BOEM Initiates Cetacean Acoustic Monitoring Program
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has established the Partnership for an Offshore Wind Energy Regional Observation Network (POWERON).The public-private partnership between BOEM and offshore wind lessees is designed to maximize the quality and consistency of scientific data collected in lease areas while conserving and optimizing resources.The partnership is the latest way that the Biden-Harris administration is harnessing technology to responsibly advance offshore wind development in a way that protects biodiversity.The POWERON initiative expands BOEM’s recently established Passive
BOEM Announces New Rules for Protection of Shipwrecks
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has finalized new regulations to better protect shipwrecks and other cultural resources on the seabed from potential harm due to offshore oil and gas activities.The final rule requires lessees and operators to submit an archaeological report with any exploration or development plan they submit to BOEM for proposed activities on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The report must detail procedures for reporting the discovery of possible archaeological resources and how operations will avoid or minimize harm if archaeological resources are present.
TDI-Brooks Delivers Deepwater Atlantic Habitats II Report
TDI-Brooks has announced that the report for Contract M17PC00009, issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is available online.The report is titled “Deepwater Atlantic Habitats II: Continued Atlantic Research and Exploration in Deepwater Ecosystems with Focus on Coral, Canyon and Seep Communities.” It is the final deliverable of the BOEM Contract called Deep SEARCH, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey.Initially, the study was a five-year, collaborative scientific research program focused on the outer continental shelf
Weather Data Gathering Project Underway for US Offshore Wind
by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, with over 15 partners including national laboratories, universities, industry, and cooperation from local governments. The wildlife monitoring is a project of Duke University with funding from DOE and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.Upon completion of the data collection campaign, the monitoring platforms and instruments will be removed from the ocean, and the study's data and results will be published and used to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts for the region
World's Largest Known Deep-sea Coral Reef Habitat Found
submersible dives in addition to mapping data, were collected as part of a coordinated, multi-year ocean exploration campaign involving NOAA Ocean Exploration, NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute partners Ocean Exploration Trust and the University of New Hampshire , the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Temple University , and the U.S. Geological Survey, with contributions from Fugro , the NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program, and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council .The largest area, nicknamed "Million Mounds" by scientists, is primarily made up
Equinor Taps Ocean Infinity for Floating Wind Farm Site Survey off California
area. Ocean Infinity's high quality data sets will facilitate informed decision-making and meticulous planning for the construction and operational phases," Ocean Infinity said.Image Credit: Equinor (cropped) - File imageBack in December 2022, five leases were offered by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in the first-ever offshore wind lease sale on the US west coast and the first-ever US sale to support commercial-scale floating offshore wind energy development opportunities. With a bid of USD 130 million for 80.062 acres in the Pacific Ocean, Equinor secured a ~2-gigawatt
UH Aims to Develop Subsea Pipeline Inspection Autonomous Robot
subsea inspections. The technology will aim to make the inspection process safer and more cost effective.From 1964 through 2015, a total of 514 offshore pipeline–related oil spills were recorded, 20 of which incurred spill volumes of more than 1,000 barrels, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.The SmartTouch technology now in development at UH consists of ROVs equipped with multiple stress wave-based smart touch sensors, video cameras and scanning sonars that can swim along a subsea pipeline to inspect flange bolts – bolted connections have accelerated the rate
TDI-Brooks Finalizes Report for Deepwater Atlantic Habitats II
TDI-Brooks International completed the final report for Contract M17PC00009, issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management [BOEM]), titled “Deepwater Atlantic Habitats II: Continued Atlantic Research and Exploration in Deepwater Ecosystems with Focus on Coral, Canyon and Seep Communities.” This report is the final deliverable of the BOEM contract called Deep SEARCH, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey. Initially, the study was a five-year, collaborative scientific research program focused on the outer continental shelf between Virginia
How Do Floating Wind Turbines Work?
time. The winners of the lease auction will undergo a Justice Department anti-trust review and then a long planning, permitting and environmental review process that typically takes several years.The first five federal lease areas for Pacific coast offshore wind energy development. (Image: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management)Globally, several full-scale demonstration projects with floating wind turbines are already operating in Europe and Asia. The Hywind Scotland project became the first commercial-scale offshore floating wind farm in 2017, with five 6-megawatt turbines supported by spar buoys designed
December 2024
