US to sell Gulf of Mexico oil and Gas Leases in December
According to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Trump administration proposes to sell oil and gas drilling on 80 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico by December 10. Donald Trump has changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. This sale is the first in a five-year drilling program, launched by Biden during the period of the auction. BOEM, an Interior Department division, said that the administration planned to offer approximately 15,000 unleased offshore blocks, located between 3 and 231 miles off shore.
South Carolina's Republican Governor asks that Trump's offshore drilling plan exclude South Carolina
The Republican Governor of South Carolina appealed Monday to the Trump Administration to exclude his state from an impending plan for offshore oil and natural gas production. The letter was sent as the Administration wrapped up a 45 day request for public input on a federal offshore leasing program. This could include new zones, such as in the Arctic or elsewhere, to maximize domestic energy production. The current plan for five years, which was developed by former president Joe Biden's administration, only includes three sales of rights to develop oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico.
Wind opponents sue Trump Administration to block New York wind projects
Fishing companies, as well as offshore wind opponents, filed a suit on Tuesday to challenge the Trump administration’s decision to reverse its course and allow construction on Empire Wind to resume. Empire Wind is a $5 billion project for a wind farm off New York’s coast. Protect Our Coast New Jersey and Clean Ocean Action along with ACK for Whales, 12 fishing industry participants, filed a lawsuit in Trenton federal court, New Jersey to reinstate a stop-work order Interior Secretary Doug Burgum had issued in April, halting the construction of Equinor’s wind project.
Equinor could cancel New York offshore project due to Trump's order
Developer of major U.S. off-shore wind project warns that it will cancel Empire Wind facility near the coast of New York, if they cannot resolve a stop-work order from the Trump administration issued a month ago. Molly Morris is the president of Equinor's U.S. renewable energy division. She said that the company spends $50 million per week to keep this project alive. Morris stated in an interview that the situation was no longer sustainable. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Equinor on April 17 to stop construction of the project…
US to revise offshore oil and natural gas bonding rules era Biden
The Trump administration is revising a Biden era rule which required the oil and natural gas industry to provide new financial guarantees of nearly $7 billion to cover the costs of decommissioning older infrastructure. This was announced by the Interior Department on Friday. The agency stated in a press release that it would be developing a new regulatory framework, but gave no specifics. This move aligns with the efforts of President Donald Trump to reduce federal regulation and increase domestic energy production. A spokesperson for the Interior Department declined to comment further.
Trump Administration kicks off plan to expand offshore drilling
The U.S. The U.S. Donald Trump ordered the government to find ways to increase U.S. oil production. He argued that previous administrations had curtailed drilling unnecessarily to combat climate changes. He also rescinded the efforts of former president Joe Biden to stop oil drilling in the Arctic, and large areas along the U.S. Atlantic Coast and Pacific Coast. In a recent press release, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated that "Under the leadership of President Donald J.
BOEM Advances Offshore Wind Leasing in Guam
In support of the current administration’s goals to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030 and 15 GW of floating offshore wind energy capacity by 2035, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today announced the publication of a Call for Information and Nominations (Call) for possible wind energy leasing off the coast of the U.S. Pacific Territory of Guam.This Call will gather public comments to inform potential leasing areas, and results from close collaboration with the Government of Guam…
US offshore driller requests judge block insurers' demand for $250 million collateral
W&T Offshore is an independent driller in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. It has asked a federal court to block the insurance companies' demand for $250 million additional collateral in exchange for tearing down old oil infrastructure. Offshore drilling companies are under increasing pressure to issue bonds for the decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure within federal waters. In June, the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management enforced its final rule amending financial assurance regulations to ensure that the industry pays for decommissioning and not taxpayers.
US offshore driller requests judge block insurers' demand for $250 million collateral
W&T Offshore is an independent driller in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. It has asked a federal court to block insurance company demands for additional collateral of $250 million for tearing down old oil infrastructure. Offshore drilling companies are under increasing pressure to issue bonds for the decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure within federal waters. In June, the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management enforced its final rule amending financial assurance regulations to ensure that the industry pays for decommissioning and not taxpayers.
NOIA Reacts as BOEM Announces Next Steps for GoM Oil & Gas
National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) President Erik Milito issued the following statement after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico:"We are pleased to see BOEM finally moving forward with the next step toward the first Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease sale of the 2024-2029 offshore leasing program. This is not just about securing a lease sale in 2025…
BOEM ID's Environmental Measures for NY Bight Wind
In support of the Biden-Harris administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today issued a Record of Decision identifying environmental measures expected to be applied to future wind energy development of the six lease areas offshore New York and New Jersey in an area known as the New York Bight. BOEM estimates that full development of the six lease areas could generate up to 7 GW of offshore wind energy, enough to power up to two million homes.
US Gulf of Maine Offshore Wind Auction draws only $22 Million in Bids
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced on Tuesday that the offshore wind development rights offered in the Gulf of Maine attracted bids of $21.9 million for the first half of eight areas. Avangrid, a developer of offshore wind power, and Invenergy both walked away from the auction with two leases each. The 14 companies qualified to bid were Avangrid and Invenergy. BOEM estimates that once developed, these lease areas could power over 2.3 million homes. The sale was seen as a test of the industry's appetite for new investments after a year marked by high-profile failures.
Equinor and Dominion win US Central Atlantic Offshore Wind Auction
The Interior Department announced on Tuesday that Equinor, a Norwegian company, and Dominion, a U.S.-based power company, were the successful bidders at an auction by the U.S. Government for two offshore wind areas near the coasts Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The Biden administration's offshore wind lease auction generated bids of less than $93 millions, placing it as one of the least profitable. The U.S. president Joe Biden put offshore wind development at the forefront his climate change agenda.
Offshore Energy Production & the World Economy
As the price of gas continues to seemingly hold steady at around three dollars a gallon, the pocketbooks of Americans continue to suffer. Regretfully, due to global conflict and the outbreak of wars across Europe and the Middle East, oil prices are continuing to climb upwards, troubled by geopolitical conflict and fears of a potential shutdown of international oil and gas fields.Thankfully, the United States has long been blessed with tremendous sources of domestic energy that, if properly utilized, can protect us from suffering a similar energy-reliance disaster as experienced in Europe.
Offshore Wind Firm Orsted Beats Profit Forecasts
Orsted beat first-quarter profit expectations on Wednesday and said the coronavirus would not "materially" hit earnings this year although it might slow U.S.
Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Turbine Components En Route to U.S.
Dominion Energy and Ørsted have said that the turbine components and monopiles for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot project have started their journey to North America. The foundations, consisting of the turbines' monopiles, transition pieces and anode cages fabricated by EEW SPC, have been loaded onto the Bigroll Beaufort cargo ship in Rostock, Germany. The components for the two, 6-megawatt Siemens Gamesa turbines were loaded in Esbjerg, Denmark, before the vessel embarked in mid-April on the approximately two-week transatlantic journey to Halifax…
OWC to Develop Ground Model for U.S. Offshore Wind Farm
OWC, formerly known as Offshore Wind Consultants Ltd, has won a contract with an undisclosed developer to develop a ground model for a US offshore wind project and its cable route. Will Cleverly, managing director of OWC said:“Our approach to ground modeling maximizes data value through GIS integration and analysis. We follow rigorous terrain and subsurface mapping principles which, combined with extensive practical offshore acquisition and interpretation experience, allows…
U.S. Offshore Oil Lease Sale Weakest Since 2016
A major sale of oil and gas leases in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday generated $93 million in high bids, the lowest total for any U.S. offshore auction since 2016, reflecting caution in the drilling industry amid a steep slide in oil prices.Firing up offshore drilling is a crucial part of U.S. President Donald Trump's "energy dominance" agenda to maximize domestic production of crude oil, natural gas, and coal. But the energy industry is in crisis as the coronavirus outbreak decimates world demand for fuel and crushes prices."While bidding did take a tough hit…
USA Ups BOEM Offshore Wind Budget
The Trump Administration has proposed a $189m fiscal year 2021 budget for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), designating just under $27m for offshore wind.The FY 2021 budget includes approximately $26.5 million to advance offshore renewable energy development.In recognition of the role renewable energy can play in securing the Nation’s energy independence and supporting economic growth, BOEM continues to advance renewable energy through its leasing program and streamlining its permitting and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) processes.In addition…
Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale Set for March
U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will offer over 78 million acres for a region-wide lease sale scheduled for March 18, 2020, as part of President Trump’s America First Offshore Energy Strategy.The sale would include all available unleased areas in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said: “A strong and safe offshore energy program fuels the American economy…
