Latest News
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Boskalis to Bolster Fleet with ‘Largest Subsea Rock Installation Vessel in Industry’
Dutch marine services firm Boskalis has announced the latest addition to its fleet, a giant subsea rock installation (SRI) vessel with a cargo capacity of 45,500 metric tons, which is set for delivery in the first quarter of 2026.The vessel, named Windpiper, will be the largest SRI vessel in the industry, according to Boskalis.The Windpiper is set to play an important role in facilitating the energy transition working on offshore wind projects, with the ship’s first projects are expected to be located in Northwest Europe.The SRI vessel is being developed by converting an existing new vessel under the expert supervision of Boskalis.With 227 meters in length and 40 meters in breadth, the vessel boasts a total installed power exceeding 31,000 kW, with over hundred single-occupancy cabins.In addition to its moonpool for the fall pipe installation, the vessel will feature an inclined fall pipe, crucial for the protection of offshore structures such as the foundations of offshore wind turbines.Equipped with seven thrusters and DP2 certification, the Windpiper will be specifically designed for optimal performance in challenging offshore conditions.The vessel’s substantial capacity, divided over two holds, makes it well-suited for projects with a long transit distance between the rock loading facilities and the project site, such as those along the North American East Coast, the Baltic Sea and the Southern North Sea.This large capacity minimizes the number of round trips required, ultimately leading to less emissions and lower costs per installed volume of rock, Boskalis said.
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DOE: America Can Recycle 90% of Wind Turbine Mass
A new report from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) outlines recommendations that could increase the recycling and reuse of decommissioned wind energy equipment and materials to create a more circular economy and sustainable supply chain.The research reveals that existing U.S. infrastructure could process 90% of the mass of decommissioned wind turbines. However, the remaining 10% will need new strategies and innovative recycling methods to achieve a more sustainable wind energy industry.The Recycling Wind Energy Systems in the United States Part 1: Providing a Baseline for America’s Wind Energy Recycling Infrastructure for Wind Turbines and Systems report will help guide over $20 million in investments previously announced from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to advance technologies that address this gap.The effective reuse and recycling of wind system components, parts, and materials will rely on a combination of measures, including:• Improved end-of-life decommissioning collection and scrap sorting practices.• Strategic siting of recycling facilities.• Expanded and improved recovery and recycling infrastructure.• Substitution of hard-to-recycle and critical materials with more easily separable and affordable materials, improved component designs and manufacturing techniques or the development of modular system components.• Optimized properties of recovered materials for second-life applications.• Greater access to wind energy waste streams and the equipment required to disassemble wind energy components.Towers, foundations, and steel-based subcomponents in drivetrains offer the greatest potential currently to be successfully recycled, whereas blades, generators, and nacelle covers are likely to prove more difficult. Recovering critical materials and alloying elements from generators and power electronics, such as nickel, cobalt, and zinc, will be crucial in establishing a circular economy for wind systems.Short-term strategies for decommissioning include promoting blade production using more easily recyclable thermoplastic resins and reusing these resins in cement production. Thermoplastic-based blade recycling technologies, such as pyrolysis and chemical dissolution, could be viable medium- and long-term options. Other medium- and long-term solutions include high-yield techniques for separating compounds found in power electronics and hybrid methods for recycling permanent magnets.Regional factors - such as material demand, disposal fees, transportation distances, and an available skilled workforce - will play vital roles in ensuring the success and cost-competitiveness of recycling wind energy components.A team of researchers, led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory with support from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories, prepared the report. The first of a suite of reports, this part provides DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office with short-, medium-, and long-term RD&D priorities along the life cycle of wind energy systems.“The U.S. already has the ability to recycle most wind turbine materials, so achieving a fully sustainable domestic wind energy industry is well within reach,” said Jeff Marootian, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “Innovation is key to closing the loop, and this research will help guide national investments and strategies aimed at advancing technologies that can solve the remaining challenges and provide more affordable, equitable and accessible clean energy options to the American people.”DOE recently announced an investment of $20 million to improve the recycling of wind energy technologies, and in September 2024, DOE announced six final winners of the Wind Turbine Materials Recycling Prize. This $3.6 million competition expands domestic capabilities for the recycling and recovery of wind materials as teams use their winnings to bring their technologies closer to commercialization.
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Metals tread lower as Trump rejects report of pared-back tariffs
A lot of base metals fell on Tuesday in the middle of caution after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump rejected a report about pared-back trade tariffs. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME). slipped 0.2% to $8,981 per metric ton since 0344 GMT. The U.S. dollar hovered near a one-week low as traders. considered whether Trump's trade tariffs would be less. aggressive than promised. The dollar dropped following media reports that Trump's. group was considering selective tariffs focusing on sectors. vital to national or financial security. However, Trump's. rejection of these scaled-back tariff plans on social networks. triggered a healing in the greenback. The dollar index was at $108.25 as of 0344 GMT,. somewhat down from its two-year high of $109.25 tape-recorded on Jan. 2. A more powerful dollar makes greenback-priced products more. pricey for holders of other currencies. Presently, our focus is on the strength of the dollar. Nowadays, metals tend to relocate unison, a trader stated. The most-traded February copper agreement on the Shanghai. Futures Exchange (SHFE) rose 0.7% to 74,200 yuan. ($ 10,124.99) a ton by the end of Asian early morning trade. LME aluminium was bit altered at $2,490 a ton,. nickel slid 0.1% to $15,165, zinc fell 0.6% to. $ 2,885, tin shed 0.1% to $29,255 and lead. slipped 0.4% to $1,938.5. SHFE aluminium reduced 0.1% to 19,645 yuan a heap,. zinc retreated 0.6% to 24,345 yuan, lead was. reasonably the same at 16,735 yuan, while nickel. acquired 0.2% to 122,770 yuan and tin increased 0.4% to. 248,030 yuan. For the top stories in metals and other news, click. or.
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German emissions fell 3% in 2024 due to financial weakness, think tank states
Germany's greenhouse gas emissions fell 3% in 2024 compared to the previous year, climate think tank Agora said in a report on Tuesday, associating the decrease to financial weakness, mild weather and effective climate policies. Emissions in Europe's biggest economy dipped to 656 million metric lots of co2 equivalent last year, marking a. 48% decrease from 1990 and undershooting an annual cap by more. than 5%, according to the report. Germany is seeking to lower general emissions by 65% by. 2030 compared to 1990, and the country's 2024 emissions were 36. million lots lower than the yearly cap stated by its Climate. Defense Act. Germany's financial decline has actually lowered industrial. emissions, even as the transport and building and construction sectors in. specific have done little to execute climate protection. policies, according to the report. Nevertheless, recent climate protection steps in the. electrical power sector, such as increased use of renewable energy,. are producing an ever-greater impact, said Agora director Simon. Mueller, adding that record wind and solar energy production. covered around 55% of consumption in 2024. According to Agora, the growing share of renewables in. electrical power usage shows that climate policy works when it. is carried out regularly..
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Iron ore falls on firmer supply, China stimulus dissatisfaction
Iron ore futures succumbed to a. 3rd session on Tuesday, weighed by climbing up stockpiles of the. steelmaking ingredient and frustration with the absence of. even more monetary stimulus from top consumer China. The most-traded May iron ore agreement on China's Dalian. Commodity Exchange (DCE) traded 1.84% lower at 746.5. yuan ($ 101.85) a metric heap since 0310 GMT. The benchmark February iron ore on the Singapore. Exchange was 0.61% lower at $96 a load. Iron ore markets have been floored by ... a week-on-week. boost in arrivals of cargoes in Chinese waters, likely to. enhance currently growing portside inventories, said Atilla. Widnell, managing director at Navigate Commodities. A drawn-out supply surplus in the country's iron ore market. will keep China's costs for imported iron ore under down. pressure this year, Chinese consultancy Mysteel said in a note. International ore miners will continue to increase production while. need for the raw material amongst Chinese mills is likely to. shrink even more, Mysteel added. Meanwhile, bullish traders who had actually been pricing in a. year-end Chinese rate cut have now understood that China's main. bank might not act upon rates till March, Widnell included. Individuals's Bank of China (PBOC) said it would strengthen. monetary policy adjustments and cut banks' reserve requirement. ratios and rates of interest at an appropriate time, according to. a statement launched on Friday. On Monday, concerns that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. may enforce greater tariffs on Chinese imports as Beijing attempts. to revive the economy sent the yuan moving and rattled Chinese. stock exchange. Chinese authorities have presented different support measures. since September to support investor confidence. Other steelmaking components on the DCE published losses, with. coking coal and coke down 1.69% and 1.91%,. respectively. Many steel criteria on the Shanghai Futures Exchange. weakened. Rebar and hot-rolled coil dipped. almost 0.9%, wire rod edged down 0.14%, while stainless. steel included 0.3%.
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Gold edges higher with market focus on United States economic data
Gold rates pushed greater on Tuesday, as market individuals waited for more U.S. economic information to determine the Federal Reserve's rates of interest trajectory for the year. Spot gold was up 0.1% at $2,638.09 per ounce, as of 0242 GMT. U.S. gold futures were little altered at $ 2,648.60. Gold rates have actually handled to stabilise amidst some cooling down in the U.S. dollar overnight, but higher U.S. Treasury yields may stay a crucial overhang for further gains, IG market strategist Yeap Jun Rong said. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield struck the highest since May 2024 on Monday after conflicting reports about how aggressive U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's tariff plans could be when he takes office. Investors are now looking to the U.S. jobs report, due on Friday, which could assist shed more light on the Fed's policy path. They are also waiting for the job openings information later in the day, ADP work numbers and the minutes from the Fed's. December meeting on Wednesday. The U.S. non-farm payrolls will be the crucial threat occasion this. week and a stable unemployment rate at 4.2% may justify a more. steady rate-cutting process, which might see gold prices. combine further within its tight range for now, Yeap stated. The Fed can be mindful about any more rate cuts given a. strong economy and inflation showing stickier than formerly. expected, Fed Guv Lisa Cook said. The central bank's newest forecasts in December indicated a. shift to a more mindful rate of rate cuts this year, with the. bulk of the policymakers revealing concern that inflation. could reignite. Bullion is considered a hedge versus inflation, however high. rates reduce the non-yielding property's appeal. COMEX gold speculators cut net long positions by 1,876. contracts to 182,384 in the week ended Dec. 31, 2024, data. revealed. Area silver got 0.1% to $29.98 per ounce, platinum. fell 0.2% to $931.63 and palladium shed 0.1% to. $ 919.44.
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Metals blended as Trump's denies report of pared-back tariffs
Prices of base metals were mixed on Tuesday, as investors thought about U.S. Presidentelect Donald Trump's denial of a report regarding paredback tariffs. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME). slipped 0.2% to $8,988 per metric load since 0206 GMT. The U.S. dollar hovered near a one-week low on Tuesday as. traders thought about whether President-elect Donald Trump's. tariffs would be less aggressive than guaranteed. The dollar dropped following media reports that Trump's. group was thinking about selective tariffs focusing on sectors. important to national or economic security, but Trump's rejection of. these scaled-back tariff plans on social networks set off a. healing in the greenback. The dollar index was at $108.31 as of 0206 GMT,. somewhat below its two-year high of $109.25 recorded on Jan. 2. A more powerful dollar makes it more pricey for holders of. other currencies to buy greenback-priced commodities. Currently, our primary focus is on the strength of the dollar. Nowadays, metals tend to move in unison, a trader said. The most-traded February copper agreement on the Shanghai. Futures Exchange (SHFE) rose 0.9% to 74,400 yuan. ($ 10,155.06) a ton. LME aluminium was bit altered at $2,489 a load,. nickel gained 0.2% to $15,205, zinc was flat at. $ 2,902, tin gained 0.1% to $29,305, while lead. slipped 0.3% to $1,939.5. SHFE aluminium was down 0.2% to 19,630 yuan a ton,. nickel got 0.3% to 122,930 yuan, zinc. pulled back 0.1% to 24,480 yuan, lead fell 0.2% to 16,695. yuan, and tin rose 0.2% to 247,330 yuan. For the leading stories in metals and other news, click. or
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Oil rates extend losses, firmer dollar and supply outlook weigh
Oil rates extended losses into a 2nd straight session on Tuesday on technical correction after recently's rally, while projections for adequate supply and a firm dollar also weighed. Brent futures fell 28 cents, or 0.37%, to $76.02 a. barrel by 0148 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI). crude fell 33 cents, or 0.45%, to settle at $73.23. Both criteria rose for five days in a row last week and. settled at their highest levels because October on Friday, partly. due to expectations of more financial stimulus to revitalise. China's faltering economy. This week's weakness is likely due to a technical. correction, as traders react to softer economic data internationally. that undermines the optimism seen previously, stated Priyanka. Sachdeva, senior market analyst at Phillip Nova, describing. bearish financial news from the U.S. and Germany. Additionally, the dollar's strength is catching up with. market belief and seems cutting the present gains in. oil prices, Sachdeva said. The U.S. dollar wavered however stayed close to the two-year. peak it touched last week amid uncertainty around the extent of. tariffs from the inbound Trump administration. A stronger dollar makes oil more costly for holders of. other currencies. Rising demand from non-OPEC countries, combined with weak. need from China, are anticipated to keep the oil market well. supplied next year, which has likewise capped price gains. The move higher in crude oil costs appears to be running. out of momentum, ING analysts wrote in a note. While there has been some tightening in the physical. market, basics through 2025 are still set to be. comfortable, which need to top the benefit..
Soccer-Liverpool v Guy Utd to go on despite unfavorable weather conditions
Liverpool's Premier League component with Manchester United is expected to go ahead as set up on Sunday in spite of adverse weather and snowfall, both clubs revealed after two security conferences.
Britain's Met Office on Friday provided an amber warning, its second-most serious after red, for snow and ice in parts of England and Wales on the weekend, while Liverpool's John Lennon Airport also briefly closed on Sunday.
League 2 matches between Chesterfield and Gillingham, and Fleetwood Town and AFC Wimbledon were postponed on Sunday, along with a Women's FA Cup tie in between Burnley and Nottingham Forest.
Today's component versus Manchester United will go ahead as planned. Two security meetings were held earlier to evaluate the weather condition and travel conditions, Liverpool stated in a declaration.
We thank everybody involved in assisting us to get this video game on today.
Liverpool top the standings with 45 points and have a video game in hand over the other title contenders.
They are five points ahead of second-placed Arsenal, while United, with five losses in their last 6 league games, are languishing in 14th with 22 points.
Liverpool's Merseyside derby against Everton was postponed last month due to adverse climate condition caused by storm Darragh.
(source: Reuters)