Tuesday, April 04, 2023

Ørsted Moves Ahead With Additional Offshore Wind Sites off Taiwan

Orsted's Formosa 1 project, the first offshore wind farm built in Taiwan (Orsted)

The Danish offshore wind developer Ørsted has taken a final investment decision to build the 920 MW Greater Changhua 2b and 4 offshore wind farms in Taiwan. These are among the four sites in the Taiwan Strait where Ørsted is developing 2.4 GW of offshore wind energy, all located about 20-30 nm off the coast of Changhua County, Taiwan.

The other two sites include the 900MW Greater Changhua 1 and 2a, whose construction begun in 2019 and commissioning of the wind farm’s last turbines is expected before end of this year. The Greater Changhua 1 hosts the world first pilot ReCoral concept by Ørsted, a project that sets out to discover whether offshore wind turbine foundations could provide an additional home where corals have the potential to flourish.

The 920 MW grid capacity of Greater Changhua 2b and 4 was awarded in June 2018 in Taiwan’s first competitive price-based auction, with no mandatory local content requirements.

Ørsted secured long-term revenues for the project by signing a corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA) in July 2020 with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Limited (TSMC), the largest contract of its kind in renewable energy.

According to Ørsted, the Greater Changhua 2b and 4 projects will be funded by capital provided by the company combined with debt capital sourced from the domestic Taiwanese market. The two offshore wind farms have already obtained all environmental impact assessment approvals.

The construction will begin this year and commissioning of the wind farms is expected in 2025.

“The sites’ investment decision demonstrates that Ørsted is primed and ready to build and operate large-scale offshore wind projects in Taiwan. We have full confidence that we will fulfill our commitments to the grid contract with the Taiwan authorities and the CPPA with TSMC,” said Per Mejnert Kristensen, President of Ørsted Asia Pacific.

Ørsted is also eyeing additional sites 20 nm off the coast of Taichung. The company is the biggest shareholder and co-owner of Taiwan’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project, Formosa 1, which was extended from a capacity of 8MW to 128 MW in 2019.

Philippines and CIP Agree to First Foreign-Owned Offshore Wind Farms

Philippines wind farm — Denmark helped to develop the Philippines first wind farm in 2004 (Bangui photo by Paolo Dala - CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Philippines Department of Energy signed contracts with Copenhagen Infrastructure New Markets Fund, an affiliate of Danish fund manager Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, for what will become the country’s first wholly foreign-owned offshore wind projects. The contracts call for three wind farms with a combined capacity of 2,000 MW to be built by the Danish organization and run under 25-year operating licenses. The county has onshore wind power but is yet to start its first offshore project.

The Philippines recently lifted foreign ownership restrictions on renewable energy development. It is part of a program outlined by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to accelerate the development of renewable sources of energy for the country. Niels Holst, Partner in CIP and head of CINMF, said the removal of foreign ownership restrictions on renewable energy projects in the Philippines in 2022 was an important development for his company as it gave them positive signals to launch investments in the country.

“We are pleased with the entry of CINMF, a dedicated fund manager with greenfield renewable energy investments and one of the global leaders in offshore wind,” said Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla. “They will be bringing in financial muscle and technological heft and will be working with Filipino partners throughout the construction and operation phases.”

The three projects are to be developed in Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur, offshore of Northern Samar, and offshore of Pangasinan and La Union. Once implemented, the three projects are expected to create around 4,500 jobs during the development and operations period, generate enough power to supply about one million households, and offset about 2.9 million tons in CO2 emissions per year.

The Philippines and the Danish Government have a long-standing cooperation in the development of wind power in the country. The 25 MW Bangui Bay Wind Power Project, developed onshore in 2004 by the Northwind Power Development Corporation in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, was partly funded by the Danish Government through the Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA). It was a landmark project that paved the way for developing onshore wind power projects in the country and the Southeast Asian Region.

Danish Ambassador Melbin said that the Filipino people deserve more reliable and cheaper electricity. Introducing large-scale renewable energy is the fastest way to achieve this he said.

The Philippines currently has no installed offshore wind operations. The World Bank estimates there is a potential for more than 178 GW of offshore wind in the country. Working with the World Bank, the Philippines Department of Energy last year released an initial plan for offshore wind development.

One of the country’s main power distributors, Aboitiz Power, is currently undertaking a feasibility study exploring the potential for up to 3 GW of offshore wind by 2040. They are expected to complete the study by mid-year.

The Philippines Department of Energy said to date, that 57 Offshore Wind Service Contracts have been awarded with a total potential capacity of about 42,000 MW that will be developed. The DOE targets to bring the renewable energy share in the power generation mix to 35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040 from the current 22 percent. The World Bank report set out a low estimate of just over 5 percent from offshore wind and a high growth potential to reach 40 percent of the country’s power supply from offshore sources by 2050.

Top photo of Bangui wind farm by Paolo Dala - CC BY-SA 2.0

TenneT Awards $25B in Contracts for Offshore Wind Power Transmission

2GW offshore transmission platform — Illustration courtesy TenneT

Transmission network operator TenneT has announced a landmark package of contract awards for offshore wind cable and transmission station infrastructure in the North Sea. The $25 billion parcel of orders will supply 40 GW worth of power transmission capacity in German and Dutch waters, enabling two-thirds of the 65GW offshore wind energy target set by Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium.

"This is one of the most important infrastructure projects of the century; the green transformation of the energy system is key for the decarbonization of industry," said Tim Meyerjürgens, COO TenneT, in a statement Sunday. "Together we secure decisive acceleration of the offshore grid development and set the course for the future European energy landscape.”

The prime contractors include three consortia: Hitachi Energy/Petrofac, with six projects; GE/SMOP, with three projects; and GE/McDermott/Sembmarine, with two projects. Three more awards are expected to be announced soon.

Preparatory work will begin immediately, TenneT said, to ensure that the full scope will be finished on time in 2028-2031.

"We are already hiring to expand our global delivery capacity and effectively fulfill these and other orders," said Niklas Persson, Managing Director at Hitachi Energy Grid Integration.

The massive long-term contract package is part of a deliberate strategy to build and sustain a supply chain, giving vendors visibility into their project pipeline for years to come. TenneT worked with its partners to develop a standardized offshore platform, cable system and onshore substation design, which will be replicated across the portfolio. A set of much larger 2GW offshore platforms and a new 525 kilovolt HVDC power transmission system will reduce the number of grid connections required, cutting down on cost and seabed disturbance during installation. HVDC is also cheaper to build than an AC system for longer distances, and this new generation of infrastructure will be serving wind farms further offshore.

TenneT says that it has also taken long-term plans for an international subsea power transmission network into account in the design.

Work Starts on Large, Autonomous 3D Printed Ferry for Paris Olympics

3D printed autonomous ferry — The autonomous, electric ferry will be built using 3D printing and recycled materials (Holland Shipyards Group)

Work is started on building the largest ever 3D printed ferry as part of a new project sponsored by France to highlight innovations in sustainable and autonomous shipping. Voies Navigables de France, the country’s navigation authority responsible for the management of the majority of France's inland waterways network, launched the competition along with the country’s Minister Delegate for Transport Clément Beaune to showcase innovation during the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games.

Three winners were selected from the competition with partners Sequana Développement, Roboat, and Holland Shipyards Group being selected for their project which they say will provide “a glimpse of the future of waterborne mobility by crossing the Seine with a 3D printed, autonomous, electric passenger ferry.”

The ferry proposed by the winning consortium will have dimensions of approximately 29.5 feet by 12.7 feet with a futuristic look based on the renderings. In their submission, the group said the vessel will be characterized by a state-of-the-art design, an autonomy system, electric propulsion, and a 3D printed hull made of recycled material. Mooring and charging will happen automatically. It will have a capacity for up to 35 people and achieve Level 4 automation.

“The 3D print build method opens up a new exciting chapter in shipbuilding,” says Leendert Hoogendoorn, director Holland Shipyards Group. Work on “building” or “printing” the vessel began today.

The ferry is to be deployed in the summer of 2024 in a key location in the vicinity of the major sporting events and will enable visitors to Paris and athletes to fulfill their mobility needs in a new and environmentally friendly manner. Details on the exact location where the ferry will be operating will be announced closer to the start of games.

"Keel laying" for the largest ever 3D printed autonomous ferry (Holland Shipyards Group)
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"From 10 to 50 seats, the three demonstrator projects that we have selected all have one thing in common, beyond their driving autonomy and their low-carbon engines, they have the ambition to contribute to the objectives of environmental excellence of games and to be part of the legacy of 2024," said Thierry Guimbaud, Managing Director of VNF, when the selection was announced in December 2022.

The two other projects that were selected call for the construction of a 49-foot electric powered river boat. It will have a capacity for 50 people. Hyke Rivercat, Juvisy, and Ris Orangis Construction partnered for this project. The third project is for a 39-foot river boat with 12 seats that will also be 100 percent electric propulsion. This project involves Bluenav, Orion naval engineering, Drone Protect System, Keolis, E nautical harbor Bordeaux and Metropolis of Bordeaux.

VNF is supporting France’s efforts at hosting the historic games by developing a plan to maintain commercial navigation during this summer’s events. The athletes’ village is to be located along the Seine with the efforts leading to the greening of the fleet and integration of sustainable transport into the program. The opening ceremonies reportedly will take place in part on the Seine.

Hyke Rivercat and its team proposed an electic powered riverboat

SAFE Boats Becomes 100% Employee-Owned Company

SAFE Boats International, a leading designer and manufacturer of aluminum watercraft ranging in size from 21 to more than 100 feet, has completed a transaction that transfers 100% of the company’s ownership to its employees. The SAFE Boats International Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) has acquired the company, completing the final milestone in a journey that started in late 2022.

SAFE Boats has experienced dramatic growth since its beginning in 1996 and now has more than 250 employee-owners in two locations. The company has been honored with several significant contract awards, including the USCG Response Boat-Small (540 boats), USCG Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement (58 boats), US Customs and Border Protection Coastal Interceptor Vessel (52 boats), and the flagship USN MK VI Patrol Boat (12 boats for the US Navy and 8 boats for the Ukrainian Navy). Each of these major contracts – combined with a loyal domestic customer base of more than 160 state and local agencies and international customers in 70 countries – has established the company as a leading and trusted designer and manufacturer of high-performance aluminum watercraft.

“It has always been our dream and our vision to make SAFE Boats International about our team and the community we live in,” remarked company co-founder Scott Peterson. “Transitioning to a 100% employee-owned company creates the foundation to become a true Northwest legacy. This allows an incredibly talented and dedicated SAFE Boats team to continue supporting the men and women in uniform around the world for generations to come.”

Richard Schwarz, CEO, said, “SAFE Boats’ success reflects the dedication and commitment of its team of talented craftspeople. Employee ownership through an ESOP is the ultimate opportunity for the company’s employee-owners to share in that success. In the end, it is our team that makes our company what it is, and it is only appropriate that they benefit from the results of their contributions.”

SAFE Designs Autonomous Survey Boat for Jones Act Wind Market

Washington shipbuilder SAFE Boats has unveiled its design for a new self-driving, turnkey hydrographic survey vessel, created in collaboration with autonomy startup Mythos AI. The vessel would be Jones Act compliant and purpose-built for the needs of U.S. offshore wind.

Nauticus, Ocean Infinity and Reach Subsea have announced plans to build and charter out similar vessels as autonomous survey solutions, packaged with shoreside services. However, SAFE Boats believes that Merlin is unique: it is the industry’s first geophysical vessel that can be acquired directly from the builder with a fully integrated geophysical sensor suite designed around U.S. offshore wind. Sonar builder Echo81 participated in design development and would supply the sensors and aftermarket support.

The vessel will also carry navigation technology created by Mythos AI, a maritime autonomy provider. Mythos AI’s driver-assist systems are designed to automate geophysical workflows so that skilled hydrographers and crew are not required to be onboard the vessel, according to SAFE Boats. As the technology advances, Mythos AI plans to provide a "push-button, long endurance, dock-to-dock, self-driving and self-surveying solution for offshore wind."

SAFE Boats has already delivered one smaller hydrographic survey boat for Mythos AI for use in trials, demonstration and testing.

SAFE Boats is known best for its military and law enforcement boatbuilding operations, which date back to 1996. It has 2,300 boats in service in 50 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Nigeria, Colombia and Tunisia.

Lauritzen and Cargill Expand Methanol-Fueled Bulker Orders from Japan

The ranks of the emerging category of methanol-fueled shipping are continuing to grow with Denmark’s J. Lauritzen reporting it is ordering at least two large bulkers that will be capable of trading with zero carbon emissions when powered by green methanol and biodiesel. The vessels will be among the first bulkers in the world to adopt methanol which is rapidly growing to become one of the dominant alternative fuels rivaling liquified natural gas which had dominated the category for the past few years.

J. Lauritzen which maintains a large bulker operation that carried over 21 million tons of cargo in 2021, reports it has signed a letter of intent for 81,200 dwt Kamsarmax bulk carriers, which will be built by Tsuneishi Shipbuilding in Japan. The company says that a minimum of two methanol dual-fuel vessels will be built with their introduction expected in 2024 and 2025. Tsuneishi reported last week that it was also entering into an agreement with Mitsui & Co. for two methanol dual-fueled bulkers due in late 2025 and 2026.

The vessels will all be operated by Cargill with J. Lauritzen reporting it has a minimum of seven year agreement with Cargill. The food commodities giant has previously discussed its plans to accelerate the decarbonization of its fleet of bulkers. They have also discussed the adoption of wind-assisted propulsion as part of their broader plans.

“We are very happy with this transaction, as it is important for J. Lauritzen and Lauritzen Bulkers to participate actively in the decarbonization of the shipping industry, and we are proud to be able to do so in a visionary partnership with Cargill, who are sharing our ambition to truly drive change in our industry,” says Kristian Morch, CEO of J. Lauritzen.

Lauritzen reports that it is launching a new company, Lauritzen NexGen Shipping, which will own the new vessels. The new company will be jointly owned by J. Lauritzen and Lauritzen Bulkers and will use as a platform for further investments in zero carbon emission and future-proof assets for the shipping industry.

Tsuneishi's rendering shows the streamlining shape at the bow (Tsuneishi Shipbuilding)

Tsuneishi highlights that it will be adapting its popular Kamsarmax design which has been a best seller with over 350 vessels delivered. To maintain the large cargo capacity for the vessels, they plan to place a large methanol fuel tank on the stern. The propulsion plant design calls for a dual-fuel ship that can use methanol or traditional fuel and by sizing the tank they will be able to maintain an ample cruising distance. The design also incorporates Tsuneishi’s Aeroline proprietary technology that reduces wind resistance by approximately 20 percent. They achieve this by streamlining the bow and accommodation block. The design concepts which have been used on other vessels will be applied for the first time to the Kamsarmax bulker.

While the overall methanol order book continues to grow quickly, according to DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight data bulkers are just beginning no adopt methanol. Of the 80 vessels that DNV calculates are currently on order and due by 2028 for methanol-fueled operation, only three were bulkers. The containership category has been the fastest to adopt methanol dual-fuel designs following product tankers that introduced methanol. Other segments such as cruise ships are also quickly adopting methanol as part of their new ship orders.

Yara and Enbridge to Develop Large Blue Ammonia Project at Texas Port

Blue ammonia project would be located near Corpus Christi which is building on its energy position (file photo)

Yara Clean Ammonia and Enbridge are planning to jointly develop and construct a world-scale low-carbon blue ammonia production facility to be located in Texas. The proposed facility, which includes autothermal reforming with carbon capture, will be located at the Enbridge Ingleside Energy Center (EIEC) near Corpus Christi, Texas.

Once operational, the production facility will be capable of supplying low-carbon ammonia to meet growing global demand, with an expected annual capacity of 1.2–1.4 million tons. Approximately 95 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) generated from the production process is anticipated to be captured and transported to nearby permanent geologic storage. If confirmed through the front-end engineering design (FEED) phase and approved, total project investment is expected in the range of $2.6–$2.9 billion.

If the project proceeds, Yara is expected to contract full offtake from the facility. Production start-up is tentatively expected in 2027/2028.

“Yara is pleased to be joining Enbridge in developing this significant clean ammonia project,” said Magnus Krogh Ankarstrand, President of Yara Clean Ammonia. “We are working systematically to develop project opportunities in the U.S. and this project will significantly contribute to our strategy of decarbonizing agriculture as well as serving new clean ammonia segments such as shipping fuel, power production, and ammonia as a hydrogen carrier.

Enbridge and Yara will utilize their complementary strengths to develop and execute the project. According to the companies, Yara’s industry-leading experience in ammonia development, production, operations, and distribution, combined with Enbridge’s large-scale infrastructure development expertise and world-class EIEC deep water docks and export platform, will be critical to advancing the project from development through to commercial operation.

“We are excited to partner with Yara and collaborate on this clean energy project, especially given their expertise in global ammonia projects, operations, and distribution,” said Colin Gruending, Enbridge Executive Vice President and President, Liquids Pipelines. “EIEC is well positioned to become the most sustainable export terminal in North America through low-carbon fuel production, carbon capture, and solar self-power.”

Enbridge’s Texas Eastern Transmission Pipeline is expected to provide the transportation service for feed gas that will be used for the production process, and Enbridge, along with Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, is advancing a nearby CO2 sequestration hub which is a potential destination for the project’s captured CO2.

The construction of any facilities will be subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals.

Russian Subsea Construction Vessels Draw Scrutiny Off Ireland

Fortuna under tow off the coast of Ireland (Irish Air Corps)

A trio of Russian offshore vessels loitering off Ireland have raised eyebrows in Dublin, especially after reports that the Irish Navy was unable to muster enough crew to dispatch a patrol ship to the scene.

Over the course of the past week, the Russian pipelay barge Fortuna - famous for its role in completing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline - circled off Ireland's west and southwest coast, under tow by the Russian anchor handler Umka. The two vessels were escorted by the salvage and rescue tug Bakhtemir. The reason for their extended presence in the area is unknown, but has attracted considerable speculation.

The three Russian ships did not attempt to hide their movements, broadcasting AIS positions throughout their transit. After departing Murmansk and transiting the Norwegian Sea, Fortuna and her towing escorts arrived off Ireland's Atlantic coast on March 20. There they began a series of long, slow racetrack loops at five knots, staying largely within the western and southwestern reaches of the Irish EEZ.

Trackline of Fortuna and her escorts off Ireland (Pole Star)

Umka under way, with Fortuna in tow (Irish Air Corps)

Bahktemir (Irish Air Corps)

This area is home to more than a dozen submarine cables connecting Ireland and England with the rest of the world, including one cable which was recently installed. The presence of Russian subsea construction vessels in the area raised concern in Irish defense circles.

The Irish Air Corps monitored the vessels and captured photos of the Fortuna, Umka and Bakhtemir under way. The Irish Navy was not in a position to contribute, as it did not have enough sailors available to crew up a patrol vessel and get under way - the latest manifestation of its long-running challenges with manning. As of Friday, there were no Irish Navy ships at sea, according to RTE.

"Unfortunately, Ireland had no capability from a crewing shortage point of view to deploy a ship, so we had to rely on the Air Corps. They can put up an aircraft for a number of hours at a time and monitor the situation but there’s no substitute for having a naval ship on station," said Independent Teachta Dála (Deputy) Cathal Berry, speaking to Irish Times. "They were no more than 13 nautical miles off the coast of Kerry and that’s simply just not good enough for a sovereign state."

As of Monday, the Russian vessels had departed and were headed south towards the Atlantic coast of Portugal, bound for Equatorial Guinea.

Philippine Regulators are Treating Princess Empress Spill as a "Crime"

Fukada salvage — Japanese salvor Fukada has begun installing bags on leak locations on the wreck (Philippine Coast Guard)

Philippine regulators are moving to pursue formal charges against the operator of the lost tanker Princess Empress, and are treating the matter as a criminal investigation.

The vessel went down off Oriental Mindoro on February 28 with about 800,000 liters of fuel oil on board, and the Philippine Coast Guard believes that three out of its five cargo tanks have leaked their contents into the sea. The resulting pollution has wreaked havoc on the coastal villages of the province, which are reliant on fishing and tourism for income. A full fishing ban for the region remains in effect, and beach cleanup operations continue.

The Philippines' Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) maintains that the Princess Empress did not have a valid operating permit for domestic trading at the time of the casualty, raising questions about the authenticity of the paperwork that the crew presented to the Philippine Coast Guard prior to departure on the accident voyage. In addition, the Philippines' justice department alleges that the product tanker was not a newbuild - as operator RDC Reield Marine Services claimed - but was rather a rebuilt "scrap ship" that had been purchased and converted. As the investigation picks up speed, MARINA has revoked RDC's permit and ordered it to cease sailing its remaining three vessels.

Additionally, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has filed an administrative complaint against RDC over the damage from the spill, which could lead to daily penalties for the shipowner beginning February 28.

"We are determined to make sure that people do not forget that what happened was a crime and not an accident. It was a crime,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told local media on Tuesday.

Penalties could be coming for officials inside MARINA as well.

"We wish to provide assurance that management will really pursue any formal charge should the fact-finding investigation and process provide probable cause to really file formal charges [against] our officials or employees," MARINA deputy administrator Sonia Malaluan told Rappler.

On scene off Mindoro, spill response operations are still under way. Japanese salvor Fukada and the U.S. Navy Supervisor of Diving and Salvage (SUPSALV) are providing assistance to the response in the form of ROV inspection and intervention, and the U.S. Coast Guard is advising on containment and cleanup operations. NOAA is assisting the Philippine government with satellite imaging and analysis to map the spread of slicks on the surface.

Facing $2M Fine, Port of Morrow Contends With Another Wastewater Spill

Port officials said initially they didn’t know about the leak but later acknowledged they had, violating their wastewater permit

The Port of Morrow, the state’s second-largest port, faces a new violation over contamination in eastern Oregon that may have been going on for some time.

The violation is linked to a spill of port wastewater in an area reeling from years of water contamination from the port and other sources. The Department of Environmental Quality, which failed for years to act, is now negotiating a settlement with the port over previous violations.

DEQ appears to have been slow to act again, waiting weeks until two people complained about the spill.

The agency, which regulates the port’s wastewater system, asked the port about the leak in mid-January after a second area resident complained to the agency that they’d heard about a leak or seen pooling water around the port’s main pipeline. DEQ officials asked port officials the day it received the second complaint whether its main pipeline carrying contaminated water from its industrial facilities in Boardman to nearby storage ponds was leaking atop an already contaminated aquifer.

Port officials acknowledged the leak, and within days temporarily shut down the port’s wastewater system, repaired the leak and began cleaning up the contaminated area.

Port officials told DEQ that it was the first time they had heard about the leak, according to Laura Gleim, a DEQ spokesperson.

But an investigation by the Capital Chronicle found the port had known about it for some time and had not informed DEQ, violating the port’s wastewater permit.

“It would be a violation if the port knew about it and didn’t report it to us within 24 hours,” Gleim told the Capital Chronicle in a February email.

The leak occurred in an industrial area and does not appear to have harmed residents, DEQ said. Thousands in the county have been exposed for years to well water contaminated with nitrates from port wastewater and agricultural sources.

The port acknowledged the lapse on Wednesday when Lisa Mittelsdorf, the port’s executive director, told DEQ it had known about the leak before fixing it, according to Gleim. In January, the port told DEQ officials that its inspectors thought it was snowmelt, Gleim told the Capital Chronicle.

“This shouldn’t have happened,” Gleim told the Capital Chronicle on Wednesday.

Video courtesy of Nella Parks, shot Dec. 14, 2022

The violation is the port’s third in just over a year. It is already facing more than $2 million in fines for allowing too much of its nitrate-laden wastewater to be spread over northeast Oregon fields for years, further contaminating an aquifer that thousands of people in Morrow and Umatilla counties rely on for drinking water.

“We are currently working through a settlement, and this is an additional violation, so it will be taken into account,” Gleim said.

She did not answer follow-up calls seeking more information by late Wednesday night, and Mittelsdorf did not answer emailed questions about why the port did not report the leak earlier or for how long port officials knew the pipe was leaking. Mittelsdorf also did not answer questions about the leak in February.

Earliest reports

It’s unclear when the leak started. Residents told the Capital Chronicle that it could have dated to last spring.

Ryan McComb, who works at an Amazon data center at the port, said he first saw a large pool of dark and milky water near his workplace in May.

“I take that road to work and to go home, so I drive by it every day, twice a day,” he said.

He described it as a 6- to 8-foot-wide pool. He wasn’t concerned until he read the signs on purple and green stakes at the site that said: “Caution. Industrial Waste Water.”

Under its wastewater permit, the port is required to visually inspect its wastewater system daily and note irregularities. Officials must provide them to DEQ upon request. Any leaks or violations of the permit need to be reported within 24 hours. None of these reports supplied to DEQ after the leak was found, from Jan. 12 to 18, reference a leak or pooling water. DEQ first contacted the port about the leak on Jan. 18.

In August, McComb said he noticed earth movers and workers near the spill.

In November, he told his grandfather, Mike Pearson, about the pool. Pearson is one of hundreds of people in Boardman with wells contaminated by nitrates. Alarmed about the leak, Pearson photographed the site and sent them to Nella Parks, a senior organizer with the nonprofit Oregon Rural Action, Parks said.

Parks alerted DEQ on Dec. 2.

“I am hearing reports that port wastewater is either being dumped or running onto private ground and that there are leaks in the waste water pipes,” Parks said in an email to Mike Hiatt, a regional DEQ specialist. “Are you aware of this?”

Hiatt forwarded the email to the regional water quality permit writer, Justin Sterger, who said he had not heard about a leak from the port, according to an email he sent to Hiatt.

Sterger sent Parks a link to a DEQ portal for submitting pollution complaints, but Parks did not submit one. Neither Hiatt nor Sterger contacted the port about the leak, Gleim, the DEQ spokeswoman, told the Capital Chronicle.

Hiatt now regrets failing to follow up. Hiatt said he had just started his job in August and wasn’t entirely sure what to do when Parks emailed.

“I do regret not reaching out to the port right after that,” he said.

January report

DEQ receives about 5,000 pollution complaints and emergency spill reports each year, Gleim said. She said the agency acts promptly.

It did on Jan. 18, the day a member of the public anonymously filed a formal pollution complaint through the DEQ portal with photos.

In response to the wastewater pipeline leak, the port excavated potentially contaminated soils for testing and disposal. (Port of Morrow)

Port engineers said the pipe leaked between 5 to 50 gallons of contaminated water per minute, according to correspondence between the port and DEQ. They show the port sucked at least 6,000 gallons of water from the pools on Jan. 23.

The leak was due to an old fitting on an elbow joint of the pipe, the port’s leak report said.

“Age, velocity, type of water with high silts, are all good theories for why this fitting failed,” the report said. “There was no unusual activities or uses leading to the leak note.”

The leak was not near residential areas, and the groundwater beneath it does not flow toward population centers or private wells, Gleim said.

She said the port plans to fully replace the pipe in 2023.

Alex Baumhardt has been a national radio producer focusing on education for American Public Media since 2017. She has reported from the Arctic to the Antarctic for national and international media, and from Minnesota and Oregon for The Washington Post.

This article appears courtesy of Oregon Capital Chronicle / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. It may be found in its original form here.

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

Australia’s energy storage capacity needs 10-fold increase by 2050 – report

Valentina Ruiz Leotaud | April 2, 2023 |

Photovoltaics. (Image from the Renewable Energy Storage Roadmap, CSIRO.)

A recent, 200-page report released by Australia’s science agency CSIRO indicates that the national electricity market (NEM) could require a 10 to 14-fold increase in its electricity storage capacity between 2025-2050. This, in order to respond to rapidly rising energy demand spurred by the ongoing electrification of building and transport industries.

The study also found that while traditional storage technologies, such as batteries and pumped hydro, will continue to play a key role, all forms of energy storage must be considered to meet Australia’s growing demand across multiple sectors, each of which may favour different storage technologies.

“Although there are existing storage systems used to deliver energy from fossil fuels, higher levels of renewables in Australia’s energy system will result in a greater requirement for renewable energy storage technologies. These include electricity storage through electrochemical processes (e.g. batteries), mechanical storage (e.g. pumped hydro energy storage [PHES]), chemical storage (e.g. hydrogen in tanks or pipelines) and thermal storage (e.g. molten salts),” the report reads.

According to the document, batteries may be the best option for local and short-duration storage of electricity while thermal or heat energy – like steam – might be technology better suited for heat-intensive industries.

Renewable energy storage systems in Australia. (Graph by CSIRO).

The roadmap uses a scenario-based approach, building on pathways developed in the Australian Energy Market Operator’s 2022 Integrated System Plan that could materially impact the country’s energy sector.

In two of the cases, the Step Change and Hydrogen Superpower scenarios, the suggestion is that the national electricity market could require 44–96 GW/550–950 GWh of dispatchable electricity storage capacity by 2050, with Western Australia alone requiring 12–17 GW/74–96 GWh.

“As Australia transitions to net zero, there may also be an increase in thermal storage requirements, driven by the greater need for renewable process heat in industrial production,” the dossier states. “In addition, the strong profile for hydrogen exports in the Hydrogen Superpower scenario will lead to large increases in the demand for both electricity and hydrogen storage systems.”
Large investments

Despite the uncertainty in storage outcomes in 2050, the modelling results suggest that all net-zero pathways will require large investments in renewable energy storage capacity.

In particular, larger investments in short- and medium-duration electricity storage are expected to be required to provide a reliable electricity supply, and significant investments in hydrogen (or hydrogen carrier) storage systems would be required if Australia wants to become a leader in green hydrogen exports.

Local mining tycoon Andrew Forrest has been at the forefront of the green hydrogen revolution, building and expanding facilities to manufacture electrolyzers, as the demand outlook for the clean fuel strengthens.

In CSIRO’s view, investment is also likely to be required for thermal energy storage systems, given the important role of process heat in industry and the use of variable renewable energy for heat production and the requirement for a constant heat supply.

“Determining the most competitive and appropriate forms of energy storage requires an understanding of the context in which the storage system will be used,” the agency’s document reads. “This requires stakeholders to go through a site- and region-specific approach to understand the role of energy storage, the deployment considerations and the technology options available (both commercial and developing). This approach is critical because site and regional factors can affect the requirements, costs, risks and integration considerations for a given storage system.”
Not an easy road

CSIRO’s report notes that, regardless of the positive trend toward renewable energy deployment, many Australian sectors face challenges in integrating storage technologies.

When it comes to short-duration electricity storage (1–4 hours), which is expected to play a major role in decarbonization across Australia’s grids and industries, particularly by 2030, supply chain risks could create deployment bottlenecks and drive up prices.

To address this issue, CSIRO’s experts recommend the development of strategies to de-risk battery supply chains through a number of strategic diversification pathways, including, but not limited to strategic supply chain and manufacturing partnerships; developing domestic value chains; developing resource circularity; and investing in research, development and demonstration for alternative battery chemistries.

(Graph by CSIRO).

Looking at medium (4–12 hours) and long intraday (12–24 hours) electricity storage, the report recognized that although some commercial technologies exist, they are not always applicable depending on the end use or region in question. There are also several other technology options currently in development, but these are not yet competitive and require further demonstration and deployment.

Thus, the suggestion is to rapidly demonstrate and commercially deploy medium to long intraday duration technologies capable of providing hundreds of megawatt hours to multiple gigawatt hours of storage to create a diverse set of options for major grids and industry applications.

The dossier also proposes the idea of conducting further regional studies to better understand geological storage opportunities, such as with adiabatic compressed air energy storage and PHES subsystems, and opportunities to take advantage of existing capital and sites, including evaluating opportunities created through mine closure efforts.

In the case of long multiday (24–48 hours) and seasonal (100+ hours) electricity storage, which is expected to play a key energy ‘insurance’ and resilience role in major and isolated grids, the main issue is that storage technology options are limited and often have long lead times, with many stakeholders still considering investment options, including those that minimize storage investments, and evaluating trade-offs as they transition to net zero.

Given this situation, CSIRO believes that it is crucial to conduct further analysis to better understand Australia’s requirements for multiday and seasonal storage, the trade-offs that exist and the technology pathways available.

“Develop the pipeline of projects to meet Australia’s potential long-term seasonal and multi-day needs, including identifying and implementing opportunities to accelerate PHES deployments, and progressing emerging multi-day and seasonal technologies,” the report recommends.

The roadmap also proposes feasible pathways when it comes to the storage needed for mid‑temperature processes (150–500°C), high‑temperature processes (500°C and above) and hydrogen and hydrogen carriers.

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