The first half of 2010 saw 118 new offshore wind turbines fully connected to European grids according to the latest statistics from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).Those 118 turbines have a capacity of 333MW – well over half the…
BP's Gulf of Mexico oil leak is an unmitigated disaster, not just because of the amount of oil that has to be skimmed, the oil-soaked birds that have to be cleansed and the beaches that require purification. It has allowed an Obama administration…
Subsea installation of the world's largest test facility for wave energy technology was imminent as OE went to press, with the loading of the UK South West Regional Development Agency's pioneering Wave Hub and its 25km power cable onto a cable…
Four of the largest oil companies have pledged $1 billion to build a rapid response system designed to capture and contain oil in the event of another Macondo-style blowout in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.In a July 21 joint announcement, Chevron…
Unfair though it may seem, it is conceivable that the Macondo incident will have at least as damaging and persistent an impact on the offshore industry as Chernobyl does on the nuclear power industry. Professor Andrew C Palmer explains why.On…
Having enjoyed the occasional taste of EPC responsibility in recent years, Van Oord Offshore is looking for much more of the same. Although perhaps best known for its rock installation muscle as a subcontractor to the likes of Saipem and Allseas…
Having repositioned itself during the 2009 downturn, Aberdeen-based consultancy Altra Energy recently joined forces with offshore contractor SLP North Sea to secure its first full-scope engineering assignment – for a new satellite production…
GDF Suez takes over as operator of Gjøa when the field comes onstream in October. The project comprises a semisubmersible platform with subsea tiebacks, and is also expected to be a hub in the future. Meg Chesshyre opens this month's Scandinavian…
The Danish Energy Agency recently awarded Dong Energy the concession to build an offshore wind farm in the Kattegat Bay at a cost of DKK10 billion. The wind farm's turbines, supplied by Siemens Wind Power, will have a capacity of 3.6MW each…
Increased uncertainties about operating in ultra-deepwater typically result in over-designed production systems with resulting increased costs. Prasanna Parthasarathy and Kellin Nelson of MSi Kenny and Shell's Howard Littell discuss how high…
BP has come under fierce criticism for its response to the Macondo blowout, a months-long saga of top hats, riser insertion tools and other containment efforts that only began collecting a significant portion of the oil spilling into the Gulf several weeks after the event…
The Macondo oil spill will have a lasting impact, but not the same repercussions on the petroleum industry that the Three Mile Island accident had on the nuclear industry. So said Douglas Becker, director oil services & equipment, global research for Bank of America…
Andrew McBarnet detects a shift of emphasis in the marketing of marine seismic.The marine seismic industry is well used to the cyclical nature of its operations, but could currently be described as being in something of a state of limbo. This…
Ultimately, the life of existing offshore assets will have to be extended, safely and reliably, and balancing production against integrity requires a comprehensive understanding of those assets and the use of management strategies that engage employees at all levels…
Chemical tracers have long been used to keep tabs on what is going on in a reservoir, such as characterizing injection water flow through the reservoir, and to determine what type of fluid is flowing from a certain location along the well. Jennifer…