In focus: Heating up the energy transition

The record-breaking heatwave that plagued the Pacific Northwest of America brought with it a unique form of environmental destruction this week. Melting glaciers caused a 2.7-magnitude ice quake on Tuesday. In Italy, glaciers were covered with white canvas to protect them from melting. In other words, it is tough to be a glacier nowadays.

In this light, we present the latest developments from the offshore energy industry that hopefully can tilt this trend of melting ice.

Like oilfield services major Baker Hughes. The company announced the release of its 2020 Report on Corporate Responsibility which outlines its corporate strategy for a sustainable energy future. Baker Hughes said on Thursday that it supported the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement, and it believes that the private sector has a crucial role to play in limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Or companies like Maersk and Proman that are investing in clean fuel with building methanol-powered ships. Take AlfaWall Oceanbird. This joint venture will supply wind propulsion solutions for cargo vessels and other ship types. The first concept is a wind-powered Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) fitted with five wing sails, each at around 80 meters high, scheduled to be launched in five years.

Another initiative with a more sustainable planet in mind, is between Scottish tidal energy developer Nova Innovation and Sabella, its French counterpart. They have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to accelerate development of their tidal energy sites in UK and France.

From the subsea industry, the companies 3D at Depth and SEA.O.G. Offshore are pitching in with a collaboration agreement with the goal of reducing carbon emissions for subsea survey operations.

“Moving away from less effective traditional methodologies and taking a more focused, left-field approach, will reduce carbon emissions, reduce task timings, and will ultimately be more cost-effective”, said Mike Arnold, director at SEA.O.G. Offshore.

Van Oord, also a company that believes in corporate responsibility, presented a generation of hybrid water injection vessels this week. The two vessels, delivered by Kooiman Marine Group, can store energy in batteries from residual heat that is normally lost. This energy is subsequently used for purposes including propulsion. Diesel-electric engines will reduce CO2 emissions.

Another step in the energy transition was taken by the Danish Energy Agency this week. The organisation has given the green light to Energinet to start preliminary offshore investigations at the areas in the Baltic Sea where the country could build two offshore wind farms that would be connected to the planned energy island on Bornholm.

Not everyone got the memo, though. A lobbyist for ExxonMobil stated in an aired interview recorded by undercover Greenpeace activists that the company was still fighting efforts to tackle climate change in the U.S., despite publicly claiming to support the Paris climate agreement.