring billions of pounds in investment and new jobs to Scotland, a collaborative, transparent approach is needed to align all the stakeholders for these massive projects.

Project development

Project development is an inherently risky business even though as the industry has matured, the original technological risks have reduced. ScotWind marks a step change in terms of scale and site conditions, thus increasing the risk once more.

However, if this hurdle can be overcome it will ultimately open up a much wider market potential for offshore wind - not just in the UK, but globally. Developers are now faced with the challenge of managing risk against early project expenditure, at a time prior to many of the key milestones being reached, such as securing a contract for difference that will provide certainty in terms of a route to market.

It can be tempting to limit expenditure and focus on the first milestone of achieving consents for the project, in a step-wise

approach to development. However, this process has often led to a lack of joined up thinking between the consenting, engineering, and commercial strategies when it was implemented previously.

The use of multiple consultants working to different schedules, the lack of knowledge sharing between parties, and inconsistencies in input parameters and data quality, all mean that suboptimal solutions are developed as there is no feedback loop between the different disciplines.

At Xodus, we put our ethos of ‘bankable, buildable, consentable’ at the heart of every project, meaning that we take a holistic approach to challenges and examine the impact of decisions on each stage of the campaign by understanding the intricate interdependencies between technical considerations, stakeholder management, and finance risk.

We recommend an integrated approach to the consenting phase that has a strong element of engineering, commercial and strategy development alongside the environmental work. Although this does lead to expenditure being skewed more towards the earlier years, the development budget is only a small component of the overall project capital spend. The commitments that developers have made in order to secure option agreements with the Crown Estate Scotland (CES) confirm that they are in solid positions to finance these projects from the outset.

This collaborative approach is particularly important in the context of ScotWind because the considerable challenges that these sites will face are beyond anything currently seen in the UK market. These campaigns will push the current water depth limits for jacket foundations, provide the first tranche of floating wind projects at the commercial scale and be built in harsher wave conditions, stronger winds, and often with complex seabed conditions.

Supply chain

ScotWind is an opportunity to build on Scotland’s legacy of offshore engineering for a clean energy future. The scale of these projects comes with additional supply chain challenges and opportunities at a time when contractors are already stretched following the impact of the pandemic.

Chris Finnigan, Head of Renewables Projects at Xodus discusses what it is going to take to successfully realise the extensive and ambitious pipeline of ScotWind projects over the next decade.

Chris Finnigan Head of Renewables Projects at Xodus

CES has indicated £1bn of supply chain commitments were made by developers for every 1GW of capacity, amounting to a significant £28.8bn in potential investments. Taking into account all 20 projects which are part of ScotWind, the average investment in Scotland is £1.4bn per project built.

With just under 25GW in option agreements awarded, including 14.5GW of floating offshore wind capacity, ScotWind looks exactly like the supply chain opportunity that we’ve been hoping for.

Having historically underdelivered on its offshore wind capacity goals, the ScotWind announcement has provided Scotland a significant opportunity to become market leader, particularly in floating wind. The economic and social benefits this can bring are vast.

The Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council identified that a 1GW offshore wind farm deployed after 2025 could generate up to 12,000 full time equivalent years in Scotland across its lifecycle, the majority resulting from operations and maintenance engagements.

The assessment also indicates that deployment projections of 10GW for the ScotWind round would require between 100-200 hectares of port capacity for marshalling and assembly, a number that could now double given the updated ScotWind output.

The scale of port investments alone will require significant efforts in coordination and funding between industry, ports, and respective governments.

A recent offshore wind cluster builder survey on the Scottish supply chain conducted by Xodus has highlighted that support for matchmaking, networking, and partnership opportunities. This is in addition to improved visibility of offshore wind support initiatives and greater understanding of the offshore wind sector remain the top three areas of support needed for participants.

If the full opportunity represented by ScotWind is to be realised, public sector bodies must provide market entry guidance, and developers must ensure sufficient visibility and lead times for supply chain companies.

Whilst increasing in importance for large-scale infrastructure, such as the necessary port investments or fabrication sites, this is equally true for small and medium sized companies and those which are still transitioning to the renewables space. These businesses need to identify ways to scale their offering, taking full advantage of collaborations and partnerships, and utilise the clusters and support landscape to communicate challenges and issues to developers for effective implementation of localisation plans.

There is a balance to be achieved between communicating project requirements to ports, manufacturers, fabricators, and the wider supply chain, and collaborating on infrastructure investments whilst respecting commercial sensitivities and confidentialities. While it’s challenging to balance what is now an even greater number of stakeholders, the price of a potential £25bn supply chain investment will surely be worth it.

Conclusion

With the existing gaps in Scottish supply chain, much larger turbines, inclusion of floating technology and the sheer number and scale of the projects to be delivered in ScotWind on the same timeline using the current facilities, developing a robust strategy for buildability from an early stage is going to be critical for the success of these projects.

An integrated approach to environmental consenting activities, project engineering and commercial strategy development is at the heart of efficient project delivery and risk mitigation. At Xodus, we pride ourselves in offering a combined solution where our environmental scientists, engineers and advisors work closely together to streamline decision making and carefully iterate the level of detail, ensuring that nothing is missed as a project progresses.

This multidisciplinary approach needs to be combined with a considerable amount of foresight and out of the box thinking to make ScotWind projects a success. Whether it is a requirement for novel foundations, use of larger turbines, limitations in the supply chain or grid capacity, these projects will have a multitude of hurdles to navigate in order to be competitive.

Scottish Government (Marine Scotland) 2020.

Crown Copyright

FIBRE OPTIC TRAINING for the

onshore, offshore and renewables markets

RCP - Instrumentation and Control System specialists have made significant investment in fibre optic equipment such as fusion splicing machines, mechanical splicing kits, fibre optic ovens, optical power meters, optical microscopes and polishing equipment to terminate and test fibre optic cables, connectors junction boxes and patch panels to a very high standard.

In 2021 a dedicated fibre optic workshop was set up at our Blackburn facility to provide fibre optic training to the onshore, offshore and renewables markets.

Fibre Optic Training includes

Fusion Splicing of single mode and multimode cables using Fujikura fusion splicers, construction of bespoke fibre optic cables and connector sets, construction of circular plug/socket connectors for hazardous area use. ATEX/IECEx zone 1 connectors, cables made up with pre-potted glands and tails to facilitate ease of fitment to drilling platforms, rigs offshore and renewable assets.

Mechanical splicing – Corning and Huber + Suhner connectors, ST, SC and LC, insertion loss and cable loss measurements, testing connectors and cables for insertion loss and return loss. OTDR testing using Fujikura machines.

The format of the course starts with the theory of Fibre Optics. Safety when using Fibre Optics, FO cable selection and connector types. Stripping fibre optic cables and preparation including the use of fan out kits, the use of fibre breakout boxes and fibre optic plug socket connectors and an understanding of loss budgets for fibre optics.

Delegates will learn how to manually splice using a Corning Kit with ST, SC and LC connectors. They will learn how to measure insertion loss of splices, connectors and cables. The delegate will use a fibre optic power meter. There will also be an introduction to fusion splicing.

The training course consists of both theoretical and practical elements with approximately 75% of the course being practical exercises where the delegates get to practice the skills taught.

By the end of the course each delegate will be able to identify different types of fibre cable for use on/offshore, select the correct type of cable and connector for the application in hand, prepare and manually splice a connector onto a fibre optic core(mechanical splice), test the integrity of the connector and measure the insertion loss of the cable or cable system.

The delegates will be able to fault find and repair fibre optic cables and connectors, prepare and splice a connector onto a fibre optic core known as fusion splicing.

The course material can be created bespoke to a company’s specific requirements. The course runs over 2 days.

A certificate of competence will be issued to the delegate's employing company on successful completion of the course.

RCP provide the following site services on or offshore

Fusion Splicing of single mode and multimode cables – Fujikura fusion splicers, Construction of bespoke fibre optic cables and connector sets, Mechanical splicing –Corning and Huber + Suhner connectors, ST, SC and LC. Construction of bespoke fibre optic cables and connector sets – Insertion loss and cable loss measurement, testing connectors and cables for insertion loss and return loss.

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OGV ENERGY

By Tsvetana Paraskova

UK REVIEW

UK VOWS TO ACCELERATE TRANSITION TO RENEWABLES

Wind power in the UK set a new generation record and Rishi Sunak’s government pledged to accelerate the energy transition to more renewable and zero-carbon energy while overall renewable generation rose as weather conditions were more favourable and capacity increased.

Renewable Generation and Installed Capacity Continue To Grow

Renewable power generation rose 12% in the UK between April and June this year, compared to the same period last year, due to more favourable conditions and increased capacity, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy said in its latest Energy Trends report at the end of September. Renewable’s share of generation rose to 38.6%, with low carbon’s share increasing 2.1% age points to 55.0% with stronger output from nuclear power. Fossil fuel’s share of generation fell by 2.1% age points to 41.9 % between April and June. Wind generation rose by 42% to 16.3 TWh, due to higher average wind speeds compared to a year ago as well as increased wind capacity.

Total renewable generation capacity also increased, and grew by 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year, with offshore wind growing by 23%. The bulk of the new capacity was in offshore wind, 2.4 GW, while onshore wind saw 0.4 GW installed and solar PV – 0.3 GW.

The growth in renewable capacity has increased in recent quarters after a relatively sustained period of more modest growth. On a longer timeframe, renewable generation capacity is now six times greater than the same quarter of 2010, the UK government said.

Record Wind Generation

Britain’s onshore and offshore wind farms generated more than 20 gigawatts (GW) for the first time on Wednesday, 2nd November, according to National Grid ESO. This was the second wind energy generation record to be set within the space of a week, RenewableUK said.

The record was set during the half hour period from 12.00 noon to 12.30 pm, when wind generation reached 20,896 megawatts (MW), providing 53% of Britain’s electricity. The previous record was set just a week earlier, between 11.30 am and 12 noon on Wednesday, 26th October, when wind generation reached 19,936 MW, RenewableUK noted.

“The fact that we’ve smashed the last record within the space of a week shows that wind is consistently generating vast amounts of clean power and becoming the backbone of our modern energy system,” RenewableUK’s Chief Executive Dan McGrail said.

“This benefits hard-pressed billpayers too, because wind has become the UK’s cheapest source of new power. It’s also strengthening our energy security at a time when generating our own electricity from home-grown sources has become vitally important,” McGrail added.

UK To Accelerate Transition to Renewables, PM Sunak Says

The UK government wants to make the country “a clean energy superpower,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement to the House of Commons on his attendance to the COP27 climate summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, at the beginning of November.

“We will accelerate our transition to renewables which have already grown fourfold as a proportion of our electricity supply over the last decade,” Sunak said, adding that the UK would also invest in building new nuclear power stations for the first time since the 1990s.

“And by committing £30 billion to support our green industrial revolution we will leverage up to £100 billion of private investment to support almost half a million high wage, high skilled green jobs,” the prime minister said.

A few days later, the government announced more than £65 million investment to help speed up the development of new green technologies.

The UK led a global agreement to make green technologies cheaper and more accessible around the world, while also creating green jobs for generations both at home and abroad, Business Secretary Grant Shapps said on 11 November at the COP27 summit.

The £65 million investment will help speed up the development of new green technologies – backed by the talent and expertise of British business.

“Green means growth, and with our existing talents in clean technologies, UK businesses could be world leaders in an industry that will only expand, creating jobs for generations to come while also protecting our precious planet,” Shapps said in a statement.

“At COP27 we are leading international efforts to ensure these new innovations can be more accessible and affordable to heavy, energyintensive industries in some of the world’s poorest countries,” he added.

“These agreements are a key part of us achieving our net zero targets and our global efforts to cut emissions – but I am also proud that they will mean more countries will benefit from the knowledge and expertise we have nurtured here on UK shores,” the Business Secretary noted.

£30 billion to support our green industrial revolution

will leverage up to £100 billion of private investment to support almost half a million high wage, high skilled green jobs."

The market value of the sector will more than double from around £22 billion to £46 billion in the same time period, the REA projects.

Wind energy remains the dominant technology within the renewable power sector, with offshore and onshore accounting for more than half of all renewable generation while solar PV produces around 10%, according to the report.

“Despite the immense challenges facing a whole range of sectors over the past few years, REview22 highlights the continued resilience and ingenuity of the renewable energy and clean technology industry,” Nina Skorupska, CEO of REA, said.

“We are clear, tackling climate change and boosting our economy is not an ‘either-or’ decision. In fact, it goes hand in hand. I would urge the Government to recognise the opportunities on offer for our country and finally match their warm words with action,” Skorupska added.

Scotland’s Industry Welcomes Latest Renewables Planning System Draft

Scotland’s revised draft of a new planning system is “a remarkable and major step forward,” Scotland’s renewable energy industry said.

National Planning Framework 4, a revised draft of which was released on 10 November, seeks to “encourage, promote and facilitate all forms of renewable energy development onshore and offshore,” industry body Scottish Renewables said.

Renewables Sector Has Shown Resilience

The UK’s renewable industry has shown “great resilience and ingenuity”, the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) said in its REview22 report on the annual state of the industry published in November, Yet, “the Government is failing to match its Net Zero commitments with action,” the association said.

The report found that more than 140,000 people were employed in the renewable energy and clean tech sector in 2020/21, and those numbers could increase to 210,000 by 2035.

The latest revised draft will be considered by the Scottish Parliament, and MSPs are set to vote on its adoption before the end of this year.

In contrast to previous versions the revised draft “clearly shows how The Scottish Government expects renewable energy developments to be treated by planners across Scotland,” Mark Richardson, Senior Policy Manager at Scottish Renewables, said.

“Although National Planning Framework 4 provides the framework for development, it is crucial that the planning system is properly resourced so that the increasing number of planning applications which will need to be processed as we move towards a

net-zero energy system can be assessed in a timely manner,” Richardson added.

Scotland’s renewable energy industry and its supply chain supported more than 27,000 full time equivalent jobs and generated £5.6 billion of output in 2020, figures released by Strathclyde University’s Fraser of Allander Institute showed in October.

Onshore wind supported the most employment across the economy, with 10,120 full time equivalent (FTE) roles, followed by offshore wind (6,735 roles) and hydropower (4,395).

Yet, the renewable energy sector is not currently defined in national statistics published by either the UK or Scottish Governments, so the size of the sector has been estimated using the latest available data published by the Office for National Statistics.

“Scottish Renewables urges the UK and Scottish Governments to develop stronger data on the renewable energy sector. This will support transparency and accountability for government and industry economic and environmental targets,” said Claire Mack, Chief Executive at Scottish Renewables.

The UK government wants to make the country “a clean energy superpower”

“We will accelerate our transition to renewables which have already grown four-fold as a proportion of our electricity supply over the last decade, and by committing

we

“Despite the immense challenges facing a whole range of sectors over the past few years, REview22 highlights the continued resilience and ingenuity of the renewable energy and clean technology industry, tackling climate change and boosting our economy is not an ‘either-or’ decision. In fact, it goes hand in hand."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

Nina Skorupska, CEO of REA

www.renewableuk.com

WINNERS RECOGNISED

For the Inaugural Global Offshore Wind Awards

The first Global Offshore Wind Awards took place in October this year, presented by the industry’s leading renewable energy association – RenewableUK. The Awards were an opportunity to recognise organisations and individuals for their outstanding contributions to the sector, celebrating achievements and inspiring others to innovate for the future.

Dan McGrail, CEO of RenewableUK, commented:

“When the sheer will and ingenuity of our people is put to the test, we accomplish extraordinary things. We put massive turbines in the middle of the sea to withstand the most extreme conditions, and generate sustainable power which will save the planet and costs less than every one of the alternatives. AND, we get better and better at every year –innovating, creating, inventing whilst giving opportunities to young people all across the country to prosper in our industry. And I reckon that, and so much more of what we do, is worth celebrating!”

We take a closer look at the Award winners and the projects and strategies they implemented that have earned them their accolades.

Offshore Wind Health & Safety, and Wellbeing

For Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm, Equinor has created and implemented protocols that put health & safety at the very centre of site development to greatly reduce the risk of incidents. This included changes in the design of everything from turbines to foundations and service operation vessels. According to the judges, of particular note was the removal of more than a million offshore lifts over the project’s lifespan, as well as 10 years’ worth of craning. Health & safety has clearly been a priority during planning and execution of the project, embodying industry best practice and driving standards higher.

RenewableUK members are enabling a just transtion to a net zero future. Focusing on continuous improvement around the three pillars of our Just Transition Tracker - People, Place and Planet These inspiring companies are a true showcase of the best that our industry has to offer.

Performance and Reporting Transparency

Working with various offshore wind developers, Daniel Smith was the lead for Royal HaskoningDHV’s work on Ensis. Dan replaced post-content monitoring of offshore wind assets by spreadsheet with the web-based Ensis app, designed to extract information from DCO documentation and auto-generate a commitment register. The use of automation was key to enhancing the quality of postcontent monitoring in a simple yet highly effective way.

Social Impact

Tony Quinn of Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult has been integral to the social change experienced in the Blythe area, having been involved in several projects. These include the development of the Blythe STEM Hub, which engages with over 2,500 young people in local schools to promote and support education in relevant topics (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Tony has also helped to establish the Energy Central Learning Hub, providing a new education, training and skills facility.

Equality and Inclusivity

Another win for Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, they demonstrated their impact on equality, diversity and inclusion with some truly

inspiring personal journey statements, internal groups and external awards. With seven diversity groups – including interfaith, women and LGBTQ+ Allies – the organisation is a shining example of what it means to champion equality and inclusivity in the modern offshore wind industry.

Offshore Wind Energy Skills

EDF Renewables collaborated with Pembrokeshire College to deliver “Destination Renewable” by Gwynt Glas – a two-year course that concludes in a formal qualification for students aged 16 to 18-years-old. A fantastic educational initiative, this project offers a pathway into the low-carbon solution sector for young people with a passion and talent for sustainability and technology. It also serves to help build the next generation of the renewable energy workforce, strengthening relationships between industry and academia.

Supply Chain Innovation

This category celebrated the world’s first onturbine electrical charging point, which was designed, built and tested by MJR Power & Automation, alongside their partners. Such a project facilitates the decarbonisation of the operation and maintenance phase of offshore wind farms, drastically reducing emissions. It is an exceptional example of the kind of innovation and forward-thinking that is driving the green energy market towards an even more sustainable and productive future.

Aspiring Leader

Angus Binnian from Vattenfall received this accolade for the “massive amount of enthusiasm and initiative” that he has shown throughout his early career. Even while still studying, Angus became a peer mentor providing wind farm design sessions at local schools and colleges, as well as getting involved with the local STEM initiative.

Just Transition Champion

Creating transformative career opportunities, Xodus delivered X-Academy – an initiative that provides salaried placements for 26 participants to gain industry-led experience in developmental work. The project addressed many of the challenges of transitioning in green energy, including financial support for individuals and a keen emphasis on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Future Leaders

As the UK’s offshore wind sector grows, we will need more leaders who can trailblaze a path to the net zero world we aspire to. Helen Thomas from RWE has proven to be one such leader of the future, having been recognised for taking on and diligently managing crucial but commercially sensitive policies. The judges praised her commitment to her team and the advancement of the industry as a whole.

Offshore Wind Project of the Year

There are many offshore wind projects around the world that deserve recognition for everything they have achieved. The Moray East Wind Farm, Ocean Winds, is particularly impressive, generating enough energy to power 40% of households in Scotland. Having been established in 2002, the site has been developed over the years

innovatively fabricated from a new type of resin. This is a significant development given the industry’s strive for a more sustainable and circular economy, and it may prevent hundreds of thousands of turbine blades from being sent to landfill. Racing ahead of both demand and legislation, this is an excellent example of how organisations are raising standards of their own volition, driven by a passion and belief in what the sector stands for.

in order to utilise cross-sector technology and skills, and pioneer an innovative approach for offshore wind. In particular, the site has pushed the boundaries for water depth and distance to generate exceptional energy output.

Offshore Wind Gamechanger

The RecyclableBlade from Siemens Gamesa is the world’s first recyclable blade,

We will be looking at some of these projects and initiatives in greater detail in the coming months, but this goes to show the calibre of innovation, passion and drive that exists across the offshore wind industry. RenewableUK is delighted to have received many very worthy nominations in each category of these Awards, demonstrated by the announcement of several Highly Commended honours in different areas. An Outstanding Contribution Award was also given to Benj Sykes – Vice President, Offshore, Head of Environment, Consenting & External Affairs at Ørsted – who was praised as an inspirational leader and committed advocate for our industry.

Congratulations to all winners of the inaugural Global Offshore Wind Awards once again. To stay up-to-date with the latest news, updates and innovations in the industry, become a member of RenewableUK today!

By Tsvetana Paraskova

EUROPEAN REVIEW

ENERGY CRISIS DRIVES EUROPE TO STEP UP RENEWABLES ROLLOUT

The European Union is boosting efforts to ramp up renewable energy generation as it looks to step up its green transition away from fossil fuels and especially away from Russian pipeline natural gas.

Regulators have recently proposed fasttracking permitting processes in the EU and analysts believe the drive to cut off dependence on Russian fossil fuels would accelerate the energy transition.

Policy responses since the Russian invasion of Ukraine are fast-tracking the emergence of a clean energy economy, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its World Energy Outlook 2022 at the end of October.

Russian Invasion of Ukraine Set To Accelerate Energy Transition

According to the Paris-based agency, faster deployment of renewables and efficiency improvements in the European Union could bring down EU natural gas and oil demand by 20% this decade, and coal demand by 50%, especially considering an additional urgency by the need to find new sources of economic and industrial advantage beyond Russian gas.

“Full achievement of all climate pledges would move the world towards safer ground, but there is still a large gap between today’s ambitions and a 1.5 °C stabilisation,” the IEA said.

One of the effects of Russia’s actions is that the era of rapid growth in natural gas demand draws to a close, the agency said, predicting – for the first time – that global natural gas demand would peak at some point in the early 2030s.

Stronger climate policies are set to accelerate Europe’s structural shift away from gas, the IEA noted.

“The environmental case for clean energy needed no reinforcement, but the economic arguments in favour of cost-competitive and affordable clean technologies are now stronger – and so too is the energy security case. Today’s alignment of economic, climate and security priorities has already started to move the dial towards a better outcome for the world’s people and for the planet,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.

Europe continues to pay billions of euros for Russian gas, but a study by E3G and Ember found in October that wind and solar produced a quarter of EU electricity since the war in Ukraine began at the end of February, with record growth from last year alone avoiding €11 billion in gas costs.

Still, the EU still spent an estimated €82 billion on fossil gas during this period to supply 20% of its electricity.

According to the study, wind and solar generated a record 24% of EU electricity from March to September this year, growing a record 39 TWh year-on-year, up from 21% of EU electricity in the same period last year. Nineteen EU countries achieved a wind and solar record, including Spain, Italy, Poland, and France. The record increase in wind and solar compared to last year avoided the need for eight billion cubic metres of additional fossil gas at a cost of €11 billion, the environmental think tanks said in the report.

In their analysis, E3G and Ember conclude that the European Commission’s RePowerEU ambition has the potential to reduce Europe’s exposure to costly gas imports significantly and quickly, strengthening the EU’s energy and price security.

“With tight LNG markets sustaining high gas costs for the next years, governments need to support the clean energy ambition of RePowerEU, making it a core element of

the energy price crisis response,” said Artur Patuleia, Senior Associate focusing on energy system transitions at E3G.

Solar PV More Competitive than Gas for Europe’s Power Generation

With gas prices much higher than historical norms, it would be ten times more expensive to operate gas-fired power plants in the long term than to build new solar PV capacity in Europe, Rystad Energy research found at the end of October.

While gas prices are not expected to remain at such high levels in the medium-to-long term, when and if they fall, gas will still struggle to remain competitive in Europe’s power mix, according to the independent energy research and business intelligence company.

Rystad Energy forecasts that European benchmark gas prices at the Netherlandsbased Title Transfer Facility (TTF) gas hub will stabilise at around €31 per MWh by 2030, which puts the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) of existing plants closer to €150 per MWh. This is still three times more than the LCOE of new solar PV facilities. For gas-fired plants to continue being competitive, gas prices would need to fall closer to €17 per MWh and carbon prices would need to fall to €10 per tonne, which is currently unthinkable, said Rystad Energy.

“European decision-makers need to decide between continuing to use expensive, less secure gas or investing in cheaper renewables and storage options. Gas will continue to play an important role in the European energy mix for some time to come, but unless something fundamental shifts, then simple economics, as well as climate concerns, will tip the balance in favour of renewables,” said Carlos Torres Diaz, Head of power at Rystad Energy.

EU Accelerates Renewables Permitting

In early November, the European Commission proposed a new temporary emergency regulation to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy sources.

“Together with diversifying our supplies and saving energy, deploying more renewable energy is part of the EU's plan to end our dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Renewables reduce the EU's demand for fossil fuels in the power, heating and cooling, industry and transport sectors, both in the short term and for the future,” the Commission said.

“Thanks to their low operational costs, a larger share of renewable energy sources in the EU's energy system can help to reduce energy bills.”

The fast-tracking of permitting targets specific technologies and types of projects which have the highest potential for quick deployment and the least impact on the environment, contributing to the EU’s energy security in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and weaponisation of its energy supplies, the EC said.

Under the proposal, renewable energy plants would be presumed to be of overriding public interest, which would allow new permitting procedures to benefit with immediate effect from a simplified assessment for specific derogations foreseen in EU environmental legislation.

Commenting on the Commission’s proposal, the WindEurope industry association said, “The measures would bring clarity on binding permitting deadlines, make it easier to repower wind farms, and ensure renewables are presumed to be of overriding public interest.”

“Wind farms can be built very quickly, so every month counts if we want to increase our energy security and avoid energy shortages next winter,” WindEurope said. The association reckons that the emergency regulation must help unlock projects currently stuck in the administrative pipeline waiting for their permits. In France for instance, 10 GW of renewable projects are currently held back, WindEurope noted.

“These emergency measures on renewables permitting are just what Europe needs. The IEA were clear last week. We might get through this winter. But next winter will be much tougher. We’ve got to build all the new renewables we can by then,” said WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson.

have managed to avoid or reduce the impact of the European energy crisis. Rystad Energy is focusing on the Iberian market because the fundamentals point to it becoming a regionally significant energy-industrial hub”, said Rystad Energy’s Carlos Torres Diaz.

Another Rystad Energy research showed in September that the European geothermal heating market could see total installed capacity exceeding 6.2 gigawatt thermal (GWt) in 2030, a 58% jump from today’s total of 3.9 GWt, with the increase expected to cost an estimated $7.4 billion.

Rystad Energy research showed in September that the European geothermal heating market could see total installed capacity exceeding 6.2 gigawatt thermal (GWt) in 2030.

Germany is expected to invest more than $1.5 billion by 2030 in geothermal projects, in light of the sudden drop in Russian gas flows, according to Rystad Energy. Germany’s installed geothermal capacity doubled to 400 MWt in the last 10 years, and is set to double again by 2030, to approach 850 MWt. The only country to install more capacity between 2022 and 2030 will be the Netherlands, which will have more than 1 GWt capacity by the end of the decade, spending $1.1 billion, Rystad Eenrgy said.

Spain and Portugal are well-positioned to become Europe’s next energy powerhouse capable of competing, and even replacing, northern Europe, thanks to their abundant sunshine, strong winds, and mature gas infrastructure as well as a wealth of industry and managerial expertise, Rystad Energy said in research at the end of October.

“Through a combination of investment, geography and policy, Spain and Portugal

“Geothermal is a virtually unlimited source of consistent energy that could play a crucial role in addressing energy security and affordability in the decades to come. As European countries move to decarbonise their power mix and chase secure sources of heating for the winter months in light of geopolitical tensions, investments in geothermal projects will skyrocket,” said Daniel Holmedal, senior analyst at Rystad Energy.

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renewable projects

SPONSORED BY

USA

Offshore Wind Farm Atlantic Shores Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind LLC

$9bn

14 www.ogv.energy - Issue 2

1

Energy projects and business intelligence in

the

energy sector

The EIC delivers high-value market intelligence through its online energy project database, and via a global network of staff to provide qualified regional insight. Along with practical assistance and facilitation services, the EIC’s access to information keeps members one step ahead of the competition in a demanding global marketplace.

The EIC is the leading Trade Association providing dedicated services to help members understand, identify and pursue business opportunities globally.

It is renowned for excellence in the provision of services that unlock opportunities for its members, helping the supply chain to win business across the globe.

The EIC provides one of the most comprehensive sources of energy projects and business intelligence in the energy sector today.

Development of a 2.5GW offshore wind area off New Jersey, approximately eight miles off the coast of Atlantic City. The site represents the OCS-0499 lease area originally acquired by US Wind in 2015. Vestas has been selected as the preferred supplier of turbines, to provide its V236-15.0MW model for installation in 2027. Ramboll will design and structurally engineer the turbines’ foundations.

Brazil

Águas Claras Offshore Wind Complex Neoenergia $12bn

South Korea

Floating Ulsan Gray Whale 3 Corio Generation & TotalEnergies $1.5bn

Phase three of an up to 1.5GW offshore wind farm 60km off the city of Ulsan. The complex comprises of three phases with 504MW at each phase. DORIS and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) are responsible for the FEED work, including the floating platforms and inter-array cables.

New Zealand

2 3 4

Offshore Wind Farm Waikato Energy Estate, BlueFloat Energy, Elemental Group $1.4bn

Development of a 1.4GW offshore wind farm constructed in two phases. Phase I: 250MW with fixed bottom technology, 22km off the coast of West Waikato. Phase II: floating foundations with 8001,150MW capacity located west or north of Phase I. Preliminary site selection has been completed, feasibility studies are underway, and building activities are expected to launch before 2030.

United Kingdom

Holyhead Island Tidal Power Project Minesto $37.5m

A 80MW tidal power project in Holyhead, Wales, 7km from shore in tidal currents of 1.5-2.5m/s. Twenty 'kite-turbines' will be suspended beneath a rigid kite and tethered to the sea bed. Each kite will weigh seven tonnes and will operate at least 15m below the water surface. Onshore construction is already underway, with work in the sea to begin in 2023 and first turbines to generate electricity in 2024.

Jordan

Onshore Wind Farm Jordan Government of UAE, Jordan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources & Masdar $2bn

8

Scotland

Poland

UAE and Jordan (Jordan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar)) have signed an MoU to develop a 2GW wind farm in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The two parties have agreed to investigate the economic feasibility of investing in the proposal.

Floating Offshore Wind Farm Pentland Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners & Hexicon AB $503bn

6

Offshore Wind Farm Baltic Power PKN Orlen & Northland Power $2bn

A proposed 100MW floating wind farm with 7 turbines, 6.5km offshore Dounreay on the Caithness coast. A development consent application has been submitted to Marine Scotland for the wind farm. According to Supply Chain Statements, the project will deliver a lifetime expenditure of around £419m in the UK and support the creation of up to 1,385 full-time equivalent jobs.

Peru

Solimana Solar PV Ecorer S.A.C.

$280m

Development of a 250MW solar plant in the Arequipa region. The plant will feature 705,000 (400Wp) solar panels and will be connected to the local grid through a 225kv line and two substations that are being developed outside the plant.

9

Development of a 1.2GW wind farm in the Baltic Sea, 23km north of Choczewo and Leba, with 76 turbines. A number of preferred suppliers have been announced, including: Vestas as turbine supplier; NKT to design and manufacture the offshore export cables; DEME will transport and install offshore cables; GE to carry out the electrical system design and supply the high-voltage power components.

5 10

Mozambique

Mphanda Nkuwa Hydro Power Plant Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) & Electricidade de Moçambique (EdM) $4.2bn

Construction of a 1.5GW hydro power plant on the Zambezi river. The plant will be built 61km downstream from the Cahora Bassa dam and will be one of Africa's largest hydro power plants. The director of the Mphanda Nkuwa Construction and Development Office has announced the pre-selection of seven companies and consortia for the financing and construction of the scheme.

www.naturalpower.com

We're an independent consultant and service provider, and we only ever work on green energy projects.

As pioneers of positive renewable change, we continue to contribute to its evolution and growth, creating a better environment for the future of our planet and the generations to come.

NEW PROGRAMME EXAMINES PATHWAYS FOR INTEGRATED FLOATING OFFSHORE WIND TECHNOLOGY

The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and the Net Zero Technology Centre will examine potential pathways for the delivery of innovative floating offshore wind technology integrated with existing energy infrastructure, as part of their five year collaboration under the Energy Transition Alliance banner.

The WINTOG programme will drive collaboration across energy technologies to foster innovative opportunities for floating offshore wind developments, specifically those linked to the current Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round delivered by Crown Estate Scotland.

The WINTOG programme will look at some of the key questions associated with building floating offshore wind farms to provide clean electricity to power oil and gas installations. It will also investigate the opportunity for these integrated energy projects to support the broader development of floating offshore wind projects and technologies.

Some of the outputs of the programme will include: examining the potential energy resource available from the proposed INTOG leasing areas; what type of grid infrastructure might be needed to support developments; how the developments could best engage with the consenting process, and what the potential environmental benefits could be.

Andrew Macdonald, Director of Offshore Wind Development and Operations for ORE Catapult, said: “Floating offshore wind has

huge potential to open up new areas of seabed to green energy production, and clearly has a big role to play in our energy transition. While we wait to see the outcome of the INTOG leasing process, it’s important to start looking at the potential technical challenges and exploring the synergies between the offshore wind and oil and gas sectors so that we can use our combined knowledge to accelerate the deployment of low carbon technology.”

Graeme Rogerson, Renewables Theme Lead at the Net Zero Technology Centre said: “INTOG is an excellent opportunity to deploy floating offshore wind and low-carbon technologies to help ramp up for Scotwind and is essential to delivering the ambitious North Sea Transition Deal targets. The WINTOG programme supports developers and the supply chain in delivering integrated projects to decarbonise oil and gas infrastructure and ensure continued delivery of today’s energy while building future energy systems.”

A NEW STRATEGY FOR THE CELTIC SEA REGION TO TAP INTO OFFSHORE WIND POTENTIAL

The Celtic Sea Cluster has launched its new Regional Strategy, outlining how Wales and South West England can maximise the economic benefits of floating offshore wind technology, in line with the forthcoming Celtic Sea leasing process being delivered by The Crown Estate. The strategy will allow the region’s stakeholders to ensure their activities are aligned and can achieve their common objectives.

The Celtic Sea Cluster is led by its founding partners, Welsh Government, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, Celtic Sea Power, Marine Energy Wales and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.

The Cluster’s ambition is to establish the Celtic Sea region as a world leader in floating offshore wind by 2030, laying the foundations for a new sustainable long-term industry. This will help the UK to be at the forefront of the green industrial revolution as it accelerates its progress towards net zero.

Floating wind in the Celtic Sea will create a completely new industry in the region, bringing new high value jobs and export opportunities and strengthening the local economy. It will build on existing regional capabilities in offshore renewables and enable access to a fast-growing global market.

The Regional Strategy promises to:

• Galvanise the regional supply chains;

• Provide a single voice to engage with governments, regulators, and project developer;

• Find innovative ways to accelerate deployment; and

• Work with Celtic Sea users to protect the onshore and offshore environment.

Working to create a world powered by renewable energy

HOW MANY MORE WIND TURBINES WILL THE UK BUILD?

The government says it wants to generate enough wind energy to be able to power every home in the UK by 2030.

Its energy strategy promises a major expansion of offshore wind turbines in the coming years, but offers less to encourage onshore wind farms.

There has been an effective ban on onshore wind since 2015, when the government introduced stricter planning requirements - only allowing local authorities to grant planning permission if there is backing from the local community and it is included in local plans.

This is far stricter than requirements for other types of renewable energy, but there is a growing rebellion in the Conservative Party about the government's position.

WHAT DOES THE ENERGY STRATEGY SAY ABOUT WIND?

The government wants 50 gigawatts (GW) of the UK's electricity to be generated by offshore wind by the end of the decade - 5GW of which it's hoped will come from floating platforms in deeper seas off the UK coast.

To this end it's speeding up the time it takes for new projects to be given the go-ahead, including cutting the approval time needed for new offshore wind farms from four years to one.

However, the government has offered little to reduce planning obstacles to onshore wind farms in the UK, which energy companies say could produce electricity more quickly.

It says it wants to work in partnership with "a limited number of supportive communities" which will agree to host wind farms in return for lower energy bills.

The energy provider Octopus runs a similar scheme. It says that 91% of customers surveyed said they would like a wind turbine in their local community if it meant cheaper electricity.

Former prime minister David Cameron the planning clampdown on onshore wind in 2015, which was continued under Theresa May, whose 2017 manifesto said: "we do not believe that more large-scale onshore wind power is right for England".

Scotland has a separate planning regime. Boris Johnson maintained the restrictions, but Liz Truss, during her brief premiership, attempted to relax the rules. Her successor Rishi Sunak said he wanted to concentrate on offshore wind.

Former minister Simon Clarke has tabled an amendment to the Levelling Up Bill that would make it easier to build onshore wind farms and he says it is being supported by both Liz Truss and Boris Johnson.

Earlier this month, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party would lift the ban if

HOW MANY WIND TURBINES DOES THE UK HAVE?

There are now almost 11,500 wind turbines in the UK:

• Onshore there are 8,827 turbines on 2,604 farms

• Offshore there are 2,652 turbines on 43 farms

Overall, the offshore farms generate more energy because the turbines tend to be bigger.

Together they produced 24% of UK electricity in 2020, although that fell to 21% in 2021 because of the wind conditions.

When he was prime minister, Mr Johnson said that he wanted all of the UK's energy from "clean sources" by 2035. To meet this goal, the UK's wind capacity would need to grow very quickly.

The UK has been very successful so far in expanding offshore wind power. It had the largest offshore capacity in the world between 2009 and the end of 2021, when China took over the top spot.

Offshore Energies UK estimated that in order to meet its target the UK would need to install more than one new turbine every day for the rest of the decade.

It said that while there may be enough projects in the pipeline to achieve this, almost half of them are only at the concept stage, with experience suggesting that means they could be 13 years away from being operational. But the government has made proposals to speed up this process.

HOW DOES WIND POWER GENERATE ELECTRICITY?

Electricity is generated when the wind turns the blades on a turbine.

A generator inside the turbine converts this energy into mechanical power and electricity.

The process produces hardly any greenhouse gas emissions (although some are produced when the turbines are constructed), which means it can play a major part in slowing climate change.

However, wind energy is completely dependent upon the weather - which is changeable.

it wins power at the next general election, which is expected to take place in 2024.

• Liz Truss and Boris Johnson join Tory wind farm rebellion

• UK plans eight new nuclear reactors to boost energy

• Will the UK's energy strategy work?

Wind can be generated all day and night, unlike solar energy, but it is difficult to predict.

For example, the UK generated 14% less wind in 2021 than in 2020, despite having 4.4% more capacity.

For this reason, the government has said the UK will continue to use gas and nuclear to provide a more constant supply to fill any gaps.

wind energy SPONSORED BY

Hannah Mary Goodlad, Head of Baltic Sea Area Development, Equinor

Interview by Moray Melhuish – Founder of Annet Consulting, an Offshore Wind and Subsea Specialist

Welcome to the 'Let's Talk Transition' podcast, Hannah Mary, can you please introduce yourself and Equinor please?

Hi Moray, my is Hannah Mary Goodlad, I am Head of Baltic Sea Area Development at Equinor. I have worked for the company for almost a decade, spent most of my time in renewables and four years at the beginning in oil & gas. We are a broad energy company and we are really now pivoting towards the energy transition and we want to be a leader in that space. I can't remember the exact figures, but I think we are globally present in over 20 countries, we have got an organisation of over 20,000 and we want to be shaping the future of energy, it is as simple as that and that is what we have done in the past and that is what we are going to do in the future.

Hannah Mary, you are Head of Baltic Area Development at Equinor, can you give us an overview of offshore wind in the Baltic area generally?

So, the Baltic area is often described as the little cousin to the North Sea. It is an area that has a lot of potential for offshore wind and for energy in general, but in terms of its development it is very much behind the North Sea, but that makes it a really interesting region for companies looking to have a first mover advantage and we were very fortunate with a good bit of foresight actually to take that first mover advantage in Poland when we entered into our Baltic triplets - three big offshore wind projects, that we invested in a few years back.

In the Baltic Sea, Moray, really the 24th of February this year changed everything for Europe with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. I think nowhere more than the Baltic Sea did that sort of sharp end of the picture get felt, you know this is a region that is really dealing with its decarbonisation goal and it has a long way to go with that, but now overnight there are energy security questions and they feel that really sharply across the Baltic Sea because in many cases they border the aggressor, Russia. So, its a really interesting region, one with a lot of potential, there are lots of plans that need to be made and it is also a region where there is a good deal of collaboration and shared ambition across the country. Just recently the Baltic Sea countries got together and they all agreed on an updated target for offshore wind in the region of 20 gigawatts by 2030. That is a huge step up considering that there is only 1.9 gigawatts

today in the Baltic Sea, so big plans, big ambitions, and lots of potential.

A ten-fold increase by 2030 is fantastic. What more can you tell us about your footprint in the region and also your plans for the future?

So, in Equinor we like to build things in clusters and that is to try to extract the synergy across a certain geographical region. We have a cluster in the North Sea, we have a cluster in the US, and we are starting to build a cluster in the Baltic Sea as well. The reason behind that is that we like to extract synergy in the supply chain. On the technical side of things when it comes to operations and then more of the commercial synergies with partners, with governments and building up our name with a certain centre of gravity.

So, the Baltic Sea is the third region for Equinor, we, of course, have our main focus on Poland and we have a couple of offices there, one in Gdansk and one in Warsaw and we are building up a presence there to support our three Polish projects. We are also interested in the Baltic States and in Lithuania in particular, so we are actively looking at that region. Sweden is an interesting opportunity for companies wanting to acquire seabed and I think that is one of the last remaining places within Europe that is offering large quantities of seabed at an early phase, but that is also an interesting country and then, of course, we have our operational assets in Arcona, which is in the German Baltic Sea, and that is operated by RWE, but its a very important asset in our wider renewables portfolio.

In terms of your current operating assets and your plans, what sort of value are we looking at in terms of investment, number of jobs, power capacity and similar metrics?

It varies from project to project. Some of those earlier projects took big investment numbers from us and we are now seeing those numbers coming down as the supply chain gets mobilised, as more projects come into the market, we are starting to see that CAPEX investment drastically come down, which is great. That is where the industry needs to go and now in the UK, for example. offshore wind is the cheapest form of new electricity and we will start to see that trend trickle out across Europe as well.

In terms of capacity, for our Baltic triplets, we are looking at up to 3 gigawatts. Lithuania

have announced that it's around about 1.5 GW before 2030, that's interesting. Sweden, I mean the potential there is really large but we need more of a plan from the government, I mean we are talking multiple, tens of gigawatts and then Arcona in the German Baltic Sea, that is a very modest wind farm in terms of size, we are around 400 megawatts, but the value of that asset is very attractive to us and a good asset in our portfolio.

For the completion of the triplets, can you tell us something about the timescales involved?

We are looking toward the end of this decade, we will be having Baltic two and three hitting the deck first. We are going to develop them together and extract as much of the synergy as possible and then Baltic one will follow on towards the end of the 2020s.

I guess Sweden and Lithuania are some distance behind that?

Sweden - yes. There needs to be a lot more regulatory framework put in place, a lot more information from the government on how we're going to get there, in terms of good offtake, in terms of consenting. The military presence in the Baltic Sea, as we know is a big thing, and coexistence with that industry or that sector needs to be resolved in terms of Sweden. So, Sweden really is a sort of post-2030.

Lithuania is ambitious, it is a small country that is definitely punching above its weight and its planning to have its first wind farm operational by 2027, and then the second one just before 2030, so actually Lithuania could move fast, especially if they get their consenting and their process off the ground next year. The tender is going to be announced next year, so I think we could see Lithuania move fast and a bit of completion is always good. I think the Baltic States have a healthy amount of competition between the three of them, and right now we see Lithuania as the front runner.

Do you think there are some lessons being learned on those points?

I think they are being learned or they're being listened to, put it that way. They're being listened to. It takes some time for learning, I think, to happen, and I'm not going to delve into politics here, but I think that governments need to see beyond their term and I think that has been a real challenge for many governments in the past on many issues.

I also think that climate change and the energy transition is such a significant issue that governments are starting to see that this goes beyond that four years and that they need to make long-term plans to make sure that we are all able to transition with success. So, it has been listened to, whether it's been learned ? - .. ask me in four years' time!

With regard to the Baltic region, you've mentioned Sweden, Poland, Germany and Lithuania. You must have a huge range of stakeholders within those countries. What's the key to getting and keeping the local communities onside for these projects?

If I had the answer, I think lots of people would be knocking on my door and so I think there's not one perfect solution and it's different and with every market that you're in, because the drivers are different from what people want, from what governments want. For example in Scotland with Scotwind, it's very much about technology and transition and our people that work in oil and gas, how do they transition from oil and gas to renewables? For Lithuania, it's about energy security and making sure that they can cut that chord, which they have done with Russia and, you know, I really commend them for being the first country in Europe to do that.

I think it's completely different based on the drivers in that country. One thing for sure is

that you have to be able to understand what the customer wants and it can't just be transactional. This is a very different industry and renewables is very different from oil and gas. This is very local.

It's not just a barrel of crude that you can barrel up and ship off to the global market, to the highest bidder. It's locally produced and in many aspects it's locally consumed. The markets are not interconnected and you are not able to ship an electron over to America, for example, unlike oil and gas. So local understanding of what the customer wants and needs is absolutely critical.

The last point I will make is that it's not just a transactional process either. This is about the energy transition and that's emotional. That's emotional because people start to think about their jobs, their futures, the future of our planet and the future for our children. This can feel and sound a bit high level, but it's absolutely key when I go and talk to stakeholders, it's not just transactional. They see this in a very different light because the energy transition is emotional and I think that comes with certain demands to companies like Equinor, like others that how we're delivering these projects is equally as important as what we're delivering and that's something that is felt that every country that we operate in.

So, it's a big challenge to get right, and I don't pretend we get it right in every situation, but we certainly do try.

alex meredith – project director, berwick bank wind farm

Interview by Moray Melhuish – Founder of Annet Consulting, an Offshore Wind and Subsea Specialist

‘Seagreen’. That was a real step forward - that's the first power coming out of that Firth of Forth zone, which was awarded in 2010.

I’m Alex Meredith, the Project director for the Berwick Bank project, and I am leading a team of brilliant people who are trying to bring to life to the Berwick Bank wind farm, which is a 4.1-gigawatt wind farm site in the Firth of Forth.

We all work for SSE Renewables, who are the lead developer and we're marching towards a consent application for Berwick Bank later on this year, moving as quickly as we can to deliver what we think is going to be a fantastic project.

We are starting by putting the application in later this year and it is a Scottish government process. So, it's section 36 and the target timeline for consenting or at least making the decision is nine months, but our project is a little bit special I suppose, in good ways and some ways which are more challenging. So, we expect it'll take a little bit longer than that, but we'd like to see a consent determined within a year. That means by the end of 2023, which allows us then to move forward with the project in 2024 and our grid connection date, would then be 2026, so, we want to see turbines into the water and connection made by then.

That's 12 years from leasing to first power, but we're in the same zone. We think we can accelerate a bit on that timetable and ‘Seagreen’ has moved quickly since it got through consent, but we want to accelerate the consent process and then get through to delivery of the project in the next few years.

How long have you been with the project Alex?

Eighteen months, I joined the project early last year, just as we were starting to get through the height of the COVID pandemic which was a really interesting time to join the project. A fantastic team was already built up, but had been working fully remotely and working on the development work with all the COVID protocols and people surveying in a very careful manner.

So we’ve now been able to take advantage of some of the relaxation of restrictions and start to get together a bit more and see that development work really step up at pace, which has been great.

To give us an idea of scale, how can you translate 4.1 Gigawatts into value for Britain?

start to see numbers like that being talked about, but what the advantage of ‘Berwick Bank’ gives you is that we can move forward with one project that has that great ‘Bang for your buck’, of being able to say to the market let's invest in the supply chain, build the facilities that allow those kind of jobs and the investment to be realised. So, it's a really exciting project, a one hit to be able to say let's get that investment into Scotland and get those jobs created and that value created.

What can you tell us about the benefits to the supply chain ?

Well, it is a great challenge for the supply chain. One of the great things about the offshore wind industry at the moment is it's growing fast and not just in the UK, but globally too.

The major contractors who have been working on offshore wind in the UK are now looking abroad and are busy with projects. Whether it's in Asia, or in the US, or Asia Pacific, there is quite a lot going on around the world. So, our project comes along at a time when honestly speaking there's a challenge to be able to get the components that we need to build this project.

It's a long process, particularly in this case, the Berwick Bank site was first awarded to SSE in 2010. So, the crown estate back then wasn't even the crown estate Scotland in those days. It did a tender round of leasing, which has become more familiar now, but in those days was a very unusual process let's say, that was round three and then at that time they wanted to issue quite large zones to developers because offshore wind was a little bit of a challenging technology.

I wasn't sure how fully projects would be delivered, and it's taken a little bit of time for this zone, which is the firth of forth zone, which was awarded to SSE and a partner at the time in 2010 to come through and be developed fully. So, SSE focused on the Northern section of the site which is now known as ‘Seagreen’ and you may have seen in the last couple of weeks or recently there's been an announcement of first power for

The numbers are all very large. This project is by far the largest development project in the UK for offshore wind, so, a real step up in scale. In terms of what it can deliver, firstly enough electricity to power 5 million homes potentially, so, a huge amount of electricity for consumers, but generally, for the UK and for Scotland to decarbonise, that's the kind of capacity that we need from our wind project.

So, a real step up there and then in terms of economic value, we think there's going to be a spend of something close to 9 billion in the UK and almost half of that will be in Scotland. So, upwards of 4 billion pounds to be spent in Scotland as we go through this process across the lifetime of the project.

In terms of what that means for jobs, we are thinking of targeting 10,000 jobs in the UK to be supported by this project, with half of those in Scotland. So, 5,000 jobs in Scotland, potentially at the height of construction and that's a really significant contribution.

Of course, when you add up several projects that are potentially in the pipeline, you may

So, that's another good reason why we want to support investment in the UK to deliver the components that we need and in Scotland particularly, knowing that there are Scotwind projects and further development to accomplish behind us. We are therefore working with the supply chain to ensure that investment does get made and that we can see investments and then delivery from bases in the UK.

Realistically there will be some parts of our site which will be manufactured abroad, partly because the technology is being made by companies that are based abroad, but also because the scale of what we're trying to do is simply too large in some cases for UK ports and infrastructure to cope with in terms of fabrication. We have to take advantage of the large-scale facilities that are overseas to be able to deliver the scale that we need for Berwick Bank. There is no doubt though that as we see the construction process going forward and the fabrication process as well, there are opportunities not just for the big manufacturing facilities to be located in Scotland, in the UK, but also for the tier two, tier three and the supporting supply chain to also start growing and seeing momentum built.

Plenty of organisations that we've been speaking to in Scotland are looking for that opportunity and if projects like Berwick Bank are being sanctioned, this will give them the certainty to be able to invest and for others the certainty to diversify

Hi Alex, Can you introduce yourself, along with your organisation and project?

Can you give us an insight into how long that consenting process is expected to take?

How long has it taken to reach this point, Alex?

from something that maybe they're doing in oil and gas into the offshore wind sector. At the moment they are a little bit cautious about doing so, I mean, clearly the economic climate is challenging anyway, but without projects being fully consented, manufacturers who are currently looking at different options might struggle to justify investments that that can support the offshore wind industry.

So again, the certainty of getting a consent for Berwick Bank and taking it through to the next stage, quickly allows us to offer those manufacturers the certainty that will allow them to invest, create those jobs and ensure that the economic benefit of a project like this stays as much as possible in Scotland.

We are looking to consent up to 307 turbines and that’s a big scale, that's a large number for an offshore site, and they will be large-scale machines. We expect the foundation type to be what is known as a jacket foundation.

So, it's a kind of a tripod. They have become a little bit famous around the Firth of Forth area in Scotland, because the Seagreen project has been using a very similar design and those foundations get shipped in and they find their way up the Forth and they almost look like a slightly ‘Space age’ kind of infrastructure sitting on the ports!

People who've seen these will be familiar with what I mean, but they're large steel constructions painted yellow and they create a structure when in the water, which would be from at least the seabed level to the tip – a similar scale to the Eiffel tower, you know, really large scale structures and clearly a definite step up in the scale for us compared to some of the projects that people will be familiar with, certainly turbines onshore are not at the same sort of scale.

install them. The number of those types of vessels is not keeping pace with demand, so we want to see greater scale vessels and work with suppliers who are able to offer these or have ways of manufacturing them in time for our delivery.

Are there opportunities for suppliers that want to add value to Berwick Bank? How do they get involved? How do they get in touch?

If people have ideas about how you could support SSE in the supply chain, please drop us a line, you know, very happy for people to contact us and then as we move forward with the process, I will be spending a lot of time engaging with companies in certainly particularly in East Lothian, and Scotland more broadly where we want to just reach out and we'll be holding events.

Who

the tier one suppliers for the project?

We haven't completed our procurement work yet. In fact, we're still at a reasonably early stage in terms of engagement of the tier one suppliers.

We'd anticipate though that the main suppliers will be organisations who've got a strong track record in delivery of these kind of projects and that’s an interesting challenge because we always want to see good competition in the market, but equally we also have to see partners who we can rely on and that we know have done this work before, particularly working in an offshore environment, so that does limit some of our options because clearly we need vessels and capable vessels as well.

One of the big challenges we've got is that as our turbines and our foundations and our overall components scale up, we need vessels that are available and capable to transport some of this equipment into the field and to

We've got a website for this at ‘Berwickbank. com’, which has a link through a very straightforward email to be able to give us a shout that people are interested in being part of the supply chain. I mean, at the moment, the work that we're doing on development also has opportunities for certainly small businesses, particularly in Scotland. I mean, an example that we had recently was, I was at a chamber of commerce meeting in, I think it was Eastern Midlothian and we had someone there who we were talking to about animations and work that they do in the animation space and of course, in some of the development work we do, we like to visualise what we're doing.

And we were able to work with them to create a video and an animation that gave more detail about some of our development work and that, so there are opportunities for different businesses that perhaps you wouldn't expect to be associated with offshore wind to come in and work with right now.

I think it is a challenge to connect to the right people, to the right companies and make the conversation really meaningful, often these events can be quite short, so, I just ask people, if they're interested in being involved, please persevere, please do get in touch with us - I'll get you to the right people or we'll try and get a conversation going.

One of our key objectives in the project is to make sure that we support as much investment as possible into Scotland and the supply chain that already exists becomes part art of our supply chain. But also, we attract people who want to diversify and get into offshore winds as a sort of steppingstone into other projects that they might be able to support in the next 10, 20, 30 years.

Listen to the full interview via our podcast at: www.ogv.energy/news-item/the-case-for-fasttracking-berwick-bank watch Full interview

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Can you give us an idea for the type and number of turbines in foundations for the project?

are

Gabriel Davies, Global Program Director for Floating WInd, Orsted

Interview by Moray Melhuish – Founder of Annet Consulting, an Offshore Wind and Subsea Specialist

Welcome to the 'Let's Talk Transition' podcast Gabriel, can you introduce yourself and Orsted please?

Of course, I am Gabriel Davies, the Global Program Director for Floating Wind at Orsted, and Orsted is the world’s leading offshore wind developer. We supply large-scale and cost-competitive offshore wind energy, onshore wind energy and solar energy solutions. We also operate sustainable bioenergy plants and offer renewable power purchase agreements.

We are now exploring renewable hydrogen solutions as well. We have been named the world's most sustainable energy company since 2019 and we really see ourselves as a pioneer of the energy transition. You may be aware that we used to be called the Danish Oil & Natural Gas or DONG. In 2017 we rebranded as Orsted after we divested our hydrocarbon business.

That's great, our theme of the podcast series is the energy transition and of course, having Orsted on is fantastic because Orsted really typifies that transition. So thanks for joining us, you have touched on it already Gabriel, but can you just give our audience an overview of your footprint in offshore wind?

Absolutely, so we have 3 decades of experience in renewable energy and we put ourselves among the world's leading renewable energy companies with our broad range of solutions. We are the global leader in offshore wind and we can absolutely say that with 8.8 gigawatts stored around the world. We develop, construct, own, and operate wind farms in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK and we are also developing projects in Taiwan and the US.

The UK is home to the largest number of our operating offshore wind farms, we have 13. They provide 6.2 gigawatts of renewable electricity which is enough to power more than 7 million homes, and our newest project ‘Hornsea 2’, which is off the coast of Yorkshire, is one that

is very close to my heart because I was part of that project for 4 years, it is the world's largest offshore wind farm and produces 1.4 gigawatts. That makes a very significant contribution to Orsted's global ambition of installing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.

30 gigawatts is quite a target, that's fantastic. Why does offshore wind and particularly floating offshore wind, matter?

Offshore wind currently accounts for 56 gigawatts of green electricity globally, and we expect it to reach almost 370 gigawatts by 2030, of which 19 gigawatts is expected to come from floating wind farms. We expect this figure for floating wind to increase sharply in the following decades, so you can just see the kind of opportunity out there, the amount of green electricity that can be produced by offshore wind, I mean it is just staggering.

Currently, wind generation accounts for about 8% of the global power demand, with renewables in total accounting for around 28% of demand, so you can clearly see the opportunity for massive growth. Why does it matter? - Well it demonstrates that there is really no reason for the continued use of fossil fuels to power our society. You know we have the renewable energy technology available and in my opinion the only thing stopping the total phasing out of fossil

fuels is the lack of political will from key nations to enable a world that runs entirely on green energy.

That is fantastic, you have spoken a little bit about the vision, can you give us a little more granularity about your plans in offshore wind?

Orsted is committed to playing its part in the rollout of floating offshore wind, we really see that floating wind is very much part of the future of the offshore industry. We have already secured a 1-gigawatt floating wind lease in ScotWind’s leasing round this year and that is with our partners ‘BlueFloat Energy’ and ‘Falck Renewables’ and we will also be bidding into the Scottish INTOG auction with our 100-megawatt project, ‘Salamander’ and that's with our partners ‘Simply Blue’ and ‘Subsea7’.

But of course, we are looking beyond the UK, we also have partnerships in Spain and in Norway and we are active in several other floating wind markets as well, so we very much see floating as a key part of our offshore wind offering going forward.

With these projects that you mention, what does it mean in terms of value, investment, jobs, and power capacity?

So, in terms of numbers, they are pretty big. Over the last decade, Orsted has invested over 14 billion in the UK, and we anticipate

spending the same again over the next decade. Employees, we have got over a thousand in the UK, over 400 people working from our East Coast hub in Grimsby, the vast majority of whom live less than an hour from the site. So, really what that is telling you is that we see offshore wind as being able to develop communities and offer amazing employment opportunities there.

Then across the industry, it is anticipated that with private companies there will be investments of around 155 billion and almost 100,000 people to be employed across the sector by 2030.

Wow, that's incredible, isn't it? What a vision. Isn't it amazing these investments and how they unlock the benefits throughout the whole economy, that is a lot of jobs. So, the UK we have mentioned and Spain we have mentioned, what are the other priority markets for floating wind going forward?

That is a really good question, so the core value proposition of floating wind is that it enables offshore wind to harvest a much broader range of geographies and therefore you can upscale in in a way that you just couldn't before from fixed seabed sites and we are seeing this opportunity recognised by governments in many existing and new markets and they are now setting really ambitious targets for floating wind. The early movers are absolutely the UK, which we have already talked about and we have of course had 15 gigawatts of seabed with floating wind potential just this year for Scotland, we are looking at 4 gigawatts in the Celtic sea.

The UK is leading on those markets by creating a visible pipeline which is I think what it really takes to drive the commercialisation and give other markets confidence that this is going to be an industry that we can really see developing

and commercialising. But other strategic markets with significant ambitions and potential are of course in the US, there is a large floating wind potential there and then markets in APAC, so that's including Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Australia and then there is loads of markets in Southern Europe, so that's Spain, Portugal and Italy, you know there really is so much opportunity out there and that's being recognised.

But I think what is really exciting for me about floating wind is the potential to open up many more markets in the longer term, so it is going to be incredible to watch how this industry develops over the coming decades.

Thanks Gabriel. We've mentioned the leading position that the UK has in offshore wind and we've spoken about the sort of the global opportunities for offshore wind. That leads me to think that in the UK there's been what you might describe as a little political turbulence recently at the time of recording and we've had three Prime Ministers, four Chancellor of the Exchequers and about three energy secretaries this year. How important is political stability and certainty in a country when it's being considered for these investments compared with other countries?

So unsurprisingly, certainty on policy is absolutely key for us and for investors. You know, it's fair to say there has been a lot of political instability in the UK, but there has also been constant support for offshore wind. All three prime ministers and the opposition have supported the expansion of seabed fixed and also the creation of a floating industry. Indeed, I heard there was a question earlier this week on Prime Minister's Question Time about the floating wind industry.

So it's being discussed in Parliament and certainly, the Government is voicing support for it, but for floating wind, we do need to see that support continue in the future. You know, we need commitment to new leasing rounds and also crucially to supply ports and supply chain development, but overall we're very confident that the support will be there.

Offshore wind currently accounts for 56 gigawatts of green electricity globally, and we expect it to reach almost 370 gigawatts by 2030, of which 19 gigawatts is expected to come from floating wind farms

Wind of Hope beside a turbine at Hornsea

hydro-c.co.uk

- HYDROGENOVERCOMING SAFETY CHALLENGES TO ACHIEVE A CLEANER FUTURE

Hydrogen is a key energy solution that will be critical for the world's transition to net zero and a number of hydrogen's properties make it safer to handle and use than the fuels commonly used today.

Kees Van Wingerden, Senior Principal Consultant at Vysus Group, discusses the safety challenges associated with the increasing use of hydrogen and how to safely manage this important energy source.

Hydrogen is one of the most reactive fuels available. The maximum laminar burning velocity of any hydrogen-air mixture is 2.89 m/s, a factor of 8 faster than that of methane. The laminar burning velocity is the speed of the reaction front (flame) compared to the speed of the unburned mixture just ahead of the reaction front, and is an important property when predicting the possible consequences of hydrogen-air explosions. If a hydrogen-air cloud of this optimum mixture exploded out in the open, i.e. not inside an enclosure, the generated overpressures would be relatively low. Large-scale tests performed with optimum mixtures of hydrogen and air in hemispherical balloons of 40 m diameter resulted in a maximum overpressure of 57 mbar. This pressure is only slightly higher

exceeding limits, pushing horizons

Where Hydro-C are focused, is in the green and blue hydrogen. Green hydrogen exclusively uses renewable energy in the hydrogen extraction process. Which is great because we can extract hydrogen in volume with zero emissions. There are a few processes for green hydrogen such as electrolysis of water, using (renewable) electricity the water is split into oxygen and hydrogen.

than one would expect just on the basis of the high laminar burning velocity. Flame acceleration occurs due to flame instabilities, causing the flame surface area to increase and exposing the hot flame to more unburned fuel-air mixture, thereby spreading faster.

Flame acceleration can also occur due to turbulence generated around obstructions present in the flammable cloud, caused by the expanding combustion products. As an example: tests performed in a geometry with obstructions consisting of repeated horizontal pipes, caused hydrogen flames to quickly accelerate over a distance of 1.4 m generating a pressure of 1.17 bar.

The figure below shows a comparison between the overpressures generated by different gases in the same rig, highlights the difference in reactivity.

Figure 1 Maximum explosion overpressure generated by explosions of different fuels in a 3m x 3m x 2m volume obstructed by a number of metal grids (from Shirvill et al, 2019)

The high reactivity of hydrogen is also demonstrated by the overpressures generated when igniting a free turbulent jet escaping

from a 50 mm hole in a 60 bar reservoir (initial release rate 8 kg/s). The violent explosion caused an overpressure of 0.43 bar at 10 m distance (Jallais et al., 2017) which can be compared to the maximum pressure generated by the explosion of free natural gas jet of 100-120 kg/s of approximately 0.2 bar (measured in the jet) (Hisken et al, 2021).

Among currently used protective measures of rooms and vessels against the consequences of accidental explosions, explosion venting is the most common method- a deliberately weak element of the enclosure designed to fail early during the explosion. The created opening allows gases to vent from the enclosure, preventing the explosion and increased pressure from building up and exceeding the failure pressure of the room or vessel. However, it is not as easily applicable for hydrogen, assuming a relatively weak cubic enclosure of 20 m3 without any internal obstructions, it can be calculated that the opening should be 2 m2 for methane and 13.2 m2 for hydrogen. Whereas, the former implies an opening with an area equal to 27% of one of the walls at 13.2 m2 , hydrogen is almost equal to two full walls of the enclosure, indicating the difficulty of using the method for relatively weak structures for hydrogen applications.

Kees Van Wingerden

The high reactivity makes a hydrogen-air mixtures very prone for a transition to detonation (DDT=deflagration-detonationtransition). In case of a detonation, the reaction front propagates with a velocity of 2000 m/s or more, resulting in pressures of close to 16 bar. A detonation can propagate through a big part of the explosive region of a hydrogen-air cloud, generating high pressures without the need of turbulence-generating obstructions. The transition to detonation has been seen in vented enclosure explosions where flames have run into turbulence generated by a fan and after the flames have accelerated due to obstacles.

Another challenging property of hydrogen is its very low minimum ignition energy. The minimum ignition energy describes the energy of the smallest electric spark needed to start a self-sustained reaction in a mixture of hydrogen and air. This energy is only 0.017 mJ for hydrogen compared to 0.26 mJ for methane. Hydrogen is flammable over a very wide range of concentrations (4% - 75 % hydrogen-air). The minimum ignition energy is concentration-dependent and lower than the value for methane in the range of 8%64% hydrogen-air. The low ignition energy puts strong demands on electric equipment when used in areas where hydrogen-air mixtures may arise to avoid ignition by this equipment. The same applies to electrostatic sparks and discharges. Hydrogen can be ignited by so-called corona discharges which occur when sharp-pointed objects are in the vicinity of a charged piece of equipment. Laboratory experiments indicate that hydrogen-air concentrations with a minimum ignition energy of < 0.1 mJ can be ignited by corona discharges (implying hydrogen-air mixtures of 13% - 65% hydrogen-air). Strong focuses should therefore be on:

• earthing conductive parts of equipment

• avoiding charging of non-conductive parts of equipment

• avoiding sharp-edged objects

Corona discharges may arise at sharp objects due to atmospheric electricity as well. This is especially important for vent stacks, where hydrogen released to the atmosphere may ignite unless the vent is specifically designed to prevent corona discharges.

Personnel/people can easily become an ignition source, especially when conditions are favorable for electrostatic charging, for example when the air humidity is low. It is important to ensure that personnel/people are earthed by using dissipative footwear and flooring.

The possibility of charging should be considered for non-electrical rotating equipment. Mechanical friction resulting in hot surfaces and consequently sparks, can be incendiary. Experiments show that hydrogen can be ignited by single impact sparks (even low energy ones), frictional sparks (especially lean hydrogen-air mixtures) and hot surfaces. The material combinations involved in the mechanical friction play an important role when considering the incentivity.

Figure 2 Ignition by mechanical friction: comparison of ignition at steel pin pressed against rotating wheel: mild steel vs. stainless steel. Variation of rotating velocity of wheel and force with which pin is pressed against wheel. All mild steel ignitions are caused by mechanical sparks. All stainless steel ignitions are caused by hot surfaces generated at the pin surface (from Welzel et al, 2011).

Significant attention has been given to the so-called spontaneous ignition of hydrogen. This is related to the sudden release using a bursting disc of hydrogen from a pressurised reservoir into a vent stack. Currently, a bursting disc and the presence of the stack can cause this phenomenon, which is related to generation of shock waves and their reflection onto the stack walls.

Since hydrogen has a very low density, different solutions are used to store and

For more information visit www.vysusgroup.com

transport it as it can be compressed to very high pressures (750 – 1000 bar), can be liquified (temperature of liquid hydrogen is -253°C) or can use a carrier (such as ammonia). Each of these solutions imply new challenges. A leak from a high pressure reservoir can result in a strong turbulent jet which upon ignition can lead to the aforementioned high pressures, but also to a strong jet flame as its length is dependent on hole size and reservoir pressure. Hydrogen jet flames are shorter than those involving hydrocarbon fuels and radiate less due to the absence of CO2, CO and soot. As a result, hydrogen flames are practically invisible in daylight.

Liquified hydrogen implies some new, partly unknown, hazards including:

• possibility of BLEVEs (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosions) involving liquified hydrogen storage vessels

• consequences of releases of liquified hydrogen onto water or under water

• the co-existence of liquified hydrogen and solid/liquid oxygen upon a release

Research has been ongoing into several aspects of the consequences of the release of liquified hydrogen.

The use of hydrogen carriers may lead to hazards and while ammonia appears to be the most likely carrier to be used, it is a highly toxic material and in the event of a leakage can lead to personnel being harmed. The concentration at which ammonia is immediately harmful to life or health (IDLH) is 300 ppm (0.03 %).

At atmospheric conditions, hydrogen is considerably lighter than air (density is 0.090 kg/ m3 and 1.22 kg/m3 respectively). As a result, there is a strong tendency for hydrogen to move upwards in case of jet releases at some distance from the point of release where the momentum of the release has decayed. This is very positive for installations in the open, but inside buildings the gas would accumulate against the roof of the building. To avoid accumulation of flammable hydrogen-air mixtures inside buildings, the ventilation is important considering possible release locations, inlet and outlet and effect of larger obstructions.

www.vysusgroup.com

Molly Iliffe, Director of Hydrogen Ventures for ERM

Interview by Moray Melhuish – Founder of Annet Consulting, an Offshore Wind and Subsea Specialist

Hi Molly and welcome to the ‘Let's Talk Transition’ series of podcasts. Can you introduce yourself for those unfamiliar with ERM please?

Of course. ERM is the world's largest sustainability consultancy, it's present in more than 40 countries and has more than five and a half thousand people employed, with expertise across the hydrogen value chain. My name is Molly, and I work in ERM's Edinburgh office and also all over the place in this new remote world! - My focus is really on the commercial development plan for the ERM Dolphyn project, which is a floating offshore wind and hydrogen project, and also on the commercial side of hydrogen consultancy projects.

Thanks Molly, why does hydrogen matter to us?

Hydrogen is fantastically exciting. It's essential if we are to meet our net zero hydrogen goals and aspirations and that's because hydrogen is the ONLY decarbonisation vector for some applications in the economy. As we look for solutions to decarbonise some transport applications for example, perhaps in shipping, rail or as we look to decarbonise industrial feedstocks and high-temperature industrial processes, hydrogen will be really essential.

It can also bring different sectors of the economy together. So, it could perform a really important role in terms of the balancing of the energy system and in transferring energy from different regions around the world, where it's really cheap to produce hydrogen to regions of the world where there'll be large-scale demand developing, for example, in Europe.

We could see the whole energy system, the global energy system, and the energy flows around the world shifting as the hydrogen economy scales up and this commodity becomes globally traded.

It's quite an opportunity then. You mentioned that the ‘Dolphyn Project’ is a floating offshore wind and hydrogen production project. Can you elaborate on this for us please?

ERM is developing the Dolphyn project. It is a floating offshore wind to hydrogen solution. We're developing an initial 10-megawatt commercial demonstrator project, which we expect to be operational off the coast of Aberdeen in 2025.

We are currently going through the FEED (Front-End Engineering & Design) process for that project, and that's been generously supported by the UK government as well as the Scottish government and other organisations. Looking forward, we are then seeking to develop commercial-scale projects and we are at a significant stage of this development in those projects, particularly in the Celtic Sea and around Scotland, but also looking to develop a global pipeline as well.

The ‘Dolphyn’ concept is really interesting because hydrogen is produced on a floating platform offshore at each wind turbine location. The concept comprises a floating platform based on the wind flow Atlantic design, on which you have an electrolyser, desalination equipment and a wind turbine. You then utilise the power from the wind turbine to desalinate seawater and produce hydrogen on the platform, which is then piped back to shore.

That means that you don't need a grid connection for the project, so it's really suitable as we use up our nearshore sites and we move further and further from shore into deeper water. We need a solution to be able to access that fantastic wind resource that's further away, where it would be very expensive to bring that energy ashore in the form of electricity. So in those types of cases, a solution like ‘Dolphyn’ will be optimal and it presents an enormous economic opportunity for the UK.

Thanks Molly, Why is producing the hydrogen offshore more cost effective?

So, the economics are very site-specific. If you're looking at a site which is relatively close to the shore, maybe less than about 80 kilometres, then producing your hydrogen onshore will probably be optimal. However, there are likely to be considerations around planning permission for an onshore hydrogen production facility and they have a very large footprint. You will potentially require hydrogen storage facilities onshore and hydrogen production equipment onshore. So, if you move your hydrogen production offshore, you get around that potential constraint. But also as you move further offshore, maybe above about 80 to a 100 kilometers from shore, that's when it becomes optimal to generate your energy in the form of hydrogen as opposed to in the form of electricity, because you don't need to install expensive HVDC infrastructure to bring your energy back to the shore. Over those types of

distances, HVDC infrastructure can be about three times as expensive as a pipeline and that's if you're building the pipeline new, if you're repurposing the pipeline, it can be even cheaper.

Therefore as we use up our nearshore sites and as we move towards sites further and further offshore, concepts like ‘Dolphyn’ will be commercially viable and that's why it presents such a fantastic opportunity. As we think about how we can generate hydrogen at scale to help with our own decarbonisation objectives, it also helps to achieve some of the aspirations that the UK and Scottish governments have around hydrogen as a commodity for export.

You mentioned piping the hydrogen onshore for consumption. Can you foresee a time when we have an ecosystem of hydrogen consuming vessels and subsea vehicles offshore, things like the ‘Cellular solace AUV’ refuelling it to projects like ‘Dolphyn’?

Yes, absolutely. We are talking to a wide range of potential companies who are really interested in the hydrogen that we can produce.

Early-stage off-takers are likely to be those which are a little less price-sensitive and early movers in this market. So, for example, in the transport space, the Aberdeen region already has hydrogen buses and municipal vehicles and hydrogen refuelling stations. It's already got that nascent economy that it's looking to scale up.

That infrastructure offers a fantastic opportunity for projects like ‘Dolphyn’ to link into and reduces the offtake risk associated with the project because we've got a number of credible options for offtake.

Looking forwards, as we move to larger scale projects in the future, other markets will become increasingly more important, so that could be hydrogen for shipping, perhaps in the form of ammonia or methanol, or even liquid hydrogen. I think there are a number of different solutions being considered there. It could also be hydrogen as a fuel for the ONM associated with the project because reducing the life cycle and the carbon emissions associated with the hydrogen will be really important.

So yes absolutely, I think that that's definitely a longer-term market that could be really interesting for this type of concept.

What sort of value are we looking at for the ‘Dolphyn’ project Molly, in terms of investment, number of jobs, production volumes, that sort of thing?

In terms of the number of jobs, the 10-megawatt commercial demonstrator will generate over 400 jobs in the Aberdeen region while it's being constructed and then as we moved to much larger projects we could see more than 10,000 jobs generated by the end of this decade.

The hydrogen produced is around 800 tons per year for a 10-megawatt project, but we are looking to move to larger-scale turbines and introduce efficiencies where possible. It's all about ensuring you produce the maximum amount of hydrogen for the minimum costs so that the cost per unit of hydrogen is as low as possible.

Great and how about the spend?Can you give us a feel for how much a project like this is worth?

That's a big question because there's strategic value, the economic value etc. The particular cost associated with the project are commercially sensitive, although they will be going into the public domain eventually because we've recently made another application for funding for the next phase of the project.

I think it's worth saying that for the commercial scale demonstrated project, it's a little bit more expensive than we would have expected. Everything's being developed bespoke for this particular project rather than being part of serialised manufacture on a much larger project, where we can achieve economies of scale.

Therefore it's obviously going to be a little bit more expensive. It's somewhere between 50 and 80 million pounds for the commercial demonstrator project. But you need to take that with the understanding that this is a demonstrator and will be taking learnings from that to build out the larger projects, which is where the large-scale hydrogen and the savings from economies of scale will be generated.

Absolutely, of course. If we can prove this technology works, then it would seem that the opportunity is immense. Are you able to share any of your supply chain with us? Where do you foresee this being fabricated, launched and supported from?

We are working really hard with our partners on the project, so we've brought in a number of OEMs. They've been involved literally for years on the project, in order to help us to develop the concept and ensure that we have local content as far as possible and to keep life cycle carbon emissions as low as possible.

watch full interview

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At the moment, the partners on the project are ‘Tractabel Engie’ - they will continue in this role when we move through to an EPCM structure and reach the final investment decision towards the end of next year, they will continue in that leadership role.

We also have ‘Principal Power’ who are providing the substructure. They are part of the team developing a project at the moment and they'll continue in that role as the OEM there. ‘Doosan Babcock’ and also ‘NEL’ are providing the electrolyser and the electrical equipment, and ‘ODE’ (Offshore design engineering) is doing the design of the topside associated with the project.

We have a number of OEM’s already involved in the project and that's expected to continue, but there's an enormous opportunity for local suppliers as well. So aspects like the onshore reception facility and the pipeline and the mooring and anchoring, you know, there's enormous opportunity there for other suppliers and they haven't been allocated yet, we've got a register of about 300 different suppliers and if anyone is listening to this and is really interested and being part of the supply chain then please reach out either through the ‘Dolphyn‘ website or to me, I can pass you on to the supply chain work package directly.

We would love to engage with you and understand how you can help with the project. We are working with local organisations as well to help develop the skills that will be needed for the operation and construction of the project and really ensure that we can maximise the local content as far as possible.

ERM Dolphyn Project

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Everything under the surface

AGR is a multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy and software provider. We have the experience, agility and creativity to deliver a compelling solution that solves today’s and tomorrow’s energy challenges.

We understand the risks. We manage projects in multi-jurisdictional regions and we understand client pressures to deliver safely, cost-effectively and carbon neutrally.

EAST AFRICA’S GEOTHERMAL GREEN ENERGY REVOLUTION

Andrea Bolitho - Euronews

In Kenya's Olkaria, on the edge of Hell’s Gate National Park, are five power plants that produce around 800MW of energy - that’s enough to power more than four million homes a year. WATCH VIDEO

Here, the sound of green energy is like thousands of kettles boiling at once; it comes from the underground heat and steam and is the reason Kenya's now the 7th largest producer of geothermal energy in the world, and is blazing a trail in the East African region.

What is geothermal?

The tectonic plates here - and across Africa’s Great East Rift Valley - are being forced together or wrenched apart, pushing superheated steam close to the Earth’s surface.

Japan and other international partners have been working with Kenya to develop geothermal power for decades.

This geothermal power means Kenya - which also relies on hydroelectric power - can better cope with the effects of climate change.

Cyrus Karingithi is from Geothermal Resource Development, Kengen, Olkaria.

"We have a lot of droughts which have been with us for quite some time now, for the last 3 years and the country has not felt the impact of the drought in terms of power generation because of the geothermal installed in Kenya."

And Olkaria is just the beginning, as Cyrus explains.

"Our geothermal potential is 10,000 MW from 23 sites and what we have installed to date is just from two sites, here in Olkaria and a small plant in Eburru. So we have a huge potential that is untapped, actually, I don’t think we have tapped one percent."

The Japanese International Cooperation Agency - JICA’s relationship with Kenya goes back decades and Japan has invested 852 million USD in Olkaria.

Iwama Hajime is the Chief Representative of JICA in Kenya.

"They can utilise their own resources, there is no need to import energy. The price of geothermal power is very low and it is a clean, zero carbon emission energy."

Geothermal opportunities across East Africa’s Great Rift Valley

Geothermal opportunities exist across East Africa’s Great Rift Valley - in Ethiopia, a geothermal power plant in the Aluto Langano region is under construction.

Ethiopia's main power source, hydroelectric, has become unstable due to the impact of climate change. But it has abundant geothermal potential - approximately 10,000 MW of electric power. In Djibouti, geothermal power production is in its infancy.

Outside of the main towns and cities electricity can be scarce but in the village of As Eyla villagers have near round-the-clock power thanks to solar, and it's been life-changing.

Mohamed Kabila is a shopkeeper here.

"Today we have solar electricity. Before it was dark, really dark and it was very hot, we couldn't stay inside, and we had to close at 11. Today, we stay inside all day. Inside, there is also a freezer with water, Coke, and Fanta, and we can keep food, meat, chicken, everything. Before, we used to pay for diesel, but now we use solar energy to earn more money."

East Africa's immense underground heat is driving a green energy revolution, leading country after country down the road to 100 percent domestically produced renewable energy.

source:

VULCAN ENERGY EXPANDS GEOTHERMAL LITHIUM BUSINESS TO FRANCE

source: Carlo Cariaga - Think Geoenergy

Vulcan Energy has commenced the expansion of their Zero Carbon Lithium to France with the creation of Vulcan Energie France and license application to the Les Cigognes region. Business & Commercial Manager.

Roemex Ltd. Vulcan Energy Resources Limited has announced the start of a number of initiatives that will expands it Zero Carbon Lithium business into France and specifically Alsace, a natural extension of the Upper Rhine Valley GeothermalLithium Brine Field.

The expansion area accounts for about one-third of the Upper Rhine Graben which is known to contain both geothermal energy and lithium-rich brine. To this end, Vulcan has created a French entity, Vulcan Energie France SAS (VEF), registered in Strasbourg with offices in Haguenau, where Vulcan is growing an experienced French team.

VEF has applied for its first lithium exploration license in the region, “Les Cigognes” . The requested license is 155km² in size and located East of the city of Haguenau. The Company will look to access additional license areas in the near future.

Vulcan had previously collected a bulk (10,000 litres) brine sample from the French side of the border and conducted test work on it. The sample returned a high grade of 214 mg/L Li and low impurities (inc. Si, Mn, Fe). Historical data and sampling coming from existing geothermal operations in the region indicate brine composition in Alsace is materially the same as the brine composition across the border at Vulcan’s operations in Germany, meaning Vulcan’s sustainable lithium production process is applicable across the whole field

VEF is also in discussions with local companies in Alsace to develop combined geothermal energy and lithium projects, and also to support industrials and

municipalities to decarbonise their heating supply. The Company is focused on increasing engagement with local stakeholders to develop projects in full alignment with local communities, which is paramount to the ongoing success of Vulcan’s activities.

Vulcan already has a strong connection to the French market with France’s largest automakers Renault and Peugeot-Citroen (part of Stellantis, who is also Vulcan’s second shareholder) as lithium chemicals customers, and BNP Paribas, France’s largest bank, advising on financing.

BNP Paribas is also an investor in the Zero Carbon Lithium™ Project under its BNPP Energy Transition Fund.

Lithium production is strategically critical for France’s automotive industry, as Emmanuel Macron, President of France stated in October this year: “We need to work across the entire supply chain. We have lithium resources in France and we will develop them thanks to a new mining code; it is key for our sovereignty.”

“Vulcan is aiming to increase the future supply of our sustainable lithium product in response to significant customer demand, as we leverage our extensive experience in lithium extraction from heated brines to have a materially decarbonising effect on global electric vehicle supply chains. An extension of our core operating area, the Upper Rhine Valley Brine Field, expanding into France is a natural next step for Vulcan as we can apply the same expertise and technology to extract lithium sustainably. We look forward to supporting our French customers and working with local communities and companies to decarbonise their energy mix.” said Vulcan Chief Commercial Officer Vincent Ledoux-Pedaille.

source: Carlo Cariaga - Think Geoenergy

Austrian oil, gas, and chemicals company OMV has completed production and injection testing of an old natural gas well, Aderklaa-96, to assess its viability for geothermal energy production. The OMV experts are satisfied with the results of the test, indicating a temperature of 102 degrees Celsius and a reinjection rate of up to 40 m3/hour or about 11 liters/second.

A workover had to be done to prepare the Aderklaa-96 well for testing to a depth of 2900 meters. Formation water was produced, stored temporarily at surface facilities, and reinjected back to the formation. Aside from testing several reservoir parameters, samples of the formation water were also collected to evaluate its suitability for geothermal direct use applications.

The testing facility has since been dismantled. The data will be analysed in the

next months to assess both the technical feasibility and economic viability of geothermal energy production at the site.

We had reported on the start of this test a few weeks ago. Well Aderklaa-96 taps into the basement of the Vienna Basin or the “Hauptdolomit.” Project manager Bernhard Novotny explained that the Vienna Basin has a geothermal gradient of about 3 degrees Celsius per 100 meters. This is in line with the actual temperature of the well measured during the test.

“OMV aims to become a net-zero emissions company by no later than 2050. That is why geothermal energy plays an important role in OMV’s

low carbon business. Our strength in the geothermal sector is our extensive expertise above and below ground. We are using our know-how to drive the energy transition,” said Angelika Zartl-Klik, OMV Senior Vice President Low Carbon Business.

OMV is also in partnership with ZeroGeo Energy for Projekt THERMO – an exploration project to evaluate the potential for geothermal power generation in Lower Saxony, Germany. The aerial surveys for this project had just recently commenced.

source: Patrick Nouhailler / flickr, Creative Commons

source: OMV

Cameron McNatt, managing director mocean energy

Interview by Moray Melhuish – Founder of Annet Consulting, an Offshore Wind and Subsea Specialist

Cameron, can you take us through your earlier career, please and what led you to co-found Mocean?

Sure. So, I would say the first job I actually liked was when I working for a naval architecture firm, helping to write software. This was in the US for the US Navy. I then took that experience and did a masters degree in Ocean Engineering at Oregon State University, which is where I was introduced to Wave Energy and I did my master's thesis around Wave Energy. I was really into the topic, I combined my technical capabilities with my passion to make a difference in reducing our carbon footprint and I then applied to the University of Edinburgh to do my PhD and that's what brought me to Scotland and as I was nearing the end of my PhD in 2014, 2015, unfortunately for the industry, there were a couple of high profile failures.

Companies such as Pelamis and Aquamarine went into administration, which was certainly a big shock to myself and my career plans, but it actually created an opportunity where the Scottish government re-channelled some of the funding that was going towards these individual businesses and created a programme called ‘Wave Energy Scotland’, which they used to keep the sector alive here in Scotland and to ensure that all the knowledge that was developed within the industry didn't dissipate.

We then founded Motion Energy and applied for the funding. This was myself and my co-founder, Chris Retzler, who had been the principal scientist and one

of the co-founders of Pelamis and we were successful with the Wave Energy Scotland funding and a few steps later, here we are today.

Thanks a lot Cameron, can you give us an overview of your technology within Mocean please?

Sure. Even before we joined the Wave Energy Scotland programme, obviously Chris and I were developing this technology and our thesis was around changing the shape of the wave energy machine, changing the geometry of the hulls and producing more energy. So, what we did was utilise some of my software experience and Chris's expertise and we wrote some code that programmatically optimised the geometry and just basically tried out thousands of different shapes to see which ones perform better. We got some very interesting results and that became the basis of our stage one application to Wave Energy Scotland.

Then through the ‘Wave Energy Scotland’ programme, which is a stagescape programme encompassing three stages, we continued to develop that idea and advance it conceptually to better understand the hydrodynamics, engineering and understand the cost of energy. Such that we were one of two companies in 2019 to be awarded a three and a half million pound project to build a first of a kind prototype that we call ‘Blue X’. We started with that project in 2019 and then COVID happened, so we finally got the machine in the water in 2021 and did our testing and then alongside that we did a lot of commercial work and some other innovative projects.

Great and taking a look at your website today, you've got a couple of models on there – ‘Blue Star’ and ‘Blue Horizon’. Can you just take us through those and how do they compare with Blue X?

Sure, I think we may have confused people with our ‘Blue’ naming convention, but Blue X is called Blue X because it is the first time prototype. ‘X’ like ‘Experimental’, something like that. ‘Blue star’ is our first product which is relatively small scale, it will be about the same size as ‘Blue X’. Dimensionally, roughly the same, the mass is roughly the same as well, so Blue X is 40 tonnes, 20 meters long and has a 10-kilowatt rating.

Our first of a kind, ‘Blue Star’, will be about 50 tonnes, a little bit longer, and we will boost that power rating up to 20-kilowatts and that is some of the learning we have done in parallel to the Wave Energy Scotland build program. Blue Star will be about the same size and takes a lot of learning from Blue X, and is focused on offshore and off-grid. Blue Horizon also has some off-grid applications but is also focused around the near-shore, coastal communities, the islands as well as the grid applications. Deployed in farms and we will see our first Blue Horizon being a 250-kilowatt machine that will be on the border of 200/300 tonnes, around 40-50 meters long.

Fantastic Cameron and why does wave energy matter to us?

There's a lot of research that's being done recently to help us understand this. For example, there's a project called ‘Evolve’ that the University of Edinburgh is involved with, and what it's showing is that diversity in our energy system is important. So not just having a single source of power, because the big challenge with renewables is variability.

We are only getting solar energy when the sun is shining and wind power when the wind is blowing. But if you have a more diverse mix of renewables, you're better able to match supply with demand, and so, for example, what they showed was that in the UK grid, the theoretical UK grid that we are projected to have in 2030, if that mix were to include just half a percent of marine energy, we would reduce our CO2 emissions by 3%, compared to the same number of renewables without any marine energy.

So really, the message here is that diversity is important, just like it's important in investment portfolios, in teams, in ecosystems, it's important in energy systems, and I think what that comes down to is that wave and tidal energy have different qualities.

The energy production varies by location. Wave energy is very predictable, it's very consistent and it's also well aligned, particularly in the UK. Its seasonal with demand, so we have our highest demand for electricity in the winter and that's when wave energy produces the most amount of power.

It's over 200 years since the first wave energy converter was patented in 1799 and there have been bumps along the road. You mentioned yourself, Pelamis and Aquamarine, but how have things changed and has the industry learned those lessons of the past?

Yes, absolutely. I would be the first to admit that wave energy is a tough nut to crack. I mean, it's a really tough environment out there. With wind turbines, you have a flow that's going in a single direction. We have a motion that is going back and forth, it's reciprocating. We need to be able to capture energy from the small to medium sized waves, but really make sure that we don't get destroyed in the very large waves. The first generation of technology – Pelamis and Aquamarine etc, went into the development of commercial products with a sense of optimism, not unbounded, but we just didn't know then what we know now. So now I feel like Mocean is part of a second generation of wave energy technology that really has the benefit of all that prior experience area.

My co-founder Chris, as I mentioned, was a Principal Scientist at Pelamis, so he brings in a lot of technical know how, but also a lot of commercial lessons and so right now we know what the challenges are. What Mocean are doing technically, is that we are using software and optimisation to design higher performance machines, I already talked a little about that, that's my background.

We are putting a lot of focus on the reliability and robustness, so we are developing a direct drive generator and going straight from a simple mechanical motion, directly to electricity, so all electric drive. We have done a lot of testing and have the design philosophy around survivability. So, our machine naturally will dive through very steep waves, and it has a fail-safe operational

mode that means that in extreme waves we don't have to enter into a survival mode, we can simply turn off the power system and the hinge just moves freely, which means if that system were to fail, the machine would still survive. Commercially, rather than going straight for the large utility scale markets we see opportunity in near term high-value, large markets. So, right now our first product, Blue Star, will focus on the off-grid applications and that's exactly the route that we saw with solar and wind. Solar power was developed for the space industry where you basically couldn't get power any other way and even wind turbines. The first successful commercial application was in providing power to farms and communities that placed the higher value on that renewable power. Then I think what we are seeing in the

sized structure. We are developing a direct drive generator that will improve the reliability, which is so important in the offshore space where maintenance is very expensive and will have higher efficiency.

What can you tell us about the tests that have been done offshore with the prototype?

We had our Blue X prototype offshore for 5 months last year, that was a very successful test program. We generated expected power on average in certain sea conditions around 5 kilowatts, which matched our numerical models. We operated the machine completely remotely and wirelessly and we had 99.9% communications uptime, the machine performed very reliably, so we had no major component failures, I think there was one minor failure that we had to fix and we demonstrated some really good operations and maintenance. In one operation we were able to remove the machine from its moorings, take it back to the key side, lift it out of the water, do a planned maintenance operation and get it back in the water and hook up on its moorings within 4 days, which I think was a really good result.

I am sure you learned a huge amount in that period too. There must be a heck of a team behind you to create such technology and maintain it and keep it in the water?

Absolutely, I think when we started the business it was just Chris and myself and we worked really well together and it was just the two of us for three years and since 2019 we have gone from two to 19, so almost 20 people, which has been a fantastic growth journey, and it's absolutely one of these things where this is not something I could do myself, it is such a complex technology, projects are complex, the businesses, the commercial areas we are operating in are really complex.

offshore space is really that there is a gap, that there are things out there that need kilowatts of power, which is a little bit too big for solar, but way too small for offshore wind and these stepping stone markets are a great pathway to develop the technology and learn by doing, generate revenues and creating stepping stones to that larger grid market.

How does your technology, Blue Star, compare with other wave energy systems out there?

Our technology is a hinged raft, 2 holes connected by a hinge. The advantage of that, in general, is that it can be deployed at any water depth, so it doesn't have to react against the seabed to produce power. We have developed an innovative geometry using software and AI optimisation that means that we are more efficiently using the structure so we can produce more power for the same

I am super proud of our team, a couple of years ago we brought on Ian Crossland, who is our Commercial Director, who was 27 years in the oil and gas industry, including the past 10 years at companies developing innovative technology.

watch full interview

www.ogv.energy/play

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Axonn: Enabling clean, resilient and integrated energy systems

BY ROBERT HERON, PRODUCT MANAGER, VERLUME

Built using a modular suite of firmware, software and hardware building blocks, Axonn can be configured to add intelligence to power systems across the energy sector. Available as a standalone option, it can also be integrated within Verlume’s energy storage technologies, such as Halo, our proprietary seabed lithium-ion based energy storage architecture.

increasing integrity and efficiency by balancing supply and demand, power conditioning and storage for charging electric and hybrid vessels, or for black start and load balancing.

Across the subsea energy transition, offshore wind and the defence and security segments, Verlume is developing solutions for clean energy system integration through intelligent energy management and energy storage.

At the core of Verlume’s offering is enabling clean, resilient and integrated energy systems. To do so, we have developed a proprietary intelligent energy management system – recently rebranded and now known as Axonn.

Taking inspiration from the biological term ‘Axon’ whose function includes carrying electrical impulses and communicating with the brain and the rest of the body, our Axonn system can enable electrification by being the gateway for renewable power and energy storage.

By providing intelligence to the entire system, it can autonomously maximise available capacity of an energy storage system in real time.

Having recently been appointed into the new role of product manager, I will be working to align the capabilities of Axonn with customer requirements in intelligent energy management and around requirements for a reliable, uninterrupted power supply in harsh environments. Since Axonn is agnostic, with flexibility in terms of input technology, we can work with customers across a range of power technology inputs such as wind, wave and solar.

Axonn is accompanied by Verlume’s energy modelling capabilities as standard, with the capability to analyse input and demand versus time, creating a digital twin of the energy system for continued optimisation.

Offshore wind is a key sector in which myself and the multi-discipline engineering team at Verlume is exploring, with use cases including

As the subsea industry makes the transition towards net zero and with global scrutiny of the carbon footprint across brownfield and greenfield sites intensifying, the subsea energy transition market is also a focus for Verlume. In this context, Axonn can act as a temporary solution or equally as a longerterm alternative to maintain production where existing electrical supplies have failed. Increasingly, this intelligent energy management technology will ultimately replace traditional methods of power delivery by easily integrating clean, remote power generated at the point-of-need.

Investing in the next generation of talent

Acommitment to developing talented young people is helping ensure business success for one north-east technology company.

Intelligent Plant, a leading industrial data analytics specialist, has continued to engage with the next generation over recent years, at a time when many businesses operating in the energy sector have paused or scaled back similar recruitment initiatives.

This includes flexible placements and graduate recruitment where new starts meet key members of staff and observe day-to-day business operations, before being allocated to specific projects that match their skillsets.

The process brings mutual benefits in terms of creating a pathway for the company to find the right talent to integrate into its wider team. From the student or graduate’s perspective, they can learn and put their

coursework into practice within a supportive business environment.

“We have a proud tradition of hiring and promoting graduates and apprentices, with several colleagues having followed a similar path to reach more senior positions,” commented Intelligent Plant’s founder Steve Aitken.

“We are extremely pleased to continue to support the next generation and have welcomed a sizeable group of young people over the past few years who have all proved enthusiastic about the opportunity to learn and develop a career in this industry.”

Steve also has a role as entrepreneur in residence at the University of Aberdeen, a prestigious Royal Society scheme that aims to boost the university’s links to industry and inspire its staff and students to become the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

Intelligent Plant also organises the long running Inform Prize, with the latest, annual event and prizegiving ceremony being held at the OGV Podium in the heart of Aberdeen. The competition, funded by Intelligent Plant, was launched in 2014 to encourage computing science students at the University of Aberdeen to consider how they might communicate their ideas and research findings to local employers and promote interaction between industry and academia. For their third-year project, students were tasked

with creating a digital solution to a real-life problem. During the latter stages, students were invited to present their ideas to a panel of experts, give a demonstration of the product in action, and take part in a question and answer session before the judges selected the winners.

More than 150 people attended the final, including senior management from producers and companies involved in the renewable energy industry. Judges included representatives from sponsors Proserv, Davis Larssen, and stc insiso, Arrash Nekonam, along with Steve Aitken and the real life ‘Iron Man’, Richard Browning of Gravity Industries, who took the time to judge and send a video to the winners.

This year’s contest saw six teams go head-tohead across three categories to claim prizes for best idea, best implementation, and best presentation – with each winning team receiving a trophy and a prize of £800 each.

Steve Aitken added: “It was great to be back holding the event in person and welcome a range of people from various sectors who showed up on the day to see the projects that the teams had been working so hard on over several months.

“Well done to all six teams who battled it out for the three prize categories – and particularly Team Alpha, Team Hotel, and Team Bravo for winning their respective categories.”

Next year, which will mark the competition’s 10th anniversary, will see the contest expanded to include business and computing students from Robert Gordon University too.

Europe embarks on solar

Control Systems for the Next Generation

RCP are a leading supplier of solar power and battery back up systems typically used for “off-grid” applications, offering a safe and reliable energy source, available to power your critical equipment in remote and hazardous environments.

“There’s a massive solar boom in Europe,” said Matthew Berwind, agrivoltaics project manager at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, the largest applied research institute for solar energy in Europe. “It’s huge.”

From Portugal to Poland, the Netherlands to Greece, mammoth photovoltaic plants are spreading across fields and gliding across lakes, each facility providing enough electricity for hundreds of thousands of homes. Buildings are being constructed with solar-powered water heaters, photovoltaic windows and photovoltaic roof tiles. Solar panels are appearing atop government buildings, grocery stores, train cars and schools, and even farms are embracing novel sun-powered technologies to shield crops from hail and scorching sun while producing energy.

at the Institute for European Environmental Policy. “The price has gone down — it’s very cheap now to get Chinese solar panels. But it's also not without some risks, as we’ve seen in terms of global supply chain disruption this year following COVID, and in terms of overreliance on individual countries for energy supplies.”

What’s more, solar has its limitations. “Solar on its own cannot be the solution,” Stainforth said, adding that it needs to be coupled with other renewable energies, like wind or hydropower, as part of an integrated electricity system. “When it's very dark, when it’s winter and when it’s night, solar is much less usable,” he noted. Even though solar installations are skyrocketing, some EU countries, including Italy, are lagging behind in building enough renewable generation to meet the EU’s goal of slashing greenhouse gases 55% by 2030, according to Ember.

Spurred by Russia’s war in Ukraine and its own pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, the European Union is aggressively ramping up its use of solar power, installing panels on everything from city rooftops to farmland.

In 2021, solar accounted for just 6% of electricity in the 27-country EU bloc, according to Ember, a climate and energy think tank. However, since Russia cut gas supplies in response to European sanctions over its war in Ukraine, solar has become the fastest-growing source of renewable energy on the continent this year. According to SolarPower Europe, a solar trade association, new solar projects are “set to overshoot even our highest deployment projections for 2022.”

“The EU generated a record 12% of its electricity from solar this summer, helping to avoid a potential €29 billion in fossil gas imports,” Hannah Broadbent, head of communications for Ember, told Yahoo News. And solar’s remarkable growth shows no signs of stopping in the EU, where SolarPower Europe estimates at least 40 gigawatts of capacity will be installed this year, enough to potentially power upwards of 30 million homes.

By comparison, solar contributed less than 3% of U.S. electricity supplies in 2021, although new incentives are prompting more American utilities to follow in European footsteps.

Mario Sánchez-Herrero, founder of the nonprofit solar cooperative Ecooo Energía Ciudadana, who is based in Madrid, told Yahoo News that small-scale generation is also making a big difference. “We're seeing a real revolution of solar in Spain,” he said, adding that small-scale energy production from panels installed at homes or from nearby buildings is generating “the extraordinary amount of two gigawatts per year." And the numbers, he said, are shooting up.

Russia and China have everything to do with the explosion of solar. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine provided impetus to cut dependence on Russian gas for electricity, while China’s manufacturing of photovoltaic panels has dramatically brought down the price. “The cost of solar-powered electricity dropped 90% in a decade, making it one of the cheapest sources of electricity today,” Dries Acke, policy director at SolarPower Europe, told Yahoo News.

In fact, a new study conducted by the Oslobased energy research firm Rystad Energy concluded that, since prices have fallen so low, it would be 10 times cheaper to build new solar capacity in Europe than to continue operating gas-fired power plants.

But Europe’s dependence on China for solar equipment is a potential vulnerability. “China controls a lot of the minerals needed for solar installations and a lot of the manufacturing, which shifted to China over the last 10 years,” said Thorfinn Stainforth, a policy analyst

Meanwhile, not everybody is a fan of “solar farms,” with millions of panels spread over thousands of acres, such as the new Francisco Pizarro solar plant in western Spain, which is currently Europe’s biggest. Ecooo’s Sánchez-Herrero, for one, thinks massive installations defeat the purpose of solar — which can be used by individual homes and communities to give them some energy independence from utilities. At the rate small-scale production is growing in Spain, he believes that his country can meet its renewable energy goals without another large solar plant.

“The big installations are owned by big companies, and they use investment funds, often from foreign countries," he said. “People come in from other countries to make money in Spain, and we don't want this. We want to see energy communities that want cheaper energy and clean energy, and want to be the owners of the way they obtain the energy.”

Some, including former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss, are concerned about solar installations on land that could be farmed. This fall the government of the United Kingdom even briefly flirted with an effective ban on solar farms, based on concerns about arable lands and food security. However, the environment secretary who put the idea forward was fired after Truss’s fall from grace, and the initial signs from the new government suggest it will be more favourably disposed toward solar.

power 'revolution' to solve its energy crisis — and fight climate change

source: Melissa Rossi, Contributor, Yahoo News

South Africa turns to solar to help stop power cuts

source: Julia Fish, New Tech Economy reporter, Johannesburg

Young engineer Nolwazi Zulu says that when she was a teenager she decided that she would "go out and do something" about the regular power cuts that bedevil her community.

Now 25 years old, Ms Zulu is from rural KwazuluNatal on the eastern coast of South Africa.

Like the rest of the country her home province has had to endure frequent blackouts, called "load-shedding", since 2008.

This has been caused by South Africa's aging, state-owned power grid, and its mainly coalfuelled power stations, struggling to keep up with demand.

To try to help solve the problem, and boost its environmental credentials, the South African government is now continuing with efforts to boost the amount of solar-power generation in the country. To do this it is encouraging firms in the sector to tender for contracts.

It currently wants to secure an additional 1,000 megawatts from solar power, enough to provide electricity for approximately one million homes in the country. This is in addition to a desire to boost onshore wind power generation by 1,600 megawatts.

Currently only 11% of South Africa's power comes from renewables, and mostly wind. Just 0.9% so far comes from solar, in a country that gets an average eight to 10 hours of sun every day, compared with the UK's four.

One firm that has won one of the solar bids is Art Solar, the only South African-owned solar panel manufacturer. The word Art stands for "African Renewable Technology".

It is at this company that Ms Zulu works in the design team as she continues to study for a diploma in electrical power engineering at the Durban University of Technology.

In addition to helping the national power grid, she says that solar panels can bring power to the many rural homes that aren't connected to the mains.

"I want to open an Art Solar branch in Ulundi [where she grew up], and bring solar to my village," says Ms Zulu. "It is cheaper and better than how we are living through load-shedding, and will change so many lives."

Durban-based Art Solar started 12 years ago, building solar panels under licence from German firm Bosch. It now manufacturers panels in partnership with fellow German company Talesun for both the South African and international markets.

General manager Viren Gosai says that the government's solar push has given the company the confidence to open a new facility that is capable of producing 650,000 panels per year.

It also supplies private homes and businesses, despite its panels being more expensive than lower-quality imports that don't face any import tariffs.

"Covid-19 and lockdowns were bad in many ways," says Mr Gosai. "But the one positive I noticed is that it made people patriotic."

"People want to buy local, rely on the resources at home, and are loyal."

One high-profile recent contract for Art Solar was providing the solar panels last year for a private hospital in Durban. It means that the Ahmed Al-Kadi Hospital is protected from the risk of power cuts.

Up in East African countries including Tanzania, fellow solar energy firm Zola Electric has a solution to power supply that ignores national grids. Instead of connecting solar panel farms to nationwide power systems, it wants to create independent "mini-grids" for villages and other communities.

Zola's chief executive Bill Lenihan says we need to "move beyond legacy ways of thinking about energy access, especially in Africa".

He adds that in emerging markets, alongside moving from fossil fuels to renewables, people are thinking that having a single energy grid may not work.

"Everyone in their minds was saying: 'We're going to build a grid.' Well you are not building grids.

"One hundred years later in places like Africa people don't have access to working grids, and they are not going to get working grids, because it is a flawed technology for emerging markets. This isn't controversial to say this any more."

South African environmental campaigning organisation Earthlife Africa has been calling for more renewable power in the country for some time.

"We've missed out on investing in solar," says Earthlife director Makoma Lekalakala. "We would be beyond the [power cuts] crisis if we had."

Saudi Arabia to build giant solar power plant

source: Al-Monitor Staff

The plant, which will be partially owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, will have more output than other solar energy facilities in the region if all goes to plan.

The Saudi energy company ACWA Power and the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund will develop and build a 2,060 megawatt solar photovoltaic plant in western Saudi Arabia. ACWA Power and the sovereign wealth fund each own a 50% stake in the project. The plant is expected to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2025, ACWA Power said in a press release.

Why it matters: Solar power is growing in the oil and gas-rich Gulf as regional governments seek to diversify their energy sources. Solar energy is also on the rise in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, albeit on a smaller scale.

The new Saudi plant will have a larger capacity than other major solar plants in the region. The following is a breakdown of large solar projects in other Middle Eastern countries.

Qatar: The Al Kharsaah solar power plant was inaugurated last month and has an 800 megawatt capacity.

United Arab Emirates: The Shams solar field was launched in 2013 and has a capacity of 100 megawatts.

Egypt: The Benban solar power plant near the Aswan dam was inaugurated in 2019. Its capacity is 2,000 megawatts.

Know more: The Public Investment Fund has unveiled several new projects this November. Yesterday, the fund’s electric vehicle company, Ceer, bought land for a factory. The sovereign wealth fund also recently unveiled plans to build a new renewable energy-powered airport in Riyadh.

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Nolwazi Zulu, an electrical power engineer, wants to do her bit to stop South Africa experiencing blackouts

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The comprehensive Geo-data will be used by wind farm developers as input for preliminary engineering design studies and future tenders, and will also be available for power cable design, archaeology and marine biology investigations.

Specialist geotechnical vessels from the Fugro fleet will commence the surveys in March 2023 and continue into the fourth quarter of 2023; further processing, laboratory testing and reporting of results will take well into 2024.

Peter-Paul Lebbink, RVO’s Coordinator Soil Characterisation, commented: “By awarding this extensive geotechnical survey, RVO is taking another important step in the realisation of the Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap 2030. We are looking forward to receiving high quality geotechnical results in 3 different Dutch offshore wind farm zones from Fugro”.

Fugro has been awarded two geotechnical investigation contracts for the development of the Dutch IJmuiden Ver Site V-VI, Nederwiek (zuid) Site I and Hollandse Kust (west) Site VIII offshore wind zones. This is the largest campaign undertaken by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) to date and part of the accelerated development by the Dutch Government in line with the Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap 2030. Once completed, the wind farms will deliver a total installed capacity of circa 4.7 GW.

The fieldwork will comprise investigations of the seabed and subsurface undertaken using state-of-the-art techniques and innovations, including Fugro’s SEACALF® Mk V DeepDrive® system for seabed cone penetration tests and WISON® Mk V Ecodrive. Fugro’s data delivery platform will provide secure and easy client access. Increased laboratory capacity onboard the vessels will ensure faster processing of results. Subsequent extensive laboratory testing will take place in Fugro’s recently extended laboratories in the UK and Belgium.

RWE CEO Markus Krebber said:

“We are delighted to have been awarded this opportunity by the Dutch government. Winning this offshore site marks RWE’s entry into the Dutch offshore wind market, one of our key strategic growth markets in Europe.

HKW VII is one of the two designated sites in the 1.4GW HKW offshore wind farm zone.

German energy company RWE has won the tender to build the 700MW Hollandse Kust West (HKW) VII project in the North Sea.

Located roughly 53km off the Dutch coast, the 700MW HKW VII is one of the two designated sites in the 1.4GW HKW offshore wind farm zone.

“Hollandse Kust West VII will seriously contribute to the energy transition by producing green electricity for almost one million Dutch homes.

“With our innovative concept we developed a blueprint for a new generation of offshore wind farms, which can be perfectly integrated into the energy system.”

Hollandse Kust West VII will have the capacity generate 760MW of renewable power that will be sufficient to power nearly one million Dutch households.

Downing wins contract for 28 UK solar sites

Erik Jan Bijvank, Fugro’s Group Director Europe & Africa stated: “We are delighted to have been awarded this important project and support the Dutch Government in achieving its new fast track sustainability goals. Our unique combination of technical capabilities, resources, innovations and talented people underlines our commitment to secure a safe and liveable world by delivering the best possible data to assist with the energy transition”.

These awards were already partly included in Fugro’s 12-month backlog as per September 2022.

HKW VII energy will be also combined with electrolyser to produce green hydrogen as well as other flexible demand solutions like e-boilers and battery storage.

Additionally, RWE intends to integrate HKW VII offshore wind farm with floating solar panels to make efficient use of ocean space.

The permit was awarded by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), which identified that RWE’s design provides an optimal solution that integrates clean energy from the offshore wind farms into the Dutch energy system.

The offshore facility is expected to come online no later than five years and support the Dutch government’s offshore wind target of 21GW of capacity by 2030 and 70GW by 2050.

In addition to Hollandse Kust West VII, RWE has also submitted its bid for HKW VI with an ecological concept, and the outcome of this tender is expected later this year.

RWE

wins Dutch tender to build 700MW offshore wind farm in North Sea

Fugro

secures two Dutch offshore wind site investigation contracts

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Google Buys Scottish Offshore Wind Power

ENGIE and Google have entered into a 12year, 100 MW corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA) supporting the Moray West offshore wind development in Scotland.

ENGIE will provide Google with more than 5 TWh of green power from the Moray West project, a nearly 900 MW offshore wind farm set to begin generating power from 2025.

”People across the UK and Europe are increasingly worried about climate change and energy security. We share that concern and believe technology is an important part of the solution – both by reducing our own emissions, and by helping others to reduce their own,” said Matt Brittin, President of Google EMEA,

”This new investment in UK renewable energy brings us one step closer to reaching our goal of operating entirely on carbon-free energy by 2030, and means that, in the UK, we’ll be running on at or near 90% carbon-free energy in 2025.”

Moray West is part of the portfolio being developed by Ocean Winds, a 50/50 joint venture owned by EDPR Renewables and ENGIE, dedicated to offshore wind.

Mammoet wins Dogger Bank lifting contract

GE Renewable Energy has selected Mammoet UK to supply onshore heavy lifting and transport for the staging and assembly of turbine components for Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

Mammoet will employ multiple lifting and transport crews for simultaneous operations to support with the loading of equipment and tower assembly in the marshalling harbour, a key piece in constructing the project.

The team will utilise cranes and self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT) axles at Able Seaton Port, the Dogger Bank Wind Farm marshalling harbour.

GE will start preparing the marshalling harbour and receiving components at the end of 2022.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a joint venture between SSE Renewables, Equinor and Vargronn.

Located in the Moray Firth, off the coast of Scotland, the project will deliver 882 MW of renewable green energy.

”This PPA represents the realisation of offshore wind as a powerful source of energy capable of meeting the high energy demands and carbon neutrality targets of countries and clients,” said Bautista Rodriguez, Ocean Winds’ Chief Executive Officer.

”Ocean Winds is proud to accompany Google in this journey and work hand in hand with ENGIE for this successful commercial outcome. Currently developing, building, or operating more than 6 GW of offshore wind projects in the UK, Ocean Winds participates actively in the necessary transition to clean energy.”

The Moray West project will be located over 22 kilometres from the Moray Council coast in the northeast of Scotland and is expected to produce its first power in 2024.

The wind farm will feature 60 SIemens Gamesa’s SG 14-222 DD wind turbines with an individual capacity of 14.7 MW.

The offshore wind farm is developed and majority-owned by Ocean Winds, with Lithuania’s Ignitis Group holding a minority share in the project.

”We are very pleased to support Google in its progress towards its carbon-free target.

As a major player in PPAs, ENGIE designs innovative green corporate PPAs for off-takers from offshore wind, thanks to the strong development of Ocean Winds, as we do for our onshore renewable projects. This contract demonstrates the strength of the Group’s renewable portfolio, with 37 GW of renewable assets, a major advantage for our customers in their decarbonisation strategy,” said Paulo Almirante, ENGIE Senior EVP in charge of Renewables, Energy Management and Nuclear Activities.

GE Project Director for the Dogger Bank Wind Farm Nathan Fahey said: “We are delighted to announce that we have selected Mammoet UK as our cranes and logistics supplier for the Dogger Bank Wind Farm.

“The cranes and associated equipment the company will provide and operate for us will be essential to the smooth operation of our marshalling harbour on Teesside, where 277 sets of blades, nacelles and towers of our Haliade-X wind turbines will be erected and transit over the course of the project. We believe Mammoet has the right expertise and equipment to be an excellent partner for us.”

Darren Adams, Mammoet’s Group Commercial Officer, added: “Mammoet is delighted to work in close partnership with GE to help build the world’s largest offshore wind farm. The

Sembcorp Marine subsidiary Sembmarine SLP has secured a Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) contract from Orsted for the Hornsea 2 Offshore Wind Farm Offshore substation and reactive compensation station.

This exclusive contract signifies Sembmarine SLP’s strategic transition from fabricator to maintenance service provider of offshore renewable solutions

The PPM contract involves the maintenance and servicing of the low voltage (LV) and ancillary systems on both assets with provisions for further service extension. The award of the PPM contract follows the successful fabrication of the OSS and RCS in Singapore by Sembcorp Marine Offshore Platforms and subsequent completion of the offshore installation, hook-up and commissioning of these platforms on-site at the Hornsea 2 Offshore Wind Farm by Sembmarine SLP at end March 2022.

Despite the challenges and constraints, both subsidiaries were able to complete the project on time and within budget, while meeting the customer’s stringent requirements for quality, safety and performance.

The 1.3GW Hornsea 2 Offshore Wind Farm, which became fully operational at end August 2022, is expected to contribute significantly to Orsted’s goal of installing 30GW of offshore wind assets by 2030.

project is a large step towards a net-zero future, delivering a boost for the local economy and wider 2030 and 2050 emissions targets.

"By utilising Mammoet’s strong presence in the UK, headquartered from Teesside, backed up by its network of international engineering hubs, we will enable the delivery of clean, cost-efficient energy to around six million homes.”

Sembmarine wins Hornsea maintenance contract

ON THE MOVE SPONSORED

BY

www.normanbroadbent.com

We have a simple and straightforward objective: to help our clients manage and successfully drive change, mitigate risk, grow, and succeed.

Chris Smith, Partner International Power, Renewables & Utilities practice.

Chris assists investors, developers, asset owners and service providers with executive recruitment (C-suite / SVP / Director levels), leadership assessment and planning proactively for future challenges around human capital.

Prior to Norman Broadbent, Chris worked for a smaller boutique search firm and gained broad experience supporting clients across EMEA, the Americas and Asia Pacific within the following sub-sectors: utilities (water/gas/electricity), offshore/ onshore wind, nuclear, hydrogen, CCUS, waste to energy, conventional power, energy storage, EV infrastructure and industrial engineering.

ITM Power has appointed Dennis Schulz as CEO, with the appointment to be effective from 1 December, 2022.

Schulz moves to ITM Power from Linde Engineering, a division of Linde, where he has been Managing Director since 2020. He brings with him over 14 years of experience working with Linde Engineering across a wide variety of functions including project execution, Head of Strategy and CFO.

He has been closely involved in ITM Power’s strategic relationship with Linde and in his current capacity has already established strong relationships with the ITM team in Sheffield. Holding a Master of Science degree and an Executive MBA, he has significant experience in the market for green hydrogen and decarbonisation.

Schulz said: “I believe in ITM’s core technology and in the important role green hydrogen will play in the energy transition. I welcome the opportunity to help ITM steer a successful path from the development of first-of-a-kind technology to becoming a highly efficient and reliable technology and manufacturing company.

“He’s the kind of skilled and thoughtful person you want leading a project.”

2Eco energy giant

Iberdrola announced the appointment of Armando Martinez a new CEO

Iberdrola Business CEO to take the helm of the Spanish renewables energy giant as chairman and chief executive roles are split Armando Martinez, a long-standing executive of Spanish energy group Iberdrola, has been named the new CEO of the global green power giant.

This comes as 72-year-old Ignacio Galan, CEO and Chairman for the last 16 years, steps down as CEO, marking the first time the roles of chairman and chief executive have been split.

This separation of CEO and Chairman roles comes at a time when some governments have moved to bring into force windfall taxes on energy companies they believe are significantly profiting from higher prices. Martinez, who currently serves as Business CEO, steps into the shoes of 72-year-old Galan – one of the highest-profile figures in the global power and renewables industry.

appoints Jenny Howard as its

In her new role, Jenny will lead EDF Renewables’ development team in Ireland, as it looks to develop wind and solar farms across the country and capitalise on a development pipeline of around 1GW.

Jenny has almost 15 years’ experience in renewable energy, and has been involved in the delivery of almost 300MW of onshore wind on the island of Ireland to date.

A chartered engineer, she also holds an MSc in Renewable Energy Systems. She was previously EDF Renewables’ Development Manager for Ireland, and prior to joining the company held project management roles with Gaelectric and Wind Prospect.

Commenting on her new role, Jenny Howard, Head of Development at EDF Renewables Ireland, said: “I’m delighted to be taking on this new role at what is an exciting time for our business and the future of renewables in Ireland."

4SSE Renewables has appointed Dan Pearson as Director of Business Development

SSE Renewables has appointed Dan Pearson as Director of Business Development, reporting directly to Managing Director Stephen Wheeler as part of the Renewables Executive Committee.

Dan joins the business from RCG (The Renewables Consulting Group), where he was Director and Chief Strategy Officer. Dan has a background in marine engineering and has particular expertise in the origination and development of wind, solar and hydro projects.

ITM announces appointment of new CEO

Xlinks has announced that Fabienne Serfaty has been appointed to its Board of Directors as Non-Executive Direct, effective immediately.

Fabienne has been a Trustee to several NGOs in the UK including Clientearth Environmental Lawyers, Ashoka Social Entrepreneurs and the Fredericks Foundation. She is a frequent lecturer and speaker on the topics of sustainability, impact investment and social entrepreneurship.

Henriette Holm brings more than 25 years of experience with Ørsted, and its predecessor organisation, working across transactions, partnerships, asset management and project development in different geographies.

Henriette currently serves as Ørsted’s Head of Project Development and Programmes in the UK and has been instrumental in developing the Hornsea offshore wind projects which are some of the largest in the world. She will transition into her new role in November and will be based in Ørsted’s Tokyo office from 1 January 2023.

Per Mejnert Kristensen, President of Ørsted Asia Pacific, says: “Japan continues to be a strategically important growth market for Ørsted in which we expect the build-out of offshore wind, and renewable energy in general, to significantly accelerate in the coming years. Henriette’s vast experience in working with the largest offshore wind projects in the world will be a huge advantage for us as we look to further strengthen our position in Japan.”

Henriette Holm says: “Japan is an ambitious and exciting market for renewable energy. I look forward to growing Ørsted’s business with our local partners and stakeholders to develop offshore wind projects and contribute to the country’s green energy transition.”

Verlume, a specialist in clean energy system integration, intelligent energy management and energy storage, has appointed Robert Heron to the new role of Product Manager to help position the business for growth at scale. Robert will work to align the company’s capabilities within intelligent energy management with the customer requirements across multiple industry sectors, including the subsea energy transition, offshore wind and the defence and security segments.

Petrofac names Tareq Kawash as new Chief Executive, Sami Iskander to step down. Mr Kawash will be appointed group chief executive in April next year, following an orderly handover

UK’s engineering and construction giant Petrofac has named Tareq Kawash as its new group chief executive, with Sami Iskander, the company’s current boss, expected to step down by March next year.

Petrofac said that Kawash "will be appointed group chief executive from 1 April 2023, following an orderly handover".

“Tareq will also be appointed as an executive

Morris joined Equinor in 2008 and has since taken on a variety of important roles in the company. Currently serving under Espedal Kindem as Special Advisor, Morris has held multiple leadership positions within Equinor, both in the U.S. and in Norway. Her experience includes overseeing one of the company’s commodities trading desks in Stamford, CT and, prior to returning to the U.S., as Senior Vice President, Crude, Liquids and Products inNorway. Morris has been a leader in the company’s priority focus on sustainability. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Villanova University.

“One of my main priorities has been to build a strong leadership team and to find a local successor for my position to continue shaping and guiding the development of our US renewables business. Molly has established a strong track record of success in each position she has held at Equinor and is ideally placed to take on this role,” said Siri Espedal Kindem, President Equinor Wind US. “As Special Advisor for the past five months, she has had the opportunity to learn about the growing renewables business and become deeply involved in the development of Equinor’s offshore wind business in the US, ensuring a smooth leadership transition.”

director to Petrofac’s board of directors at that time,” a company statement said.

In his most recent role, Kawash was McDermott’s senior vice president of its onshore and offshore business lines, helming a major turnaround process at the Houstonheadquartered company.

“With 30 years’ international EPC leadership experience, and an impressive business development track record, Tareq (Kawash) is exceptionally well placed to build on the foundations laid by Sami,” said Petrofac.

His appointment comes at a time when the engineering, procurement and construction contractor is aiming to reposition itself in the Middle East, most prominently in the United Arab Emirates.

ON THE MOVE SPONSORED BY

Global offshore wind leader Ørsted announces the appointment of Henriette Holm as its new Country Manager for Japan

8Equinor announces that Molly Morris will serve as the new President of Equinor Wind US, who will take on a new exciting opportunity within Equinor

6 7Xlinks announces the appointment of a new board member

New product manager role to bolster Verlume’s capabilities, as intelligent energy management system rebranded

www.westwoodenergy.com

Westwood Global Energy Group

Westwood Global Energy Group are specialist providers of detailed market intelligence for the offshore energy sector, covering; offshore rigs, production facilities, subsea equipment, subsea services, offshore marine and offshore renewables and power.

Supermajors: What to do with all the cash

The global energy crisis has been brewing since the last quarter of 2021, caused by a mix of factors, including resurgent demand after the lifting of lockdown, bad weather, and disruptions to supply chains. It is impacting all areas of the energy market and all geographies. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has added further flames to the fire with volatility across the global oil, gas, LNG, coal, and power markets. The impact has been felt most in Europe, partly due to its exposure to Russian gas.

While oil prices have shown volatility and reached their highest level since 2014, the relative volatility has been weaker in comparison to the power and gas markets, which has shown massive swings in pricing in Europe this year.

Higher prices drive a resurgent oil and gas industry

This year’s higher commodity prices have given the oil and gas sector renewed vigour. Offshore drilling rig fleet utilisation is at highs not witnessed since 2014, following the rise in crude prices. At the same time global upstream engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract award value has returned to prepandemic levels amidst higher commodity prices. The outlook, based on what we can see from operators, is also very strong, with the average EPC spend over the next five years elevated compared to previous years.

The issue now is whether the industry can deliver these projects due to issues around supply chain disruption, inflation, commodity price volatility etc., which is making the final investment decision (FID) harder to make, as highlighted by Equinor’s recent postponement of the Wisting project.

Despite doubts on the delivery of these projects, this is still an incredible turnaround for an industry that has been questioning the future of its core business. Oil and gas companies are looking for more hydrocarbons, and they are confident enough in the demand outlook to bet large amounts of shareholder money on it.

What we are essentially seeing is an industry that is being flooded with cash – more than it knows what to do with.

When comparing the cash profiles of the Supermajors (BP, Chevron, Exxon, Shell, and TotalEnergies) in the first nine months of last year against the same period this year, a couple of interesting factors emerge. Operating cash flow has increased by 70% and Capex has increased by over 25%. However, shareholder pay-outs have more than doubled at the same time, therefore the focus is not just about spending more but also about rewarding shareholders.

Of note is that the Supermajors had a surplus of US$65 billion in the first nine months of 2022. Therefore, these companies have considerable scope to increase Capex, shareholder pay-outs and/or debt repayments at faster rates than has been seen over the past twelve months. On current trends, the supermajors in aggregate could have zero net debt by the end of 2023 if cash continues to build-up on their balance sheets at current rates.

With the oil and gas pipeline already theoretically ‘full’, the question is whether the Supermajors can realistically spend more money here or should these businesses instead be pivoting faster towards the Energy Transition, now they have the cash?

At the same time the scale of the cashflow surplus has attracted the attention of politicians. Windfall taxes have already been imposed in some countries such as the UK, and there is the potential that more countries will follow.

However, an issue that has been highlighted by the Supermajors is that there are limited sizable investment opportunities available in the Energy Transition. Projects related to hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS) – key growth areas for these companies – are at a nascent stage of their development. Acquisitions might be the way to bridge the gap. BP’s US$4.1 billion take-over of the bioenergy business Archaea last month is a good example of this.

Return of the Energy Trilemma

There is another dilemma that has come back to haunt the world, and that is the Energy Trilemma. This envisions creating an energy

system that provides energy that is sustainable, secure, and affordable. The Great Energy Crisis has shown us that this Trilemma has perhaps been out of balance, certainly in Europe. That conversation is now changing but it is also leaving governments with some difficult choices.

Looking at the UK for example. Proudly the first major economy to commit in law to net zero by 2050. And the UK has some pretty big ambitions in the medium term; reduce upstream O&G emissions by 50%, bring 50GW of offshore wind and 10GW of hydrogen online, and capture 2030mtCO2 per year by 2030.

In theory what should be happening is that hydrocarbon supply and demand declines, while the gap between the two is filled with imports – at least this has been the case since around 2008. However, that reliance on imports has meant exposure to a volatile gas market, which in turn is impacting electricity and gas prices to consumers. It has required one of the largest subsidy regimes to protect customers and businesses from going under.

At the same time, the government has launched a new oil and gas licencing round. Better to plug the import gap with your own oil and gas and produce it in a lower emissions way. Perfect, is it not?

The reality of course is that you need to find new oil and gas in the first place, and in the last decade it has taken five years from discovery to first production. That is way too late to help consumers. The UK, and other countries in Europe, will need to import oil and gas for the foreseeable future.

The question going forward is, what will governments do, to provide that secure, affordable, and sustainable energy their economies need? Certainly, in the case of the UK, Rishi Sunak – the UK’s latest Prime Minister – went to COP27 and “promised to speed up the UK's transition to renewable energy”. That is arguably the quickest way to transition and to meet the criteria of the Energy Trilemma.

Is the Energy Transition speeding up or slowing down?

So, we have a global energy crisis and governments reacting to it in different ways. Where does that leave the Energy Transition? There are some factors slowing it down and others speeding it up.

First the factors putting the brakes on the transition. As nations have struggled to meet energy demand, the spending on fossil fuels has increased (including for countries that have net

ET Insight – What does the global energy crisis mean for the Energy Transition?

zero targets), as the desire for energy security has become an overriding factor. Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, geopolitical rifts have been deepened at a time when global cooperation has become more essential to tackling climate change – the world is not on target to meet the Paris Agreement goals. A worsening macroeconomic picture and rampant inflation, raising the cost of deployment and creating uncertainty in demand, could also styme the necessary investments and risk-taking needed to accelerate the new technology build-out. The cost of some renewables has risen for the first time after a long downward trajectory.

On the other hand, there are also several positive signs. The EU has been doubling down on the transition, both through its Fit for 55 and Re-Power EU initiatives, that have a central aim of decoupling from Russian gas and accelerating the adoption of renewables (and other clean energies such as green hydrogen). The US Inflation Reduction Act, passed into law this August, is set to boost a whole range of clean energies through a $391 billion funding plan. Emerging economies and large future polluters are also continuing to commit to climate action, with India publishing its long-term emissions strategy to reach net zero by 2070 at the COP27 conference. COP27 itself has also had a more positive tone (at the time of writing) than commentators had expected. Corporations continue to pursue their net zero goals with ever greater vigour, with corporate power purchase agreements for renewable power at record highs.

The overarching driver for the transition is how governments are going to react to today’s crisis, setting the policy framework for investment going forward. More change is to be expected as the crisis unfolds, but what are policies being implemented today set to do for the future energy mix?

‘Stated policies’ are favouring renewables

The latest IEA Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS), published October 2022, shows the impact of recent policy changes on global energy supply. This scenario does not indicate a full paradigm shift to make net zero by 2050 imaginable but shows how quickly things are changing. If governments are in the driving seat, is what they are doing now having an impact on the trajectory of the world? The short answer is yes.

The STEPS scenario – one of the IEA’s more conservative ones – considers existing policies and ones under development right now (rather than grand future goals), to see what this would mean for the global energy mix. It’s considered a realistic way of looking at the market and provides, in our opinion, a useful reality check.

While all fossil fuels (coal in particular) are near term winners, this is reversed in the coming eight years. By 2030 a little less oil is needed than had initially been forecast back in the STEPS scenario of the World Energy Outlook of 2021. More importantly, natural gas is hit significantly with supply peaking by the end of this decade. Instead, renewables play a much bigger role globally.

Governments are looking to reduce their exposure to natural gas and favour renewables in their place. There are a lot of regional nuances to this story, with great declines in the US and Europe while in emerging economies gas demand

continues to rise, but as a global picture it is stark. This scenario won’t get you to net zero, but it does say one thing: watch out for the further acceleration of renewables.

Spotlight on floating offshore wind

To support this acceleration, there are several renewable technologies set for growth. Some, like solar, are well established, competitive, and growing fast. Others are still in their infancy, including floating offshore wind. This technology has the potential to democratise offshore power for the entire world and be the foundation of an ocean industrial revolution, but right now operational capacity stands at 130MW, which is just enough to power a village.

That being said, Westwood is currently tracking 127GW of projects being developed or have plans announced. From an industry with almost nothing, this is an incredible outlook and represents around $335 billion EPC value opportunity (turbines, foundations, cables etc,). That is $100 billion more than what has been spent on the entire Offshore wind industry to date.

In the coming years, the offshore floating wind industry is expected to grow fast. Initially in

places like South Korea, the UK, Spain, and China. But it faces many challenges, notably that it’s more expensive than traditional fixed bottom wind, there are still over 80 different technology designs (whose technical limits are untested), and a new supply chain needs building out. Will technologies such as this flourish or forever be a niche?

In

the midst of every crisis, lies great

opportunity

The first true global energy crisis is having a profound impact on the trajectory of the energy industry. It has brought the concept of the Energy Trilemma back into the frame, with governments and corporates – and the resurgent oil and gas sector in particular – confronted with difficult choices on how to react.

With an increased level of uncertainty, the Energy Transition faces several barriers in the short term. But decisions governments are making today favour a speeding up of the transition, to the benefit of the deployment of renewables (at the expense of natural gas). This is not a paradigm shift to allow the world to reach net zero by 2050, but the crisis is certainly helping to put things in the right direction.

Transforming the future of