Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Will hydrogen energy help decarbonise the economy?

Douglas Fraser
BBC
Business/economy editor, Scotland


GETTY IMAGES
The Hindenburg airship tragedy brought a sudden end to the age of the airship
BRING THEM BACK THEY ARE ECO FRIENDLY AIR TRAVEL

The most common of the elements is seen by some as a magic bullet for next generation energy: by others as an excuse to keep drilling for gas: and by some as a distraction from the real challenge to decarbonise the economy

There are differing opinions on what hydrogen can do best. It could be the fuel that helps the 15% of the economy reckoned to be hard to decarbonise, rather than being for home-heating and cars

However, the owner of Scotland's gas pipeline network has cooked up an £11.6bn plan to pump hydrogen into most homes and businesses through mostly existing pipes, and using others to gather, capture and banish carbon to a grave far below the North Sea.



The use of hydrogen in transport hit a spectacular snag in May 1937, when the Hindenburg airship caught fire while trying to moor on a high mast in the wake of a New Jersey storm.



As the tragedy gained a lot of media attention, and as people realised that the gas filling those vast and glamorous trans-Atlantic craft was highly flammable, it brought a sudden end to the age of the airship.


But 84 years later, we've learned a bit about air safety, the impact of burning aviation fuel on the environment, and about hydrogen.


So it's back. And this most common of elements is being greeted (by some) as a magic bullet in the great energy transition.


It's very plentiful and recyclable, and the simple chemistry looks attractive. Split water into its two elemental components, with no emissions, then put the hydrogen into a fuel cell and hit the accelerator. Again, no harmful emissions. Only a return to water.


The catch is that electrolysis is expensive, and it is only now heading towards a commercial scale. The young company ITM, based in Sheffield, has taken over a former airfield to build a vast factory.

One of its early orders is from Scottish Power, to install a 10 megawatt unit at the Whitelees wind farm on Eaglesham Moor.

IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIAImage caption,
The green hydrogen facility will be based at Whitelee Windfarm in East Renfrewshire


That helps build supply ahead of demand - and in the hope of stimulating demand. At up to four tonnes of hydrogen per day, maximum production from phase one should be sufficient to get buses from Glasgow to Edinburgh, or the return journey, nearly 250 times.


Phase two is expected to be the same scale, and to follow on quickly, at a lower unit cost.


Scottish Power, however, quietly admits it isn't all that interested in buses. It believes they would be better run on batteries.


It sees hydrogen as offering the fuel density and rapid refuelling that is important to shifting heavy loads, especially across long distances. Bin lorries in the city of Glasgow don't travel that far, but they require a lot of energy, they carry a lot of weight, and they are on course to be first customer for Whitelees' green hydrogen.

Energy's chain links


And this is where the question arises for hydrogen. In the words of Edwin Starr: what is it good for?



Heavy goods transport, almost certainly. Maybe shipping. In the coldest climates, where batteries fail. And perhaps fuel-hungry industries.


Keith Anderson, chief executive of Scottish Power, reckons that it could work for much of the 15% or so of the economy that is going to be particularly hard to de-carbonise.


So while ITM would like to see its electrolysis become part of the journey towards hydrogen cars, the utility boss is against that.


Cars have taken the battery route, and hauling them back to restart on a hydrogen future would expose some inefficiencies.


One catch is that the process is not as efficient as others. If you want to fuel a battery with renewable power, that's just what you do.


But with hydrogen, the wind turbine fuels the polymer membrane in ITM's electrolysis stack.



The gas then has to be stored securely and transported to its point of use, at which point it powers a fuel cell, which then operates a battery-electric engine. Each link in that chain comes with a loss of energy.

Keeping on drilling


So in answer to Edwin Starr, perhaps hydrogen is not as big an answer to oil and gas as some would like to think. Indeed, some have hopes that it could be the saving of oil and gas. For its critics, that would be a disaster.


Green activists are concerned that hydrogen is rarely green, through electrolysis, but mostly blue, derived from natural gas. That can be done much more cheaply, and the produce is used across industry, from refining to metals to food processing and NASA's rocket fuel.

Elementary energy: The case for hydrogen


Splitting the gas molecules produces carbon dioxide alongside the hydrogen. Among greenhouse gases, that is the prime suspect for climate change, so a climate-friendly solution has to be carbon capture and storage.


That, in turn, is a very expensive way of solving our climate problems. Indeed, it is proven in theory and in trials, but hasn't yet been proven at a commercial scale.


But it appeals to the hydrocarbon industry, as it allows for continued drilling for natural gas, and production of it, producing a fuel which has a lot more supporters than oil or gas currently do.

Scottish cluster


A further part of the hydrocarbon industry has its own special interest in adopting hydrogen. SGN, owner of the gas pipeline network, is looking into the 2030s and beyond, and wondering if its asset will be getting redundant.


It commissioned Wood, the former oil services group which now does consultancy work on other energy, to look into the Scottish prospects for heating homes through piped hydrogen.


Its report details initial conversion of Aberdeen home energy to reach 100% hydrogen by the end of this decade. At first, it would be 2%, rising as a mix to 20% - currently seen as the highest practical or safe level for a mix - and eventually 100%, making Aberdeen "the world's first hydrogen-powered city".


A lot of that would be blue hydrogen, through the Scottish cluster of businesses wanting to link its production to carbon capture and storage, with a major industrial site around the St Fergus gas terminal, north of the city.

IMAGE SOURCE,WOOD GROUP


That is where natural gas has long made landfall, and from there, the pipelines stretch offshore with which to banish the treated carbon to subsea storage.


Its failure to win a UK government funding competition has left participants baffled and deeply frustrated.


Greg Hands, the Energy Minister, was at Whitelees wind farm this week, to confirm £9.4m support for the hydrogen project (just under half the total cost), and he told me the two Tier One projects, that did secure backing, were under way already, and that at least four such clusters were envisaged by 2030.


"I don't want to prejudge where the second phase will go," he said,"but I think the Scottish cluster will be in a good position. It clearly passed the eligibility criteria, it did well on the evaluation criteria for the first tier, and has a good chance in the second tier."

Carbon network


Under the SGN/Wood plan, the rest of Scotland's gas network could be converted to hydrogen only 15 years later than the Aberdeen target, in 2045. Wood throws in an extended pipeline network to gather in carbon dioxide from around the country for treatment and storage.


The total cost, at today's prices: £11.6bn. Of that more than £3.4bn is in continued and expanded blue hydrogen generation, and £2.6bn would be required for the green variety, most of that for electrolysis.


Some £1.1bn would prepare the SGN pipeline network for hydrogen, while £500m would buy a gathering network for carbon.


A further £3.3bn would pay for conversion of appliances in homes and business premises.


No-one said it was going to be cheap. But it could bring quality jobs and business opportunities.


It's just one set of ideas, while the alternative - of doing nothing to decarbonise energy use across the economy - isn't a long-term, cheap solution either.

Sweden's 1st female prime minister quits hours later following budget defeat

Magdalena Andersson's resignation comes after coalition

 partner left the 2-party minority government

Social Democratic Party Leader Magdalena Andersson attends a news conference after the budget vote in the Swedish parliament in Stockholm Wednesday. Hours after being approved as Sweden's prime minister, Andersson resigned after the government's budget proposal was rejected in favour of one presented by the opposition. (Pontus Lundahl/TT/The Associated Press)

Hours after being tapped as Sweden's prime minister, Magdalena Andersson resigned Wednesday after suffering a budget defeat in parliament and coalition partner the Greens left the two-party minority government.

The government's own budget proposal was rejected in favour of one presented by the opposition that includes the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats, Sweden's third-largest party that is rooted in a neo-Nazi movement. The vote was 154-143 in favour of the opposition's budget proposal.

Andersson, leader of the Social Democratic Party, decided it was best to step down from the post more than seven hours after she made history by becoming the first woman to lead the country.

"For me, it is about respect, but I also do not want to lead a government where there may be grounds to question its legitimacy," Andersson told a news conference.

Andersson, who was finance minister before briefly becoming prime minister, informed parliamentary Speaker Andreas Norlén that she is still interested in leading a Social Democratic one-party government.

Norlén, the speaker of Sweden's 349-seat parliament, says he will contact Sweden's eight party leaders "to discuss the situation." On Thursday, he will announce the road ahead.

Andersson said that "a coalition government should resign if a party chooses to leave the government. Despite the fact that the parliamentary situation is unchanged, it needs to be tried again."

Sweden's Green Party spokespeople Per Bolund, left, and Marta Stenevi address a news conference after the budget vote on Wednesday. (Pontus Lundahl/TT News Agency/AFP/Getty Images)

Budget defeat prompts Greens to pull support

Even though the Green Party pulled its support for her government, it said it is prepared to stand behind Andersson in a new vote to tap a prime minister.

But the Greens said it was in the best interests of the party to pull support for her after the budget defeat.

"We have a united party behind us saying we cannot sit in government that implements a policy (the Sweden Democrats) negotiated. We must look our voters in the eye and feel pride," said Marta Stenevi, Green Party spokesperson as the party chose to resign from the government.

Per Bolund, the other Green Party spokesperson, said "that is something we deeply regret."

Earlier in the day, Andersson said she could "govern the country with the opposition's budget."

The approved budget was based on the government's own proposal but of the 74 billion kronor ($10.3 billion) that the government wanted to spend on reforms, just over 20 billion kronor ($2.8 billion) will be redistributed next year, Swedish broadcaster SVT said.

The approved budget aims at reducing taxes, increased salaries for police officers and more money to different sectors of Sweden's judiciary system.

Earlier in the day, lawmakers applauded after the vote in which Andersson was appointed Sweden's new prime minister. (Erik Simander/TT News Agency/The Associated Press)

Milestone marked earlier

Andersson's appointment as prime minister had marked a milestone for Sweden, viewed for decades as one of Europe's most progressive countries when it comes to gender relations, but which had yet to have a woman in the top political post.

Andersson had been tapped to replace Stefan Lofven as party leader and prime minister, roles he relinquished earlier this year.

Earlier in the day, 117 legislators voted yes to Andersson, 174 rejected her appointment while 57 abstained and one legislator was absent.

Under Sweden's constitution, prime ministers can be named and govern as long as a parliamentary majority — a minimum of 175 legislators — is not against them.

Sweden's next general election is scheduled for Sept. 11.

GOOD NEWS

Environmentalists threaten Alberta Premier Kenney with lawsuit over inquiry remarks

'If Premier Kenney doesn't follow the good advice of his

 lawyers, he will be served'

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney speaks to the media while attending the Global Business Forum in Banff, Alta., on Sept. 26, 2019. A coalition oft environmental groups is threatening to sue Kenney for defamation. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

A coalition of at least eight environmental groups is threatening to sue Alberta Premier Jason Kenney for defamation if he doesn't retract and apologize for statements saying a public inquiry found they spread misinformation about the province's oil and gas industry.

The groups, in a letter obtained by The Canadian Press, have given the premier a week before they say they would file a statement of claim against him.

"If Premier Kenney doesn't follow the good advice of his lawyers, he will be served with a lawsuit some time by the end of next week," said Paul Champ, a lawyer for the environmentalists.

The letter, delivered to Kenney's office Monday, is signed by the Dogwood Initiative, Environmental Defence Canada, Greenpeace Canada, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sierra Club Canada Foundation, Sierra Club of British Columbia Foundation, West Coast Environmental Law and Research Foundation and the Western Canada Wilderness Committee.

They point to Kenney's reaction to the inquiry, headed by Steve Allan, which looked into whether environmental groups were conspiring to landlock Alberta oil by spreading misinformation about its environmental impacts.

'Designed to undermine'

Allan's report, delivered in October, found that "no individual or organization ... has done anything illegal. Indeed, they have exercised their rights of free speech."

But the groups accuse Kenney of deliberately twisting Allan's findings in public statements, social media posts and government websites. Specific documents are referenced in the letter.

"These statements are defamatory as they assert that our clients have spread 'misinformation,"' the letter says.

"Your statements were designed to undermine the groups' reputations and credibility in the eyes of the public by falsely asserting that the Alberta Inquiry found that the groups were spreading misinformation."

The letter gives Kenney until Nov. 30 to retract and remove the statements as well as apologize. If he doesn't, Champ said, a statement of claim against him is almost complete and will be filed.

Kenney's spokesman Harrison Fleming responded in an email.

"We are not surprised that an organization which routinely pursues political activism through the courts is again threatening legal action. We will of course vigorously respond in court, if and when necessary."

A defamation action has to prove three things, said Fred Kozak, an Edmonton media and defamation lawyer. It has to show the offending comments identified the complainants, that the statements were published and that they would damage their reputation.

"[Those elements] would appear to be pretty straightforward," he said.

Commissioner Steve Allan's report, delivered in October, found no wrongdoing and could not determine how much of a role foreign money played in cancelling resource projects. (CBC)

Kozak said Kenney can argue that his comments were either true or fair comment based on the truth.

"The comment has to be grounded in fact. It's often the case where people get into a dispute over what's comment and what's fact."

Kozak said the complainants also have to show they've been harmed by the statements.

We rely on our good name in order to do the work that we do.- Tim Gray, Environmental Defence

"We rely on our good name in order to do the work that we do," said Tim Gray of Environmental Defence. "Having a senior political leader deliberately mischaracterizing what we do, making accusations that are unfounded, clearly is meant to undermine our effectiveness."

Some members of the complaining groups have allegedly suffered more direct damages, said an email from Keith Stewart of Greenpeace.

"Some of our activists have had to turn their social media accounts over to a friend to report, block and delete the hateful comments and commenters. Prominent climate advocates ... regularly get death threats."

Gray said the promised lawsuit is intended to stop political leaders from using their office as a bully pulpit.

"I think it's really dangerous to have senior political leaders doing this kind of thing against civil society. We just want it to stop."

It's an unusual case that both sides can use to drum up support, Kozak said.

"I don't think either side is interested in resolving this through an apology or clarification."

If a lawsuit is ultimately filed, Kozak said it would likely to take years to resolve.

CANADA'S OTHER COAST
N.S. councillor calls storm biggest rain event he’s likely seen in his lifetime

By Rebecca Lau Global News
Posted November 24, 2021 


Heavy rain flooded parts of the Maritime provinces on Tuesday, with Sydney, N.S. seeing more than 80 millimetres of rain through the day. Ingonish Beach, N.S. also set a new all-time single day record of 234 millimetres of rain.


A large, slow-moving storm brought torrential rain and strong winds to Atlantic Canada, flooding basements and washing out roads in western Cape Breton on Wednesday.

The situation has even blocked access to a hospital on the island.

A state of emergency was declared late Tuesday in Cape Breton’s Victoria County, where schools were closed and residents were warned to stay off the roads.

READ MORE: Nova Scotia’s Victoria County under state of emergency amid flooding, road washouts

The storm dumped between 100 mm and 150 mm of rain across large sections of Cape Breton, with some areas along the east coast of Victoria County receiving more than 200 mm of rain. Environment Canada said as of 11 a.m. on Wednesday, 278.4 mm had fallen in Ingonish River, and 263.3 mm had fallen in Ingonish Beach.

“We’ve had pretty well the biggest rain event I think I can ever remember in my lifetime,” said Larry Dauphinee, councillor for Ingonish Beach and the deputy warden for Victoria County.

“A lot of flooding, a lot of washouts on the roads, a lot of basements, flooding. But probably the biggest issue is the roadblocks or conditions on the Cabot Trail, which has taken off access to our hospital in Neils Harbour. And we have just recently with caution, can make the trip into Sydney, but we are still locked on the northern end going towards our hospital.”

Dauphinee said Wednesday morning that the situation is concerning because in the event of an emergency, people would have to drive to Sydney, which is “a two hour drive on a good day.”

“The transportation and the condition of the roads is probably most serious issue at this time,” he said.

He added that while flooding is common in the area, the amount of flooding these past couple of days has been “amazing.” The area is dotted with small landslides and washouts, he added.

“We did have one incident where an employee of a road maintenance crew — actually the road collapsed underneath him and his truck did go into the washout. He was able to get out and he’s doing OK now, but that was probably the most serious injury that we had,” he said.



READ MORE: Residents forced to evacuate Antigonish, N.S. trailer park by boat amid flooding

Jamie Chisholm, the eastern district director for the Department of Public Works, described the region as being in a “crisis mode” overnight.

“We are going to have a lot of damage. It’s going to take several weeks even longer for some of these structures to reestablish,” he said.
“We’ve had crews out all night and all day today, and they’re certainly trying to do what they can. But we have a lot to deal with here.”

Victoria and Inverness counties were hardest hit, where about 30 to 40 roads were flooded or washed out.

“We lost three or four bridges in the area,” Chisholm added.

Dauphinee said the good news as of Wednesday, is that the waters have receded “quite fast in most locations,” however the process now turns to surveying the damage and taking on repairs.

“Cleanup has started in a lot of the homes. The crucial thing for us right now is to do the the provincial department of highways are doing their assessment of the bridges and highways. We’re waiting for the reports on that and hopefully get everything open,” he said.

He added that some roads, such as the one going north of Ingonish and communities north of that roadway, where disruptions are likely to last for a couple of days until repairs can be made.

He also said the region is lucky, in that it isn’t in the same situation as British Columbia’s interior, where recent flooding has devastated communities.

“I guess we’re lucky we’re not like B.C., B.C., where everything is in the valley. The water holds for a long time. We’re lucky here. We’re out in the ocean. The high volumes of water once it comes down, off and out into the communities, goes to the ocean, so it does recede quite quick,” he said.

‘Definitely would not attempt to leave my house’

Meanwhile in Sydney, residents are also dealing with flooded neighbourhoods. Authorities have told people to stay off the roads and avoid travelling.

Resident Maurice Cooke spoke to Global News from inside his home, which is surrounded by water, and has no plans to leave for a while.

Water outside his driveway was halfway up the tires of his SUV.

“I feel if we had to, we could (leave) if it was a life and death situation … if like the house was on fire, maybe or something. I would definitely leave the house. But if it can be avoided, I definitely would not attempt to leave my house,” he said.

“There’s debris and trees that are down and the road. They have roads blocked off. So yeah, just I wouldn’t want to be out in this and put myself or anybody else in harm’s way.”

He added his family had emergency supplies to last a couple of days, and thankfully, the house still had power.


State of emergency declared in 2 Nova Scotia counties due to heavy rain, flooding

— With files from The Canadian Press, Amber Fryda


Storm washes away areas of Trans-Canada Highway in southwestern Newfoundland

Port aux Basques cut off in both directions

A culvert between Doyles and South Branch in Newfoundland and Labrador is completely wiped out by a rainstorm that's been pounding the province overnight and into the morning, with more rain expected. (Submitted by Carl Bissonnette)

The town of Channel-Port aux Basques is cut off from the rest of Newfoundland in both directions as heavy rain continues to fall over the area from a heavy storm that started Tuesday. 

The province said there are road washouts five kilometres north and two kilometres south south of the community Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, the province's Department of Transportation reported multiple roads are washed out in the Codroy Valley area, including two parts of the Trans-Canada Highway near Doyles, which connect the region to the rest of the island.

The department reported the following road closures:

  • Trans-Canada Highway five kilometres southwest of Doyles intersection, both lanes are washed out.
  • Trans-Canada Highway 16 kilometres southwest of Doyles intersection, one lane washed out.
  • Trans-Canada Highway 25 kilometres northwest of Port aux Basques.
  • Route 406-11, Doyles Station Road, an alternate route is available.
  • Route 413-01, St. Andrews Road, an alternative route is available.
  • Loch Lomond Road, one lane is closed.
  • Upper Ferry Road, one lane is closed.
Wade Osmond has major flooding on his property which is situated near a brook in Port aux Basques. (Garrett Barry/CBC)

Environment Canada said Port aux Basques has received 143.4 millimetres of rain as of 11:30 a.m. NT Wednesday.

Roads are also closed in Red Bay in southern Labrador because of washouts. Tracey Road leading to Tracey Hill is closed until further notice, while areas of North Brook Road are damaged but open for the time being.

The town had received 50 millimetres of rain as of 7 a.m. AT, according to officials.

On Wednesday afternoon, Premier Andrew Furey said helicopters are on standby for emergencies, and so far there are no worries about supplies in the community. The province is not considering evacuating any homes yet, but officials and police are asking people to stay off of roadways.

WATCH | Drainage systems are starting to get overwhelmed

As a powerful rainstorm hammers southwestern Newfoundland, Port aux Basques Mayor Brian Button says drainage systems are starting to get overwhelmed. 4:59

Wade Osmond, who lives in Port aux Basques, woke to discover major flooding on his property that's located near a brook which he says is ready to burst from the rainfall flowing steadily from a pond above.

"If that breaks, we're in trouble."

Osmond also found about 2.5 centimetres of water in his basement and said he's worried about the rain that's still to come.

Water levels have risen at the Red Rocks turnoff near Port aux Basques. (Troy Turner/CBC)

More rain to come

Rodney Barney, a meteorologist with Environment Canada's weather officer in Gander, said the rain intensified early Wednesday morning, as meteorologists expect the system to bring 150 to 200 millimetres of rain to the area in total.

"We're still looking at another 12 to 18 hours of rain," he said. 

"It looks like through the morning hours is probably when the heaviest part of the shower activity will be occurring for today, then gradually winding down as we go into the afternoon and evening."

Barney said another 50 to 80 millimetres of rain could fall, with as much as 150 millimetres over high-elevation areas. 

Osmond said it's hard to watch, but noted others in the area have it worse. 

"At 6 a.m. this morning I was here, sitting and watching the water rise, watching everything that I worked hard for go down the tubes, down the drain," he said.

"But it is what it is and we have to deal with it and take it as it comes."

Ryan Moore was driving his truck along a stretch of road near Doyles when the asphalt beneath him crumbled. The Department of Transportation is reporting multiple washed out roads in the Codroy Valley area, including two parts of the Trans-Canada Highway near Doyles. (Submitted by Ryan Moore)

Winds gusted in excess of 130 km/h in the Wreckhouse area, but diminished slightly Wednesday morning reaching about 90 km/h, Barney said. He said the wind is expected to pick up again later Wednesday morning.

The brunt of the rainfall is confined to the southwest corner of the island, meaning the Port aux Basques area and as far east as La Poile can anticipate the storm to continue to soak the communities.

In a news release, the RCMP said Department of Transportation crews were working in the Codroy Valley areas to assess the damage.

'All I could hear was pavement cracking'

Ryan Moore, who lives in Doyles, was driving along a stretch of roadway Tuesday night when the asphalt beneath his truck gave way. 

"I was kind of in shock. [The] airbags and everything went off and I jumped out," he said. 

"I looked behind me and there was just a black hole behind me … all I could hear was pavement cracking, it was pitch black so I couldn't really see what was going on."

Moore said he had actually sold that truck earlier in the day. Now it's a total write off. 

He said he nearly made it across the culvert when it caved in, his front wheel breaking through and bouncing the truck back onto hard ground on the other side. 

Areas of the Trans-Canada Highway near Doyles and the Codroy Valley have been washed away due to the storm. Police are asking motorists to stay off the highway between Cape Ray and North Branch due to heavy flooding. (Troy Turner/CBC)

"I've been driving that road my entire life and something didn't look right," he said. 

Moore is safe. He used the phone from a nearby neighbour's house to call for a ride home. He said a tow truck should be able to remove his now abandoned vehicle from the road early Wednesday morning. 

Ferry crossings cancelled

Meanwhile, Marine Atlantic ferry crossings between Port aux Basques and North Sydney, N.S., are cancelled on Wednesday because of the storm, leaving some passengers stranded who are trying to get home.

Jason Caron had been in Newfoundland for the last week, working construction on Walmart stores on the island. With the work completed, he was headed for home, until the ferry cancellations deflated his plan. 

Now he's unsure of when he'll get to leave. 

"We think maybe Tuesday will be possible, but we're still waiting on a response from Marine Atlantic," he said. 

According to Marine Atlantic's website, ferry crossings on Thursday could also be impacted by the storm. The company said the forecast will continue to be monitored and customers will be advised of any schedule changes.

Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

Great Barrier Reef 'gives birth' in massive coral spawning event

Ecologists hopeful after climate-related bleaching during 

 heat waves in 2016, 2017

Corals produce billions of offspring by casting sperm and eggs into the Pacific Ocean off the Queensland state coastal city of Cairns, Australia, on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. Australia's Great Barrier Reef is spawning in an explosion of colour as the World Heritage-listed natural wonder recovers from life-threatening coral bleaching episodes. (Gabriel Guzman/Calypso Productions/The Associated Press)

Australia's Great Barrier Reef is spawning in an explosion of colour as the World Heritage-listed natural wonder recovers from life-threatening coral bleaching episodes.

Scientists on Tuesday night recorded the corals producing billions of offspring by casting sperm and eggs into the Pacific Ocean off the Queensland state coastal city of Cairns.

The annual spawning event lasts for two or three days.

The network of 2,500 reefs covering 348,000 square kilometres (134,000 square miles) suffered significantly from coral bleaching caused by unusually warm ocean temperatures in 2016, 2017 and last year. The bleaching damaged two-thirds of the coral.

Gareth Phillips, a marine scientist with Reef Teach, a tourism and educational business, is studying the spawning as part of a project to monitor the reef's health.

"It is gratifying to see the reef give birth," Phillips said in a statement on Wednesday. "It's a strong demonstration that its ecological functions are intact and working after being in a recovery phase for more than 18 months."

"The reef has gone through its own troubles like we all have, but it can still respond — and that gives us hope. I think we must all focus on the victories as we emerge from the pandemic," he said.