Interior Minister announces lease agreement for Delaware offshore wind energy

An agreement on the first commercial lease after its "smart from the start" has reached offshore-wind energy development initiative announced the US Department of Interior (DOI) and its Bureau of ocean energy management (BOEM) on 23 October BOEM. Located in the federal waters, the site covers 96.430 hectares about 11 nautical miles off the coast of Delaware.

The lease NRG Bluewater grants the exclusive right, a wind Delaware LLC or multiple plans the BOEM lead to activities in support of wind energy development in the area of leasing to submit. The company can an assessment plan with a proposal site assessment activities, such as the installation of a meteorological Tower or meteorological buoy lead present. It can send also a construction and operation plan construction of actual wind system and cabling propose to shore.

NRG Bluewater originally proposed a 450-megawatt project off the coast of Delaware, with estimates that the project could generate enough electricity to power for more than 100,000 houses. This estimate could change, after NRG learns additional planning and survey work and sends its plan to the BOEM, where the possible plans based on ecological, technical and other factors before granting approval for the construction of value determined. The smart start initiative for Atlantic of outer continental shelf announced in 2010 should site selection, to facilitate leasing and construction of new offshore renewable projects. See the DOI press release and the BOEM Delaware Web site, including a map of the site.

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Obama Administration Announces Great Lakes Wind Projects Agreement

The Obama Administration joined the governors of Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Pennsylvania on March 30 to announce the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) streamlining offshore wind development in the Great Lakes. DOE, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and the Great Lakes Offshore Wind Energy Consortium are among the signatories.

The MOU will enhance collaboration between federal and state agencies to speed review of proposed offshore wind projects. Specifically, the agencies will develop an action plan that sets priorities and recommends steps for achieving efficient and responsible evaluation of proposed offshore wind power projects in the Great Lakes region. The area has the potential to produce more than 700 gigawatts of energy from offshore wind, about one fifth of the total U.S. offshore wind potential. DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that each gigawatt of offshore wind installed could produce enough electricity to power 300,000 homes.

To safely and responsibly develop offshore wind resources, federal and state agencies—which share jurisdiction in the Great Lakes—must fully evaluate the potential social, environmental, safety, and security impacts of projects. See the DOE press release, a fact sheet, and the complete MOU.

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New Licensing Agreement Opens Energy Patents to NGOs, Non-Profits

The technology to improve access to fuel, electricity, and clean water for some of the world's poorest people may already be in the patent portfolios of DOE's national labs. The challenge, however, can be finding dedicated organizations willing to develop the technology and bring it to market, which can mean bringing energy technology to the most remote parts of the world.

As part of President Obama's Global Development Policy, a new licensing agreement opens a number of DOE patents to qualified non-governmental and non-profit organizations. Just as was offered to innovative startups with America's Next Top Energy Innovator Challenge, selected organizations only pay an upfront fee of $2,000 and a royalty of up to 2% of gross sales of licensed products.

Through new technology, the goal is to accelerate progress toward improved health, energy sustainability, and economic growth in some of the poorest countries in the world, many of which are in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Many organizations already have a presence in these countries, educating populations, caring for the sick, and improving standards of living by advancing the technology used to perform their most rote and domestic of tasks, like how they cook their meals. Read the complete story in the DOE Energy Blog.

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Newfield signs Uinta Basin supply agreement

Newfield Exploration Company signed a crude oil supply agreement with HollyFrontier Corporation to provide 20,000 barrels per day of supply capacity at HollyFrontier's Woods Cross, Utah, refinery.

"We are planning to significantly increase our drilling activities in the Uinta Basin – both in our proven shallow oil developments and in new and deeper oil horizons," said Lee K. Boothby, Newfield's Chairman, President and CEO.

"This new agreement with HollyFrontier helps ensure that our oil growth will be matched by capacity expansions in the Uinta Basin. We are growing an important source of domestic oil volumes and both Newfield and HollyFrontier will benefit throughout the next decade."

The new agreement spans a 10-year period with commitments commencing in 2014. This is the second of two recent agreements by Newfield to secure approximately 40,000 BOPD of capacity for the Company's planned oil growth in the Uinta Basin. The oil price differential associated with this agreement is not materially different than Newfield's current supply contracts in the basin.

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Saudi Aramco, Dow characters Sadara JV shareholder's agreement

His Excellency, the ceremony of Ali Ibrahim Al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia Minister for petroleum and mineral resources and Chairman of Saudi Aramco Chair; His Excellency Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf, Saudi Arabia Minister of for finance; His Royal Highness Prince Saud ibn Abdullah ibn Thunayan, Chairman of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu; and his Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Turki Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Advisor, Ministry of petroleum and mineral resources and guests of both companies were in attendance at the milestone.

Today's event is another important step forward for Sadara consisting of 26 production cells, of which there are some "mega projects" in itself. After is the JV of complex one of the world's largest integrated chemical installations, and was the largest ever built in a single stage. Saudi Aramco Dow announced and, to make their respective Board permissions the JV on the 25 July 2011.

Some more than 100 kilometres from where signed Al-Falih and Liveris, run bulldozers, graders and roles with site preparation for the world, mixed feed cracker extensive hydrocarbon infrastructure integrated with Saudi Aramco.

"Sadara is an exceptional and unique venture, which on the strengths of Dow and Saudi Aramco, diversified and needs throughout the region and also provide growth special materials and chemicals will build", said Andrew Liveris, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Dow.

"This first partnership is really unprecedented and is very well positioned, the value on all fronts;" Transformation of the Saudi economy, as well as the entire chemical industry, at the same time. This is a great moment for Dow, our partner of Saudi Aramco, and for the population of Saudi Arabia. "I congratulate everyone who has worked so hard to see that vision become a reality," Liveris said.

The annual sales of about $10 billion in a few years operation should Sadara during post to supply Saudi of Arabia industrial diversification. The planned product portfolio of the Kingdom of huge natural resources value chains added to and complement the existing chemical landscape. Finally, the joint venture in Saudi Arabia will be strategy, not only a strategic chemicals and plastics producer, but also as hub for future downstream products.

Saudi Aramco President and Chief Executive Officer Al-Falih, said: "Sadara is a milestone for Saudi transform Aramco and a cornerstone of our downstream growth strategy, which will further complement our significant oil value chain." As the world's largest integrated and most reliable provider of energy and petroleum based derivative products, our strengths complement the Dow, the world's leading chemical company with a global track record and unique collection of chemicals technology.

"I am confident that Sadara petrochemical industry become a game-changer in the Kingdom, as it has all the necessary ingredients for success." It is a unique partnership, which will be a success for generations to come. We are Sadara, which is a prerequisite for the further economic development, entrepreneurship and employment in Saudi Arabia, "added Al-Falih."

The JV and related investments are intended to generate thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities. For the JV alone, by the end of 2011 Dow and Saudi aspire to Aramco hundreds of Saudi nationals as the first batch of technical trainees for competitive and unique production and engineering training programs advertise.

With Dow cutting-edge product technologies and Saudi Aramco World class project management and execution, produce the production cells a variety of performance products such as Polyurethanes (polyether polyols, isocyanates), propylene oxide, propylene glycol, elastomers, linear low density polyethylene, low density polyethylene, glycol ether and amines. Sadara is in a regional area of eight States, including the Kingdom expel. Dow will leverage on its global marketing expertise to market and sell to the rest of the world in the name of Sadara.

First production units are expected to come on line in the second half by 2015. All units are expected to be operational in 2016.

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