Saving Seafood

VIRGINIA: As offshore wind installation rises, Dominion showcases environmental, economic benefits

June 25, 2024 — On a recent summer day, under blue skies, a 272-feet tall, 31-feet wide, 1,500-ton steel cylinder was being pushed into the ocean floor 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach.

The process will be repeated for months as Dominion Energy builds the country’s largest offshore wind project.

“It’s really cool,” said John Larson, director of public policy and economic development for Dominion, who was watching the action from a boat about 1,600 feet away. “In your career, you don’t get to work on a lot of 10-year projects and actually see it happen.”

Larson and others involved in the $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project were showcasing the project’s construction and economic benefits while trying to allay environmental concerns during a tour of the work with area reporters.

The State Corporation Commission, Virginia’s utility regulators, approved the project seen as critical in the transition to renewable energy in the summer of 2022 as part of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which requires the state’s two largest electricity utilities to decarbonize the grid by 2050.

Read the full article at the Virginia Mercury

Green sand threatens Biden’s offshore wind ambition

June 25, 2024 — A green mineral scattered along the Atlantic Ocean’s seafloor is the latest hurdle for President Joe Biden’s plan to jump-start the offshore wind industry.

Glauconite is sediment that resembles the green sand in a fish tank. But if pounded by pile drivers, it shatters to form a claylike layer.

Monopiles — hollow steel tubes driven deep into the seafloor to support turbine towers — often cannot be hammered through the thick paste, cutting off the cheapest and most widely preferred foundation for the first U.S. offshore wind farms.

“It’s almost like magic what happens when the monopile is driven through it,” said George Hagerman, an offshore wind expert at the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. “It all of a sudden becomes very, very, sticky, almost like plaster.”

Identified in several offshore wind lease areas in the north Atlantic, the mineral poses a growing hazard to offshore wind projects that already face high costs and razor thin margins. At least four wind lease areas off the coast of New England and New York — Beacon Wind, Empire Wind, New England Wind and Sunrise Wind — have all have grappled with glauconite.

Read the full article at E&E News

Community Offshore Wind Joins Science Center for Marine Fisheries

June 25, 2024 — The Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS) has accepted Community Offshore Wind as the latest company to join the center as a member of its Industry Advisory Board (IAB).

Community Offshore Wind, a joint venture of RWE and National Grid Ventures, currently holds the largest offshore wind lease area in the New York Bight. As the project is developed, the venture hopes to balance the needs of existing ocean users and the wind power sector.

Read the full article at North American Wind Power

VIRGINIA: Virginia offshore wind project underway as environmental studies continue

June 24, 2024 — As Nature Conservancy marine scientist Brendan Runde motored into the Atlantic Ocean to study fish about 27 miles offshore from Virginia Beach, two 600-foot-tall wind turbines appeared in the distance. They steadily grew on the horizon, until one of them was towering over the comparatively tiny C-Hawk fishing boat Runde steered.

To catch the fish he was there to tag for his study, Runde had to keep the boat right beside the massive pilon — as the equally massive turbine blades swept by overhead.

“There’s 100 or 130 feet between the tip of the blade and the boat, but it doesn’t feel like that much when that thing’s coming down,” Runde said. “So, that’s pretty cool to experience.”

Runde is one of many scientists eager to fill in the remaining knowledge gaps around how the country’s growing offshore wind industry affects the environment. The turbine he was visiting was one of two “demonstration” units built in advance of Dominion Energy’s enormous Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) installation. Its construction got underway in earnest in May after the project received its final federal permit.

Once finished, with an estimated completion date of late 2026, it will be the largest wind energy installation in the U.S., in terms of both size and energy output. Its 176 turbines and three offshore substations will cover 112,800 acres, and it is expected to generate 2.6 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power at least 650,000 homes.

The project is in response to Virginia’s Clean Energy Act. The 2020 law demands that Dominion Energy deliver 100% of its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2045.

“Cutting emissions is important from a climate change perspective,” said Chris Moore, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Virginia executive director. “So, these types of projects can help reduce our impact on Chesapeake Bay resources, improve water quality, and help us meet our Bay goals.”

“I’m not sure that we can’t have it all,” he added. “I think it’s a matter of making sure that we site these things correctly, making sure that we try to reduce our impact on other resources.”

Read the full article at the Bay Journal

Community Offshore Wind Joins Science Center for Marine Fisheries; First Offshore Wind Developer to Join

June 24, 2024 — The following was released by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries:

The Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS) is pleased to announce that Community Offshore Wind is the latest company to join the Center as a member of its Industry Advisory Board (IAB). The company is the first offshore wind developer to join SCEMFIS.

Community Offshore Wind, a joint venture of RWE and National Grid Ventures, holds the largest offshore wind lease area in the New York Bight, the area between New York and New Jersey. As it works to bring clean energy from offshore wind to homes and businesses across the region, the project is focused on engaging with local communities, promoting dialogue and cooperation with the region’s fishing industry, and working to balance the needs of existing ocean users and the emerging offshore wind power sector.

“Community Offshore Wind is committed to successful coexistence with commercial and recreational fisheries,” said Deirdre Boelke, Fisheries Manager for Community Offshore Wind. “We support SCEMFIS’ approach of science and industry working together for sustainable fisheries, and believe that the growth of offshore wind in the US is an opportunity for the fishing industry, researchers, and developers to identify innovative solutions to build resilient fisheries facing impacts of climate change and other challenges.”

As a member of the Center, Community Offshore Wind will work with representatives of the fishing industry on the IAB to approve and fund needed research on finfish and shellfish. In addition to focusing on how these fish stocks are impacted by a changing climate, the company is also advocating for research on how to improve resiliency in key East Coast fisheries, and other steps to mitigate any potential impacts of offshore wind development.

In the time since Community Offshore Wind joined SCEMFIS, the Center has already begun funding research to help ensure the future viability of surfclam fisheries in the Northeast, with a total of $28,000 allocated to surfclam and shellfish enhancement research.

“We welcome the expertise that Community Offshore Wind will bring as the first offshore wind developer to join our organization,” said Tom Dameron, the Government Relations and Fisheries Science Liaison of Surfside Seafood Products and a SCEMFIS IAB member. “They have taken the first step towards working with us to conduct important research that supports sustainable fisheries and ecosystems, and we hope that other wind developers will follow their lead and similarly engage with the fishing industry.”

By joining SCEMFIS, Community Offshore Wind will benefit from the research and expertise of the universities participating in the Center. This includes leading marine scientists and researchers, as well as a talented pool of students and interns with backgrounds in marine biology, fluid dynamics, socioeconomics, and computer science. It allows for direct collaboration with fishing industry representatives, and direct input on developing and funding research projects, while lowering overhead research costs. Community Offshore Wind will also have access to the peer-reviewed research the Center regularly produces.

For its part, Community Offshore Wind brings to the Center deep expertise in cooperative fisheries research, fisheries management, and the regulatory process, making the Center the ideal collaborative forum for the offshore wind and fishing industries to work together.

Community Offshore Wind is also collaborating proactively with local commercial and recreational fishermen to protect ocean ecosystems, and has developed initiatives to mitigate potential impacts to the fishing industry since its launch. The developer continues to work with the Rotary Club of Huntington and Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program to restore oyster reefs on Long Island; donated over 90,000 meals of local, sustainable seafood to food banks throughout New Jersey and New York; and is developing project design elements to support coexistence with fisheries.

They are also the first offshore wind developer to sign a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a partnership that will transform environmental monitoring for offshore wind projects and increase transparency between researchers and developers.

Ninth Large Offshore Wind Farm Approved for Construction by U.S. BOEM

June 24, 2024 — The pace of approvals continues after years of review with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management today approving the ninth commercial-scale offshore wind farm. The project known as Sunrise Wind is currently jointly owned by Ørsted and Eversource Energy, although Eversource has agreed to sell its shares as part of a strategy for existing offshore wind investments.

“BOEM’s approval of the Sunrise Wind project represents another step in building a thriving offshore wind energy industry,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. The bureau issued its approval for the Construction and Operation Plan today after the Department of the Interior in March 2024 published its Record of Decision on the project.

These are the final steps for federal approval for the wind farm which will have a capacity of 924 MW. Sunrise Wind also recently finalized its agreements with NYSERDA on the project’s 25-year Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificates (OREC) contract. The COP which was approved today outlines the project’s one nautical mile turbine spacing, the requirements on the construction methodology for all work occurring in federal ocean waters, and mitigation measures to protect marine habitats and species.

“Sunrise Wind is a centerpiece of New York’s clean energy vision, and with this final federal approval we can officially put the construction phase in motion,” said David Hardy, Group EVP and CEO Americas at Ørsted. “BOEM’s approval is an important milestone not just for New York but also for America’s domestic energy sector.”

Read the full article at The Maritime Executive

NEW YORK: Offshore construction on Sunrise Wind set to begin this year

June 24, 2024 — Giving the green light for offshore construction of New York’s largest offshore wind farm to begin, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today announced its approval of Sunrise Wind’s plan for construction and operations. This is the project’s final approval from BOEM, following the Department of the Interior’s March 2024 Record of Decision on the project.

“BOEM’s approval of the Sunrise Wind project represents another step in building a thriving offshore wind energy industry,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “The Biden-Harris administration continues to demonstrate its commitment to advancing responsible projects like Sunrise Wind as part of our strategy to foster good paying jobs for local communities, ignite economic development, and fight the harmful effects of climate change.”

The Sunrise Wind project—to be located south of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and east of Block Island, Rhode Island—will have a total capacity of 924 MW of energy that could power more than 320,000 homes per year. The project will support more than 800 direct jobs each year during the construction phase and about 300 jobs annually during the operations phase.

Sunrise Wind will help New York achieve its mandate of 70% renewable electricity by 2030, while accelerating the state’s growing offshore wind workforce and supply chain. Sunrise Wind will create 800 direct New York jobs, thousands of indirect jobs, and economic benefits from the Capital Region to Long Island – including a $700 million investment in Suffolk County alone.

“With the final approval of Sunrise Wind and the recent completion of South Fork Wind, it is clear that New York is leading the nation in building the offshore wind industry,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “We’re grateful for the Biden Administration’s commitment to advancing clean energy projects, and New York will continue to build a green economy, create good-paying jobs, and combat the climate crisis.”

Read the full article at the Marine Log

Gulf of Maine & Norwegian fishermen voice wind concerns

June 17, 2024 — Gulf of Maine fishermen are feeling stressed as the plan for hundreds of offshore wind turbines continues to move forward. Eight leases will be held in the large area that has been fished for many generations off the New England coast. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently released the eight proposed areas that will be auctioned this fall.

If the area gets totally developed, it would be nearly 1 million acres. The project addresses large-scale environmental concerns regarding the power and uncertainty of fish species in the area. According to Global Seafood, while the process of developing widely supported offshore wind farms in the Gulf of Maine has been years in the making- and another decade could pass before any floating wind turbines become operational- simply entering the lease auction phase has some commercial fishermen fearing the worst.

Jerry Leeman, a former commercial fisherman and the CEO of the New England Fishermen Stewardship Association (NEFSA), told Global Seafood, “There’s not enough data to support the areas that have been chosen for wind development. As now laid out, the plan could take away valuable fishing grounds from New England’s fishing fleet, post navigational hazards, and create new environmental threats.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Conservative groups cleared to continue legal fight to protect whales from Biden-backed offshore wind farm

June 17, 2024 — A coalition of conservative organizations has standing to continue fighting a Biden administration wind project in Virginia, a federal judge determined.

However, U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan of the District of Columbia, a Biden appointee, denied the plaintiff’s petition for a preliminary injunction to halt construction of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project from going forward.

On Thursday, the plaintiffs withdrew a petition for an expedited appeal to the D.C. Circuit Court for a narrow decision on the injunction but will continue the case to stop the construction, one attorney said.

The plaintiffs sued the Biden administration and Dominion Energy to protect the North Atlantic right whale under the Endangered Species Act.

Read the full article at Fox News

Launch of US wind installation vessel masks critical shortage

June 17, 2024 — The launch of the first U.S.-built wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) in April marked an important milestone for the offshore wind sector. Commissioned by U.S. utility Dominion Energy, the 472-foot ‘Charybdis’ will be fully operational by early 2025 and will first be used to install Dominion’s 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.

The Charybdis is a positive step for the burgeoning U.S. offshore wind industry but several other vessels are needed to fill a widening supply gap that is holding back developers. Slow buildout of U.S. supply chain and port infrastructure and a lack of clarity over leasing and permitting schedules has hampered developers and deterred some investors.

The U.S. needs four-to-six turbine installation vessels to meet the 30 GW offshore wind target set by President Biden for 2030, according to the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Read the full article at Reuters