WOBO recognises developments taking place in terms of energy and resources.
The developers of the Seagreen offshore wind farm, off the coast of Angus, have confirmed that the first of its 114 turbines has begun generating energy.
SSE Renewables and TotalEnergies, which have partnered to deliver the wind farm (taking 49% and 51% stakes respectively), announced on Tuesday (23 August) that first power generation has begun at the array.
By this time next year, the 1075MW project should be fully operational. It is hoped that it will produce five TWh of renewable electricity each year. Once fully operational, Seagreen will be operated by SSE Renewables and be Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm, stealing the title from the 950MW Moray East project.
The first phase of the Seagreen project reached a financial close in the first half of 2020. In total, the project has a $4.3bn (£3.65bn) price tag, with TotalEnergies and SSE Renewables set to contribute at least £3bn.
“We often talk about key milestones along a project’s journey, and Seagreen has had a number to date, but to see this turbine turning in the North Sea and to have reached first power safely is a fantastic achievement for everyone connected to the project,” said SSE Renewables’ director of offshore wind Paul Cooley.
“The project has already brought several benefits to the local community, the UK supply chain and, once completed, Seagreen will make a significant contribution to Scotland and the UK’s ambitious renewable energy targets.” Read more…
Energy generation begins at Scotland’s biggest offshore wind farm
edie is hosting a live and interactive online webinar session on Thursday 20 September during Climate Week NYC, focused on decarbonisation across the built environment value chain. Registration is now open.
Hosted during edie’s Sustainable Development Goals Week and Climate Week NYC, this one-hour webinar will hear from industry leaders across the built environment value chain who are retrofitting, renovating and building from the ground up to accelerate the transition to net-zero carbon buildings.
Registration open for edie’s built environment decarbonisation webinar
23 August 2022 marked the start of World Water Week for 2022. The event has been held annually for more than 20 years by the Stockholm International Water Institute in a bid to foster collaboration for improving water governance worldwide.
This year, the theme is ‘the value of water’ – a value many have been forced to rethink in recent weeks amid droughts. It was reported earlier this week that 64% of Europe is now under a drought alert or on the verge of drought. China is also reporting impacts from drought to its energy and food systems. Elsewhere, extreme drought conditions are continuing in parts of Mexico and Ethiopia.
While some homes and businesses are forced to ration water temporarily – and longer-term conversations about efficiency and stewardship progress – WaterAid has published new research in a bid to urge decision-makers not to forget that access to water and sanitation remains a major issue for a great many people. It is estimated that 771 million people don’t have access to clean water in or close to their homes, and that one in four people don’t have access to a decent toilet of their own.
WaterAid’s chief executive Tim Wainwright said: “As climate change is set to drive erratic weather events such as flooding, droughts and cyclones, investing in WASH is fundamental to safeguarding people already living on the frontline of climate change and to building robust, sustainable businesses.
“The business landscape is changing and with the provenance of products becoming increasingly important to the consumer, business leaders now have huge potential to make a significant difference to the lives of millions.”
WaterAid’s research, supported by HSBC, assessed how investment in access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for supply chain workers benefitted businesses sourcing from leather and apparel suppliers in India and Bangladesh.
The investments assessed in India increased the availability of toilets at home for workers by 10%, the accessibility of drinking water by 30% and access to hand-washing stations by 12%.
In Bangladesh, the investments increased access to safely managed water and decent toilets in homes from 0% among workers, to 31% and 26% respectively.
In both geographies, businesses recorded significant decreases in absenteeism, attributed to improved health – both for the staff and for their families. Factory managers reported that, before intervention, staff would often have to take time off to care for sick children or other relatives at home. Absenteeism was down by 29% in India and 15% in Bangladesh. Punctuality and staff retention levels were also boosted over a two-year period.
World Water Week: Businesses urged to invest in supply chain sanitation