US pressures EU to align LNG methane regulations
A letter obtained by showed that U.S. officials redoubled their efforts to convince EU counterparts that shipments of liquefied gas meeting current U.S. regulations on methane would automatically meet the new European standards for gas imports. On December 17, the administration of President Joe Biden sent a second email to Ditte J. Jorgensen (EU Director-General for Energy) to increase support for their case that US Environmental Protection Agency regulations should be considered "equivalents" to EU regulations whose reporting requirements for emissions begin in 2025.
Methane Emission Reduction takes Center Stage of UN GHG Report
In four decades of climate negotiations, the world has focused intensely and exclusively on the most abundant climate-warming gas: carbon dioxide. This year, scientists are urging a focus on another potent greenhouse gas – methane – as the planet's best hope for staving off catastrophic global warming.Countries must make "strong, rapid and sustained reductions" in methane emissions in addition to slashing CO2 emissions, scientists warn in a landmark report by the U.N. Intergovernmental…
RP Global to develop a 1GW solar PV and wind project pipeline in Poland
Renewable energy developer and investor RP Global is working on a pipeline of projects in Poland to deliver more than 1,000 MW in the next two to four years. The first projects to be commissioned from this pipeline by mid-2022 include five Solar PV parks totalling approximately 180 MW, located in different regions of Poland.RP Global has been present in Poland for over 15 years, having developed and built five wind farms in the country. The company owns and operates two wind farm summing 104 MW as part of a 50:50 joint venture with the Marguerite Fund…
Japan: Ocean Release for Fukushima Water
A panel of experts advising Japan's government on a disposal method for radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant on Friday recommended releasing it into the ocean, a move likely to alarm neighboring countries.The panel under the industry ministry came to the conclusion after narrowing the choice to either releasing the contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean or letting it evaporate - and opted for the former. Based on past practice it is likely the government…
MOSI Anti-Fouling Coatings for Barnacles and Zebra Mussels
Marine organisms such as barnacles and zebra mussels have been a long-standing nuisance to ship hulls, causing exterior damage, increased power and fuel consumption and environmental concerns. While anti-fouling coatings help to prevent biofouling, a new research study suggests that an innovative approach to marine coatings may solve the problem of barnacle and zebra mussel fouling, an approach stems from the MOSI (Marine Organism Sensory Interference) concept. MOSI uses a unique coating tech to interfere with the sensory ability of juvenile barnacles…
Pfisterer Wins Moray East Offshore Windfarm Deal
The global manufacturer of high-voltage cable accessories and a system provider Pfisterer has won a contract for the supply of the 220kV land cable accessories for the grid connection of the 950MW Moray East offshore wind farm in Scotland."In cooperation with the cable manufacturer TELE-FONIKA Kable and the international cable and pipeline installation contractor VolkerInfra, Pfisterer has been awarded the contract for the supply of the 220 kV land cable accessories for the grid connection of the new Moray East Offshore Windfarm…
Water at Fukushima Site is Still Radioactive
The owner of the Fukushima nuclear plant, destroyed by an earthquake and tsunami more than seven years ago, said water treated at the site still contains radioactive materials that for years it has insisted had been removed.The admission by Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) could ruin its chances of releasing the water into the ocean, a move the nuclear regulator says is safe but which local fishermen oppose.Tokyo won the bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics more than five years ago…
Subsea Industries Introduces Ecolast Coating
Subsea Industries has launched Ecolast, the latest member in its range of coating systems. This product is UltraViolet (UV) resistant and preserves its color while at the same time offering the corrosion and abrasion protection. Regular coatings will quickly lose their original color when exposed to the ultraviolet radiation present in sunlight, Subsea Industries said, noting that this is especially problematic when colorfastness is required, as is the case for offshore wind farms, for example. The bottom part of the tower of wind turbines are all coated in the same regulated yellow.
AXYS Metocean Buoy Supports Offshore Wind
AXYS Technologies Inc (AXYS) has announced that a WatchKeeper meteorological and oceanographic data buoy has been recently deployed approximately 60km offshore along the Northern coast of Poland in the Baltic Sea. This buoy, procured by polish developer Baltic Trade and Invest (BTI), will be used as part of their upcoming Environmental Impact and Assessment campaign in the Baltic Sea. This campaign will form part of the Environmental application for the offshore wind farm development “FEW Baltic II”.
Nuclear Reactor Leak: Norway Incident is Contained
A leak at a small nuclear reactor in Norway has been contained, with no injuries sustained and no expected environmental damage outside the facility, the reactor's operator and the country's Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) said on Tuesday. The leak at the research reactor operated by the Institute for Energy Technology, located in a mountain cave in the middle of Halden in southern Norway, began on Monday at 1145 GMT but the regulator said it was not alerted until Tuesday.
As Japan Re-embraces Nuclear Power, Safety Warnings Persist
Japan's re-embrace of nuclear power, on display last week with the recertification of two ageing reactors, is prompting some critics to warn that Tokyo is neglecting the lessons of Fukushima. In the first such step since the 2011 disaster, Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) on June 20 approved Kansai Electric Power Co's application to extend the life of two reactors beyond 40 years. As it became clear the NRA was going to allow the extensions, a former commissioner…
Application Guidelines for Dumping Radioactive Waste
Updated guidelines for the application of the de minimis (exempt) concept for radioactive substances which may be considered for dumping at sea have been adopted by Contracting Parties to the treaties which regulate the dumping of wastes at sea. The 2015 Guidelines for the application of the de minimis concept include recognition of effects of radiation on marine fauna and flora. They were adopted by the 37th Consultative Meeting of Contracting Parties (London Convention 1972) and 10th Meeting of Contracting Parties (London Protocol 1996)…
Legal Challenges for Obama Administration's Central Carbon Rule
Twenty-three states said on Friday they have filed a petition with a U.S. appeals court to block the Obama administration's proposal to curb carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, the centerpiece of his high-profile climate change strategy. West Virginia, Texas, Florida and Ohio were among the states to challenge the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan, saying it pushed the limits of the federal Clean Air Act. "EPA claims to have sweeping power to enact…
New Mexico Nuclear Waste Site Opening Delayed
The planned March 2016 reopening of an underground nuclear waste dump in New Mexico has been pushed back indefinitely because of unanticipated challenges, U.S. officials said. A radiation leak at the U.S. government's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant that originated in a disposal chamber half a mile (1 km) below ground at the center near Carlsbad, New Mexico, exposed more than 20 workers to small amounts of radiation in February 2014, officials have said. The accident led to the suspension of key operations at the site…
ARENA Funding Helps CSIRO set-up New Solar Lab.
CSIRO is set to increase confidence in large scale solar by more accurately predicting how different solar photovoltaic (PV) systems will perform on Australian shores. Over the course of a 32 month project supported by $1.3 million ARENA funding, CSIRO successfully established unique indoor and outdoor testing capabilities that are now accessible to PV researchers and industry. ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said these new facilities would allow different solar panels and cells to be scrutinised, assessing how they respond to Australian conditions and predicting their output over time.
Solar Plant Taking Shape at Iconic Broken Hill
The heritage listed destination synonymous with Mad Max and the birth of Australia’s mining sector will soon be home to one of the country’s largest solar farms. ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said the first of around 650,000 panels had recently been installed by First Solar at AGL Energy Limited’s (AGL) $150 million Broken Hill solar photovoltaic (PV) plant. “When complete, the 53 MW plant will power up to 17,000 homes with renewable energy,” Mr Frischknecht said. The Broken Hill plant is part of the $440 million AGL solar project.
Designer Westwood Carries Mutilated 'Baby' in Anti-fracking Campaign
British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood took to the streets of London on Monday cradling a "fracked baby of the future" in her latest show of opposition to hydraulic fracturing. The 74-year-old, known for her environmental campaigning as well as her bold designs, held a doll covered in bloodstains and with a missing hand, which campaign group Talk Fracking called a "limbless, radiation-scabbed 'Fracked Baby of the Future'". Standing in front of a mock election billboard captioned "Let's stay on the road to a fracked future"…
Protesting Japanese Arrested for landing drone on PM's office
A Japanese man has been arrested for landing a drone on the prime minister's office with a minuscule amount of radiation in an apparent protest against the use of nuclear power, four years after the Fukushima disaster. Unemployed Yasuo Yamamoto, 40, who lives in Fukui Prefecture in western Japan, was arrested on Friday and charged with obstruction of official business, police said. The maximum penalty is three years in prison or a 500,000 yen ($4,200) fine. Media reported…
Fukushima Radioactivity Detected at British Columbia Shoreline
Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have for the first time detected the presence of small amounts of radioactivity from the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in a seawater sample from the shoreline of North America. The sample, which was collected on February 19 in Ucluelet, British Columbia, with the assistance of the Ucluelet Aquarium, contained trace amounts of cesium (Cs) -134 and -137, well below internationally established levels of concern to humans and marine life.
North Dakota Oil Producers Aim to Cut Radioactive Waste Bills
North Dakota's oil industry is pushing to change the state's radioactive waste disposal laws as part of a broad effort to conserve cash as oil prices tumble. The waste, which becomes slightly radioactive as part of the hydraulic fracturing process that churns up isotopes locked underground, must be trucked out of state. That's because rules prohibit North Dakota landfills from accepting anything but miniscule amounts of radiation. The most common form of radioactive waste is a filter sock…
