Base of new Bluemull Sound tidal turbine arrives in Unst.

The base of one of Nova Innovation's  100 kw tidal turbines, part of the 'Shetland Tidal Array' has arrived at Belmont in Unst. It will be sited in the fast-flowing waters of Bluemull Sound between the Shetland islands Unst and Yell, sitting alongside the world's first community-owned tidal turbine, installed by Nova last year for the North Yell Development Council. The blades of the entire five-turbine array are being manufactured by Lerwick company Shetland Composites.

First Clair Ridge topside modules safely installed west of Shetland

BP and its partners ConocoPhillips, Chevron and Shell have confirmed the safe installation of the new Clair Ridge platform’s quarters and utilities (QU) topside modules, a major milestone in the Clair Ridge project.

The QU platform comprises three modules – the quarters and utilities integrated deck (QUID) which has a lift weight of 9,400te; the power generation (GM) module which has a lift weight of 4,550te; and the living quarters (LQ) module which has a lift weight of 2,210te. They were safely lifted onto the pre-installed jackets by the Heerema Thialf heavy lift vessel.

The hook up and commissioning of these modules has created over 600 jobs, including six electrical apprentices, all of which have recently been recruited through Amec Foster Wheeler.

Clair Ridge is a multi-billion investment in the second phase of development on the Clair field which lies 75km to the west of the Shetland Islands. The project comprises two new bridge-linked platforms and new pipeline infrastructure to connect storage and redelivery facilities on Shetland. The next major milestone will be the installation of the production and drilling (DP) platform topside modules, scheduled for summer 2016, with production expected to commence in late 2017.

Trevor Garlick, Regional President for BP’s North Sea business said: “The safe installation of these three topside modules is a fantastic achievement by the project team. In a challenging time for the industry, this project shows the potential of our basin and why it is so important that we work to ensure a competitive future business.”

Approximately half of the Clair Ridge investment is occurring in the UK, with over 80 British companies providing engineering design and support service, hook-up and installation services, manpower and a wide range of engineered equipment.

The Clair Ridge development will have the capability to produce an estimated 640 million barrels of oil over a 40 year period, with peak production expected to be up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day.

Clair Ridge is the first sanctioned large-scale offshore enhanced oil recovery (EOR) scheme using reduced salinity water injection (LoSal^® EOR) to extract a higher proportion of oil over the life of the field. To reduce the environmental impact of the project, the platforms will be powered using dual-fuel power generators, incorporating waste heat recovery technology. Vapour recovery will also be used to capture and recycle low pressure gas for use as fuel or for exporting to shore.

First Laggan-Tormore gas by September: Petrofac statement

The Shetland gas plant being built for Total's Laggan-Tormore Project will have gas flowing into it by September, according to a trading update by contractors Petrofac.

The company say: "Construction activities on the Laggan-Tormore project are substantially complete; we are now busy with final completion and pre-commissioning-related activities and our focus remains on delivering first gas in Q3 2015; additional completion and pre-commissioning works are expected to lead to incremental pre-tax costs of approximately £30m; deferred tax asset recognised in respect of tax losses on the project of approximately £20m."

Full Petrofac statement here:http://www.petrofac.com/media/news/2015/june/23/trading-update.aspx

Shetland News story, with background, here: http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/10916-petrofac-hopeful-of-first-gas-by-end-of-summer

UK Government windfarm subsidy change will not affect Shetland projects

The much-discussed change in subsidy provision for onshore windfarms will not affect major projects planned for Shetland, including Viking Energy.

Shetland Times stort here: http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2015/06/18/renewable-subsidy-change-will-not-affect-isles

Shetland Islands Council publishes local Marine Spatial Plan

Shetland Islands Council has published the Shetland Islands Marine Spatial Plan as the first Supplementary Guidance to the new Local Development Plan.

The Marine Spatial Plan provides policy guidance for all types of marine activity around Shetland’s coastline, such as fishing, aquaculture, oil and gas, marine renewables, transport and recreation. The plan also shows where opportunities for sustainable marine development exist and where constraint is required, aimed at reducing conflict between those who use the marine environment.

The Scottish Government has just published its first National Marine Plan, providing an overall national policy marine activity. The next step is to produce Regional Marine Plans and Shetland is one of the first regions in Scotland to begin work on this, along with the Clyde area. The Shetland Islands Marine Spatial Plan has received favourable comments from a number of UK and European authorities for the processes involved in its formation and for the level of detail contained in the document.

Councillor Alastair Cooper, Chair of the Development Committee: “I am delighted to see the Marine Spatial Plan adopted as the Council's policy guidelines for marine development and resource use. Shetland has always been aware of the importance of the seas around our Islands and this Plan will ensure that that continues to be the case. Once again Shetland is a beacon for the rest of Scotland”.

The Shetland Islands Marine Spatial Plan can be viewed or downloaded at:http://www.shetland.gov.uk/planning/documents/SIMSP_2015.pdf (PDF file, 16.7Mb)

Total gas plant 'complete by summer' as more accommodation vessels arrive

- Total: gas plant completed "by end of summer"

Shetland News story here: http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/10508-gas-plant-will-be-complete-in-summer-total-insists

- Petrofac blames weather and industrial action for gas plant hold ups

Shetland New story here: http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2015/04/20/petrofac-blames-losses-on-gas-plant-delays

Million pound Bluemull turbine gets £573,000 Holyrood funding

A revolutionary tidal turbine to be sited in Bluemull Sound between Yell and Unst is to receive Scottish Government funding of £573,000 towards the £1m cost of development and demonstration . Nova Innovation has been awarded the cash to develop and demonstrate  a direct-drive tidal turbine under the latest competitive WATERS funding round. The innovative direct-drive generator will increase the efficiency and reliability of tidal turbines, reducing the cost of energy by 20%, and increasing the commercial returns available to Nova Innovation’s customers. Nova developed the world’s first community-owned tidal turbine in 2014 at North Yell in Shetland and will test the technology associated with the WATERS award at its consented site in Bluemull Sound, Shetland.

Welcoming the announcement Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: “The Scottish Government and its enterprise agencies are working hard to ensure that small and medium-sized businesses in Scotland are well placed to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the low-carbon economy.

“WATERS is designed to foster a culture of innovation and research and development ... I am determined that we make the most of the clean, secure and abundant energy stored in the waters around our coasts and [the WATERS award winners] are developing pioneering technologies to help us do that.”

Welcoming the awards, Maggie McGinlay, director of energy and clean technologies at Scottish Enterprise said: “Scotland is playing a key role in the development of marine energy at a global level, with the sector offering significant opportunities for our companies.

“By taking key technologies to the next stage of commercial exploitation, this latest round of WATERS funding will help create more opportunities and support the growth of the sector.”

Calum Davidson, Director of energy and low carbon at Highlands and Islands Enterprise, added: "We welcome the announcement of the WATERS 3 funding and warmly congratulate each of the successful companies. The Highlands and Islands already boasts an enviable international reputation in the development of marine renewable energy. This is underlined by today’s announcement of another company investing in our region and offering significant supply chain opportunities."

Simon Forrest, Managing Director of Nova Innovation, said: “Nova Innovation is committed to driving down the cost of tidal power through innovation. Our direct-drive generator is more reliable and efficient than a conventional geared drive train; this increases the energy generated by our turbines and reduces operating costs. The impact is a 20% reduction in lifetime cost of energy and increasing commercial return for our customers.

“This product was originally developed with the help of a Scottish Enterprise SMART award, and has benefited from a Scottish Enterprise funded Knowledge Exchange partnership with the University of Edinburgh. This as an excellent example of public funding in Scotland supporting Scottish companies to bring innovative ideas from the drawing board to the market.”

WATERS 3 is a collaborative venture between Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Story from Shetland News here: http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/10389-revolutionary-tidal-turbine-for-north-yell