Biden sets 2035 floating wind farm goal
President Joe Biden's administration will push the offshore wind sector into deeper waters, establishing a new goal for projects using floating turbines over the next 13 years.
The US by 2035 will strive to add 15,000MW of floating offshore wind capacity, enough to power more than 5mn households, the US Department of the Interior said today.
Reaching the milestone would avoid around 26mn metric tonnes/yr of CO2 emissions, according to Interior's estimates.
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will advance wind lease areas for projects in deeper waters to fulfill the objective, beginning with a previously announced auction for territory off the California coast before the end of the year.
The new target expands on Biden's existing goal for 30,000MW of offshore wind by 2030. The 2030 goal will rely mostly on projects with fixed-bottom turbines suitable for relatively shallow waters. In contrast, developers are depending on floating turbines to establish projects in areas with deeper waters, which includes the US west coast.
While California, Oregon and Washington have all committed to 100pc carbon-free electricity by 2045 at the latest, offshore wind has less of a foothold on the west coast as a result of engineering challenges and cost concerns. Projects in the northeastern US account for most of the country's offshore wind pipeline because they rely on the fixed turbines, rather than the more expensive, floating turbines needed in the Pacific's deeper waters.
US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said her department has "a leasing strategy" but declined to elaborate on areas other than the west coast and Gulf of Maine — regions already highlighted by BOEM — that regulators could ultimately target for leases.
The administration will support the 15,000MW aspiration from several angles. The first is an extension of the US Department of Energy's (DOE) "Energy Earthshot" program, designed to advance newer clean technologies — including hydrogen, long-duration energy storage, geothermal and carbon capture and sequestration — by breaking down technology and cost barriers.
Through that initiative, the administration endeavors to cut costs for floating turbine technology by over 70pc by 2035, bringing it down to $45/MWh, through a combination of research, demonstration projects and technology improvements, as well as building out domestic supply chain and transmission infrastructure.
The floating wind "earthshot" will be a cross-sector collaboration between DOE, Interior, the US Department of Commerce and US Department of Transportation.
DOE will also invest $50mn into research, development and demonstration projects, with portions of the funding from last year's infrastructure bill. That research will touch on various aspects of the industry, ranging from utility-scale projects to port upgrades to wildlife protection measures.
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Canada furthers investment in GHG reductions
Canada furthers investment in GHG reductions
Houston, 18 April (Argus) — The Canadian government plans to have C$93bn ($67.5bn) in federal incentives up and running by the end of the year to spur developments in clean energy technology, hydrogen production, carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) along with a new tax credit for electric vehicle (EV) supply chains. The Canada Department of Finance, in its 2024 budget released on 16 April, said it expects to have the first planned investment tax credits (ITCs), for CCUS and renewable energy investments, in law before 1 June. The ITCs would be available for investments made generally within or before 2023 depending on the credit. The anticipated clean hydrogen ITC is also moving forward. It could provide 15-40pc of related eligible costs, with projects that produce the cleanest hydrogen set to receive the higher levels of support, along with other credits for equipment purchases and power-purchase agreements. The government is pursuing a new ITC for EV supply chains, meant to bolster in-country manufacturing and consumer adoption of EVs with a 10pc return on the cost of buildings used in vehicle assembly, battery production and related materials. The credit would build on the clean technology manufacturing ITC, which allows businesses to claim 30pc of the cost of new machinery and equipment. To bolster reductions in transportation-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the government will also direct up to C$500mn ($363mn) in funding from the country's low-carbon fuel standard to support domestic biofuel production . Transportation is the second largest source of GHG emissions for the country, at 28pc, or 188mn metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent, in 2021. But the province of Alberta expressed disappointment at the pace of development of ITC support that could help companies affected by the country's move away from fossil fuels. "There was nothing around ammonia or hydrogen, and no updates on the CCUS ITCs that would actually spur on investment," Alberta finance minister Nate Horner said. The incentives are intended to help Canada achieve a 40-45pc reduction in GHG emissions by 2030, relative to 2005 levels. This would require a reduction in GHG emissions to about 439mn t/yr, while Canada's emissions totaled 670mn in 2021, according to the government's most recent inventory. The budget also details additional plans for the Canada Growth Fund's carbon contracts for a difference, which help decarbonize hard-to-abate industries. The government plans to add off-the-shelf contracts to its current offering of bespoke one-off contracts tailored to a specific enterprise to broaden the reach and GHG reductions of the program. These contracts incentivize businesses to invest in emissions reducing program or technology, such as CCUS, through the government providing a financial backstop to a project developer. The government and developer establish a "strike price" that carbon allowances would need to reach for a return on the investment, with the government paying the difference if the market price fails to increase. CGF signed its first contract under this program last year , with Calgary-based carbon capture and sequestration company Entropy and has around $6bn remaining to issue agreements. To stretch this funding further, the Canadian government intends for Environment and Climate Change Canada to work with provincial and territorial carbon markets to improve performance and potentially send stronger price signals to spur decarbonization. By Denise Cathey Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Scotland abandons 2030 climate target to focus on 2045
Scotland abandons 2030 climate target to focus on 2045
Edinburgh, 18 April (Argus) — The Scottish government is abandoning its 2030 target to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions after the UK's Climate Change Committee (CCC) said last month Scotland would not be able to meet it, but reiterated "unwavering commitment" to its 2045 net zero goal. Scotland had an ambitious interim target to reduce GHG emissions by 75pc by 2030 from a 1990 baseline and its legally binding 2045 net zero goal date is ahead of the rest of the UK. The CCC said in March that the nation was unlikely to meet its 2030 climate goals as "continued delays" in plans and policies mean the required actions to hit targets are now "beyond what is credible". And today, Scotland's cabinet secretary for net zero Mairi McAllan said that the government "accepts the CCC's recent re-articulations" that the "2030 target is out of reach". "We must now act to chart a course to 2045 at a pace and scale that is feasible, fair and just." She said that the government will bring forward "expediting legislation" to remove the 2030 target, calling it "a minor legislative change". McAllan said climate actions are backtracking at the UK level and blamed "severe budget restrictions" by the UK government and the "constrains of devolution". Scotland is a member nation of the UK, and the Scottish parliament has some devolved powers. But energy, for example, remains a reserved matter in the UK, and decisions — including licensing, regulation and policy — are taken by the UK parliament. She said that Scotland was trying to achieve societal and economic transformation with "one hand tied behind our back". Scotland's first minister Humza Yousaf said there was no intention to "roll back" on the target to achieve net zero emissions by 2045, saying that Scotland has made faster progress than any other nation in the UK during 2019-21, but that 2030 was a "stretched" target. McAllan said annual reporting on progress will be kept but by introducing a target approach based on "five-yearly carbon budgets" — a cap on the amount of GHG emitted over a five-year period — in a similar way to the rest of the UK. Scotland missed its annual emissions-reduction target in 2021, for the eighth time in the last 12 years. The CCC's interim chair Piers Forster said today that the removal of the 2030 target was "deeply disappointing". "We are reassured that the net zero target remains in place but interim targets and plans to deliver against them are what makes any net zero commitment credible," he said. McAllan announced a series of measures that the government wants to introduce, including reducing methane emissions in farming, a Scotland-wide integrated transport ticketing system, and the quadrupling of electric car charging points. But it is unclear what will happen to Scotland's delayed climate strategy, which was due at the end of 2023. By Caroline Varin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
NSTA fines Neo Energy for North Sea methane venting
NSTA fines Neo Energy for North Sea methane venting
London, 18 April (Argus) — UK offshore regulator the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has fined UK upstream firm Neo Energy £100,000 for breaching its methane venting permit at North Sea fields. The company emitted 1,200t of methane in excess of its permit from the Donan, Lochranza and Balloch fields in the first nine months of 2022. Neo had permission to vent 378t of methane from installations at these fields in that year, but incorrectly assigned volumes vented through unlit flares to its flaring consent, the NSTA found. Neo showed a "lack of oversight" by failing to detect the licence breach for seven months, NSTA said. The company reached its annual limit by 21 March 2022, but continued venting without authorisation until October 2022. The company said it did not update its flare and vent allocation process to reflect NSTA guidance updated in 2021, and as such was still assigning its flaring and venting according to previous guidance. Neo becomes the fourth company to be fined by the NSTA over breaches relating to flaring and venting consents. The regulator in 2022 sanctioned Equinor and EnQuest and last year fined Spanish utility Repsol for consent breaches. The four companies have been fined a total of £475,000 for the breaches. And the regulator in February had four more investigations under way for breaches of vent consents. Neo Energy's fine is equivalent to £2.98/t of CO2e emitted, assuming a global warming potential of methane that is 28 times that of CO2 on a 100-year time scale, compared with a UK emissions trading system price of £34.40/t of CO2e on 17 April. The UK offshore industry targets a 50pc reduction in production emissions of greenhouse gases by 2030, from a 2018 baseline. And it intends to end all routine venting and flaring by that year. The regulator last year warned that "further, sustained action" would be needed to reach the 2030 emissions reduction goal. Methane emissions from offshore gas fell in recent years, to 1mn t in 2022 from 1.6mn t in 2018, according to NSTA data. Roughly half of methane emissions in the sector in recent years has been produced by venting, while flaring makes up about a quarter of the emissions. The UK government is a member of the Global Methane Pledge group of countries that aims to reduce methane emissions by 30pc by 2030 from a 2020 baseline. By Rhys Talbot Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Australia’s Queensland legislates emissions targets
Australia’s Queensland legislates emissions targets
Sydney, 18 April (Argus) — Australia's Queensland state today approved two separate laws setting renewable energy and emissions reduction targets over the next decade, as it transitions away from a coal-fired dependent power generation system. Queensland set net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets of 30pc below 2005 levels by 2030, 75pc by 2035 and zero by 2050 under the Clean Economy Jobs Act, while theEnergy (Renewable Transformation and Jobs) Act sets renewable energy targets of 50pc by 2030, 70pc by 2032 and 80pc by 2035. The state is on track to surpass the 2030 emissions target, latest data show, as it achieved a 29pc reduction in 2021. Even though the share of renewables in the power mix last year was the lowest across Australia at 26.9pc, it has been increasing consistently since 2015 when it was 4.5pc, according to data from the National Electricity Market's OpenNem website. Coal-fired generation has been steadily falling, down to 42.9TWh or a 65.7pc share in 2023 from 52.9TWh or 83pc in 2018. Most of Queensland's coal-fired plants belong to state-owned utilities, which the previous Labor party-led government of Annastacia Palaszczuk indicated would stop burning coal by 2035 . The new Labor party premier Steven Miles disclosed the 75pc emissions reduction target by 2035 in his first speech as leader last December. The Energy Act locks in public ownership of electricity assets, ensuring that at least 54pc of power generation assets above 30MW remain under state control, as well as 100pc of all transmission and distribution assets and 100pc of so-called "deep storage" assets — pumped hydro plants with at least 1.5GW of capacity. The government will need to prepare and publish a public ownership strategy for the July 2025-June 2030 and July 2030-June 2035 periods. A fund totalling A$150mn ($97mn) will also be set up to ensure workers at existing state-owned coal-fired power plants and associated coal mines have access to new jobs and training or financial assistance during the transition. The Clean Economy Jobs Act sees the government receiving advice from an expert panel on the measures needed to reduce emissions. The government will need to develop and publish sector plans by the end of 2025 with annual progress reports to Queensland's parliament. By Juan Weik Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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