Sources say that GE Vernova's investigation found that the offshore wind turbine plant at Quebec was not operating to standards.
Sources familiar with the situation said that GE Vernova’s offshore wind turbine production plant in Quebec has terminated or suspended several employees after a company probe found they had taken shortcuts when it came to quality control. GE Vernova began the investigation at its factory in Gaspe in Quebec, after one of their 107 meter-long turbine blades broke at the Vineyard Wind Project off the coast Massachusetts in July. The project was temporarily stopped after shards of fiberglass were found on the beaches.
Hurricane Rafael has caused a shutdown of 17% of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Oil Production
The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement announced on Wednesday that Hurricane Rafael had shut down approximately 17% of crude production and 7% of gas output in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The Bureau reported that energy producers have shut down 304,418 barrels of oil per day and 131,000,000 cubic feet of gas production from Gulf waters. According to the latest U.S. National Hurricane Center advisory, Rafael, a hurricane of Category 3, was located approximately 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of Havana, Cuba.
Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova Release Action Plan Overview of Blade Removal Operation
Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova released a plan on Friday outlining the steps that should be taken following a turbine blade collapse last month on the Vineyard Wind project offshore off the coast Massachusetts. The failure left potentially hazardous debris on the beaches of Nantucket. Vineyard Wind was the first major offshore wind farm in the United States. The plan details the steps that must be taken to retrieve the remaining blade from the turbine. The plan was developed with the U.S.
Storm Cut 73% of US Offshore Production
Tropical Storm Barry has cut 73%, or 1.38 million barrels per day (bpd), of crude oil production in the U.S.-regulated areas of the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said on Sunday.Natural gas output from the northern Gulf of Mexico is down 62%, or 1.7 billion cubic feet per day, BSEE said.A total of 283 production platforms, or 42%, remain shut in the Gulf of Mexico, BSEE said.(Reporting by Erwin Seba Editing by Nick Zieminski)
US Gulf Oil Output Takes a Hit from Storm
Tropical Storm Gordon forced a cut of 9.36 percent of crude oil production in U.S.-regulated areas of the Gulf of Mexico, slightly more than Tuesday, the U.S.
BSEE Ramps up Quality Assurance Measures
The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has implemented a new quality assurance process for reviewing and assessing its permitting systems. The new process seeks to reflect on permits issued by the agency and helps inform best practices for offshore energy permitting. The new directive, issued by BSEE’s Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs, requires the agency to conduct periodic review and assessment of permitting processes for consistency…
Eni Begins Drilling Oil Well in Alaska's Beaufort Sea
Italian oil producer Eni this week began drilling a new well in U.S. waters off the north coast of Alaska, becoming the first company to do so since 2015, federal regulators said on Wednesday. The oil and gas firm is working from an artificial island in the Beaufort Sea about three miles off Oliktok Point in the Arctic Ocean. The well is expected to run more than 6 miles (10 km) long. The project could result in 20,000 barrels a day of oil production, according to regulator U.S.
Oil Workers Sue Shell over GoM Platform Fire
Three offshore oil workers filed a lawsuit against units of Royal Dutch Shell and Enbridge, seeking $1 million in damages for injuries they allegedly received during a Nov. 8 fire on a U.S. Gulf of Mexico production platform. The suit, filed in Galveston County court in Texas on Dec. 5, claims safety lapses on Shell's Enchilada platform caused severe injuries to the three. The complaint seeks more than $1 million in damages from Shell International Exploration and Production…
US Gasoline Prices Climb as Refineries Gradually Restart
U.S. retail gasoline prices climbed Tuesday, even as oil refineries rumbled back into service after Hurricane Harvey disrupted operations along the Texas coast. The average gasoline price was $2.648, 30.2 cents higher than a month ago, according to motorist advocacy group AAA. Gasoline prices normally retreat after the U.S. Labor Day holiday weekend. Benchmark U.S. gasoline futures fell more than 3 percent, however, as refineries restarted. U.S.
Angelle Named BSEE Director
Former Louisiana state official Scott A. Angelle will head-up the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). Angelle, who most recently served as Vice Chairman of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, will assume his new position May 23. “Scott Angelle brings a wealth of experience to BSEE, having spent many years working for the safe and efficient energy production of both Louisiana’s and our country’s offshore resources,” Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said.
Partners Advance Arctic Oil Spill Response Technology
Continually working to help improve oil spill response technologies, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) presented details on its latest efforts at the Arctic Oil Spill Response Research and Technology Workshop on April 26. There, Bureau staff presented results of several BSEE-funded projects including the development of a submersible skimmer prototype for oil recovery in and around broken ice.
Oil Rises on U.S. Weather News, OPEC Rumors
Gulf of Mexico producers shut in 0.17 mln bpd of oil. Oil futures rose on Tuesday supported by production suspensions in the U.S. Gulf due to an expected tropical storm and speculation that producers meeting in Algeria next month will act to prop up prices. Brent crude futures were trading at $49.53 per barrel at 1142 GMT, up 27 cents from the previous close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up 36 cents at $47.34 a barrel. Oil and gas operators in the U.S.
Shell Shuts Wells to Brutus Platform after GoM Spill
A 2,100-barrel oil spill in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico forced Royal Dutch Shell on Thursday to shut in all wells that flow to its Brutus platform, federal regulators said. The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said a 2 mile by 13 mile (about 3 km by 21 km) sheen was visible in the sea about 97 miles off the Louisiana coast. The sheen is near Shell's Glider Field, a group of four subsea wells whose production flows through a subsea manifold to the Brutus platform…
Inspectors Vigilant over Shell’s Arctic Drilling
Shell’s drilling operations in the Chukchi Sea are being overseen 24/7 by inspectors from the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) to ensure compliance with federal regulations and safety standards, BSEE said. BSEE said its inspector boarded the semi-submersible drilling unit Transocean Polar Pioneer before it began drilling the top section of the well at Burger J on July 30, and a second BSEE inspector is on board the drillship Noble Discoverer at Burger V…
BSEE Tests GoM Response Equipment
The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) informs it has recently tested and verified the sound working condition of various response equipment used in the Gulf of Mexico region. Analysts with BSEE’s Oil Spill Preparedness Division boarded the pollution control vessel Louisiana Responder at Fort Jackson, La. on July 14 to test the response readiness of Anadarko Petroleum Corp. While conducting an equipment verification…
BSEE Issues Alert on DP System Failure
Dynamic positioning system failures on offshore supply vessels engage in oil and gas operations in the U.S. The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has issued a Joint Safety Alert addressing a dynamic positioning (DP) incident involving an offshore supply vessel (OSV) which resulted in a loss of position while conducting a critical Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) activity. The OSV was attached to a wellhead…
USCG: Oil Spill in US Waters Averted
The United States Coast Guard and the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement released a joint safety alert today in response to an incident in which an Offshore Supply Vessel (OSV) experienced a loss of position while conducting a critical Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) activity. The OSV in question was attached to a wellhead, lost position and severed the wellhead tree causing a lubricant release on the platform deck and to the environment…
