• 2024 January 27 15:38

    Equinor to take full ownership in Empire Wind through a swap transaction with bp in the US

    The agreement provides Equinor and bp with the flexibility to pursue their respective priorities under their corporate strategies

    Equinor says it has entered into a swap transaction with bp, under which Equinor will take full ownership of the Empire Wind lease and projects and bp will take full ownership of the Beacon Wind lease and projects.

    Under the agreement, Equinor will take 100% ownership of Empire Offshore Wind Holdings LLC. Subject to certain conditions, Equinor will also take over bp’s 50% share of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) lease. Bp will take over Beacon Wind Holdings LLC and the associated project company that holds the Astoria Gateway for Renewable Energy site and will become the operator of the Beacon Wind projects. The transaction will be cash neutral, except for standard settlements of cash and working capital items.

    The agreement provides Equinor and bp with the flexibility to pursue their respective priorities under their corporate strategies. Equinor has more than 20 years’ experience with offshore wind and entered the US offshore wind market already in 2017 – and has also built a strong offshore wind portfolio with assets in key markets like UK, Poland, Germany, and South Korea.

    Following the signing of the agreement, a bid was submitted for the Empire Wind 1 project in New York’s fourth offshore wind solicitation round, which closed at 3pm ET today 25 January 2024.

    It has also been agreed with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to terminate the Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificate (OREC) Purchase and Sale Agreement for the Beacon Wind 1 project.

    Subject to closing the transaction, Equinor will take the Empire Wind projects forward on a 100% ownership basis and will continue to develop its strong offshore wind organization in the US. Bp will take the Beacon projects forward on a 100% ownership basis.

    “Empire Wind 1 is ready to deliver on New York’s climate and energy goals, with numerous permits and supplier contracts secured. The strong commitment by the state to develop this industry is reflected in the NY4 rapid rebid offering, providing an opportunity to improve value creation for the project,” says Molly Morris, senior vice president for Renewables in the Americas in Equinor.

    Both Empire Wind 1 and 2 have been impacted by industry-wide macroeconomic effects, and while Empire Wind 1 is bidding into the NY4 solicitation, Empire Wind 2 will be matured for future solicitation rounds. Subject to the award of a new OREC contract in the NY4 solicitation, the project is expected to deliver a real base project return towards the lower end of the guided range for renewable projects of 4-8% on a forward-looking basis.

    Upon closing, the assets will be fully consolidated into Equinor’s balance sheet. Taking 100% ownership in the Empire Wind projects and SBMT lease is expected to increase near term reported capital expenditure for Equinor. The increase is around USD 1.2 billion for 2024 and around USD 1.5 billion for 2025, before any project financing. Development of Empire Wind 1 is contingent upon a positive result in the NY4 solicitation, and a final investment decision is expected mid-2024. Equinor intends to use project financing and to bring in a partner at the right time to enhance value and reduce ownership share and exposure. The reset for Empire Wind 2 and the exit from Beacon Wind reduces expected capital expenditure from 2027 to 2030.

    The transaction is subject to regulatory approval. The agreed effective date is 1 January 2024 and closing is expected in Q2 or Q3 2024. The transaction is expected to result in a combined reported loss estimated to around USD 200 million for Equinor, assuming a positive outcome of the NY4 solicitation. This has no cash effect and will not impact adjusted earnings.




2024 November 2

18:06 Singapore’s first fully electric cargo vessel wins Green Ship Award at SRS Forum
17:20 VTTI looks to buy into LNG terminals in Asia
16:48 Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding signs contracts for 12 large container ships in the past 10 days
16:32 CHIMBUSCO secures its first LNG refueling service in Europe
15:46 SLB OneSubsea awarded subsea boosting contract for bp’s Kaskida project in Gulf of Mexico
15:24 Wilson Sons to start construction of three new eco-friendly tugboats in 2025
14:57 Rem Offshore holds keel laying ceremony for REM Pioneer
12:30 World's first conversion of large container ship to run on methanol successfully completed
11:52 New offshore platform taps into potential of heavy-oil reserves in China
11:24 HRDD completes desulphurization tower system conversion for a PCTC
09:48 TOWT launches its first cargo sailing ship in Le Havre

2024 November 1

18:00 Marlink to deploy Sealink NextGen hybrid solution on 26 tankers for Transpetro
17:38 Austal Australia delivers 8th Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boat to Royal Australian Navy
17:23 Acteon and Applied Fiber enter MoU to collaborate on mooring solutions
16:54 KOTUG International and Maritalia S.A. secure major marine services contract for bp’s Greater Tortue Ahmeyim gas project
16:24 BW LPG takes delivery of vessel BW Chinook from Avance Gas
15:44 HD Hyundai may nearly double shipbuilding capacity in Vietnam
15:24 Samsung Heavy Industries secures $390 mln contract for four Suezmax tankers
14:36 EU imposes duties on unfairly subsidised electric vehicles from China
14:23 Port of Montreal workers at two terminals start new strike
13:41 Chinese ports container volume rises 7.7 % from January to September of 2024
13:22 MOL, COSCO Co-host 6th Shanghai International LNG Shipping Forum
12:43 Global schedule reliability drops to 51.4% in September 2024
12:22 GTT secures technical services contract with Maran Tankers for eight LNG Dual-Fuel Suezmax vessels
11:45 MSC inks up $2.1bn container ship at the reborn shipyard Rongsheng Heavy Industries
11:28 China's first 'smart factory' for offshore oil, gas equipment fully operational
10:43 Yanmar completes land-based demonstration testing of a hydrogen engine for power generation in coastal vessels
10:23 Samsung Heavy wins W358 bln LNG ship order in Asia
09:58 EU greenhouse gas emissions fell by over 8% in 2023

2024 October 31

18:00 MAN receives multiple orders for MAN B&W G95ME-LGIM Mk 10.5 methanol engines to power a series of VLCV
17:23 The Marechal Duque de Caxias platform ship starts producing in the pre-salt layer
17:06 IWS Seawalker CSOV makes it 1000 ship designs from Kongsberg Maritime
16:45 “K” Line Wind Service and Japan Marine United sign agreement for Phase 2 of NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund Project
16:04 Wärtsilä introduces its innovative NextDF feature for the Wärtsilä 25DF dual-fuel engine
15:45 MOL plans to change charter contract for vessels related to Russia business
15:44 MABUX: Bunker price trends in the world's four largest hubs, Oct 8 - Nov 1, 2024
15:23 HHLA raises expectations for fiscal year 2024
14:59 Major fire extinguished at UK nuclear submarine yard
14:16 AD Ports Group and Somali Ministry of Fisheries & Blue Economy sign MoU for maritime sector development
13:44 Maersk reports Q3 results
12:43 UECC orders four advanced multi-fuel battery hybrid pure car and truck carriers from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard Nanjing
11:39 Japanese сonsortium produces design concept for eco-friendly VLCC
11:12 TMC Compressors bags contract to supply four LNG carriers
10:46 Panama Canal operating costs down 5% in FY2024
09:29 HIF Global and Antarctica21 promote sustainable tourism with e-Fuels

2024 October 30

18:00 East Java Multipurpose Terminal partners with Sinarmas LDA Usaha Pelabuhan
17:22 Container traffic at Iranian ports up 5% in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year
17:06 CIMC SOE delivers second 7,600 cbm LNG bunkering vessel to Seaspan Energy
16:42 Klaveness Combination Carriers makes first move into wind with bound4blue eSAIL system on CABU III newbuild
16:23 Transport workers' strike in Argentina to affect port operations
15:59 South Korea's seaport container cargo up 3.5 pct in Q3
15:46 Stena Line marks significant milestones in build of NewMax ships, Stena Futura and Stena Connecta
14:55 DNV and LR grant AiP to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for ammonia duel-fuel large container vessel
14:45 Jiaxing Port adds a new sea-river intermodal operation area
13:32 Maersk signs long-term methanol sourcing deal
13:08 MOL and Pyxis sign Collaboration Agreement for development and market expansion of electric vessels in Singapore and Japan
12:40 AD Ports Group and the General Department of Vietnam Customs sign MoU
12:21 TE H2, CIP, and A.P. Møller Capital Partner for a large-scale project in the Kingdom of Morocco
11:40 ClassNK issues AiP for Autonomous Navigation Assistance System developed by Samsung Heavy Industries
11:20 MacGregor launches Carbon Calculator
10:55 Russian seaports in Q3, 2024: Infographics and Analytics
10:30 World's first ammonia-fuel dual-fuel bulk carrier begins construction
10:09 Erik Thun launches the next-generation Lake Vanern Max vessel
09:03 SCHOTTEL receives an order to supply azimuth thrusters for four new escort tugs for Saltchuk Marine

2024 October 29

18:00 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announces selections for nearly $3 bln of investments in Clean Ports
17:34 Asyaport becomes first Turkish port to provide shore power to container ships
17:00 Port of Los Angeles awarded $412 million grant from U.S. EPA for zero-emission transformation
16:42 Oil spill occurred during bunkering operations at the Port of Singapore
16:10 World’s first electric hydrofoil ferry line takes off in Stockholm
15:46 Wallenius Wilhelmsen signs five-year, $766 million deal