Page 8: of Marine Technology Magazine (November 2014)

News

U.S. Of shore’s “Huge Potential” wo new studies by Quest Offshore • Eastern Gulf of Mexico develop-

Image: Damen

Inc. for the National Ocean In- ment could create nearly 230,000 jobs,

Tdustries Association (NOIA) and spur $114.5 billion in private sector the American Petroleum Institute (API) spending, generate $69.7 billion in rev-

Floating Tidal show vast potential energy and economic enue for the government, contribute over bene? ts to the U.S. if the Eastern Gulf of $18 billion per year to the U.S. economy,

EnergySystem

Mexico and the Paci? c outer continental and add nearly 1 million barrels of oil shelf (OCS) were opened to offshore oil equivalent per day to domestic energy

A group of offshore companies, in- and natural gas development. Last year production. cluding Bluewater, Damen and Van a similar study was conducted for the • Atlantic OCS development could

Oord among others, has partnered

Atlantic OCS. All three areas – the East- create nearly 280,000 jobs, spur $195 for a ? oating tidal energy platform a ern Gulf of Mexico, the Paci? c OCS and billion in private sector spending, gen- project to generate clean electricity, the Atlantic OCS – are currently almost erate $51 billion in revenue for the gov- marking the ? rst time that a ? oating entirely off-limits to offshore oil and gas ernment, contribute up to $24 billion per tidal platform is used for electricity development but could be included in year to the U.S. economy, and add 1.3 production into the Dutch grid.

the federal government’s next ? ve-year million barrels of oil equivalent per day

Set to become operational in the ? rst leasing program. If the federal govern- to domestic energy production.

half of 2015, the BlueTEC platform, ment begins holding lease sales in these • Development in all three study areas which will be moored near Texel in the regions in 2018, the three studies show – the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Paci? c

Waddenzee, is of modular design and that by 2035: OCS, and the Atlantic OCS – could, by uses a new type of permanent moor- • Paci? c OCS development could cre- 2035, create more than 838,000 jobs an- ing lines. It will also serve as a trial ate more than 330,000 jobs, spur nearly nually, spur nearly $449 billion in new for remote locations worldwide, such $140 billion in private sector spending, private sector spending, generate more as islands in Indonesia, Philippines or generate $81 billion in revenue to the than $200 billion in new revenue for the the Paci? c. The platform is designed government, contribute over $28 bil- government, contribute more than $70 to be shipped and installed anywhere lion per year to the U.S. economy, and billion per year to the U.S. economy, and in the world, and the BlueTEC plat- add more than 1.2 million barrels of oil add more than 3.5 million barrels of oil form is developed for cost effective equivalent per day in domestic energy equivalent per day to domestic energy installation, operations and main- production. production. tenance of tidal turbines. BlueTEC ? oats and can be towed to location without heavy lifting at sea.

The Texel platform is the small, simple and robust version of BlueTEC. Aimed at remote locations, it consists of container size modules, can be as- sembled locally and installed without sophisticated equipment. It holds a 200 KW turbine that can power local villages, cooling facilities and provide lighting at schools which will change local economies. It will be the ? rst time that electricity generated from free ? owing tidal currents will be sup- plied to the island of Texel.

Photo: Chevron/Statoil

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