March 19 NEC Energy News
¶ “More And Faster Offshore Wind Is The Aim Of Maersk’s New ‘Rube Goldberg’ Workboat” • Maersk Supply Service has new type of “next-generation Wind Installation Vessel.” It will haul the WIV out to a wind farm construction site and park it there 24/7, while additional components are ferried in by a fleet of other purpose-built vessels. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Chief Scientist Cathy Foley Backs Renewables, Calls Nuclear Power ‘Expensive’” • Australia’s chief scientist is backing a path to zero emissions led by renewables over nuclear energy, which is “expensive technology.” The federal opposition has put nuclear power back on the national agenda, but Cathy Foley said energy assessments should be guided by evidence. [ABC]
¶ “Images Taken Deep Inside Melted Fukushima Reactor Show Damage, But Leave Many Questions Unanswered” • Images by miniature drones inside a badly damaged nuclear reactor at Fukushima Daiichi show displaced equipment and misshapen materials but leave many questions unanswered, showing how daunting decommissioning will be. [AP News]
¶ “It Was A ‘Monumental’ Year For Renewables In Europe” • Coal dropped 26% in 2023, and another 20% of coal plants in the EU are expected to close this year and next. Surprisingly, gas did not replace coal in the grid, as it saw a decline of 15%, the fourth year of decline in a row. Wind power is now the second-largest source of electricity in the EU. [Corporate Knights]
¶ “Construction Starts On Second Biggest Battery In World’s Most Renewable Grid” • Zen Energy says it started construction on the 111-MW, 291 MWh Templers battery near Adelaide. It will be the second biggest in South Australia. The state already leads the world in the share of wind and solar in its grid and is set to be 100% renewably powered by 2027. [RenewEconomy]
¶ “System Operator Outlines £58 Billion UK Offshore Grid Plan” • The UK Electricity System Operator has published a report proposing a £58 billion investment in the electricity grid to meet growing demand for electricity in Great Britain by 2035. The plan aims to connect 21 GW more offshore wind development off the coast of Scotland. [reNews]
¶ “BOEM Publishes Notices Of US East Coast Offshore Wind Proposals” • The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has finalized its designation of a wind energy area in the Gulf of Maine. It could potentially deliver 3 GW to Maine and 10 GW to Massachusetts. BOEM’s notice is to be followed by a 30-day public comment period. [Offshore Magazine]
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