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TotalEnergies to Scale Down Petrochemical Production at Antwerp Complex
TotalEnergies SE said it will end ethylene production from the oldest steam cracker at its Antwerp refining and petrochemical complex by 2027, citing “overcapacity” in Europe. The facility will continue to produce ethylene from a newer steam cracker. Investment will also be refocused on the facility’s decarbonization. The older cracker has relied on a third-party consumer, which recently decided to end the contract by 2027. “As a result, the steam cracker, which is not integrated to TotalEnergies’ downstream polymer production, will no longer have any outlets for its ethylene production”, the French integrated energy company said in an online statement. “The unit shutdown will allow the site to focus on its more recent steam cracker, whose ethylene production is entirely consumed by TotalEnergies’ industrial units in Antwerp and Feluy”. The shutdown will not result in layoffs. “The 253 employees concerned will each be offered a solution aligned with their personal situation: retirement or an internal transfer to another position based at the Antwerp site”, the statement said. “This project is subject to the legally required employee consultation and notification process, which TotalEnergies will initiate with representatives of Antwerp platform employees in late April”. The facility, on the other hand, will this year enable a conventional refining unit to co-process biomass to produce 50,000 metric tons a year of sustainable aviation fuel. This will be supplied to aviation customers, TotalEnergies said. Meanwhile as part of the facility’s decarbonization TotalEnergies has signed a tolling deal for 130 megawatts (MW) from a 200-MW electrolyzer project of Air Liquide. That secures 15,000 metric tons per annum of green hydrogen for the Antwerp complex. “Upstream of the electrolyzer, TotalEnergies will supply green electricity thanks to its OranjeWind offshore wind project”, TotalEnergies added. “Scheduled for the end of 2027, the project will reduce CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions at the
Government will make ‘calm and considered’ decision on zonal pricing, Miliband says
The UK government will make a “calm and considered decision” on whether to shake up the energy market and move towards zonal pricing, Ed Miliband has said. The Energy Secretary is reported to be considering zonal pricing, which some newspaper reports have said could lead to higher bills in the South East of England, while other areas may get cheaper energy. There are also concerns among the Scottish renewable energy sector that zonal pricing reforms could risk “derailing” tens of billions of pounds of offshore wind investment. The changes could also impact areas including battery storage and green hydrogen production. Asked about the move by Sky News, Miliband said: “We’re still looking at the details of this, which is something we’ve got to really get right, and we are studying in detail the effect. “My bottom line here is we want to cut bills, and we want to do so in a way that’s fair, and we want to make sure that happens, and that’s my test for any reforms that we make. © Supplied by Ocean WindsThe last turbine to be installed on the Moray West offshore wind farm in Scotland. “There’s very strong views on both sides of industry, as you’ll probably have gathered on this. People are fighting it out. “We’re going to take this, make a calm and considered decision on this.” Miliband said he would not take a decision that would raise energy prices in some parts of the country. Speaking to LBC about zonal pricing, the Energy Secretary said: “I’m not going to take a decision that is going to raise prices in some parts of the country. That is not what I’m going to do. “Honestly, this is about reforms to cut prices for people, that is my absolute bottom line here.” He
UK government set to approve Eni’s HyNet carbon capture plans
The UK government and Italian energy firm Eni are set to announce approval for a major carbon capture project in England on Thursday, according to reports. The FT reported that officials will announce the go-ahead for a 38 mile pipeline as part of the HyNet North West carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, citing two people familiar with the project. The announcement will be made at a major energy security summit in London later today. Under the HyNet plans, industrial emissions will be capture and transported for storage at Eni’s Douglas CCS platform in the Liverpool Bay. Based in the north west of England, HyNet was selected as one of the two Track-1 CCUS clusters to receive funding from the UK government in November 2021 alongside the East Coast Cluster. © HyNetHyNet The UK government gave approval to the Northern Endurance Partnership CCS project, part of the East Coast Cluster, in December last year. The approvals come after the government last year pledged nearly £22 billion for the Track 1 projects over the next 25 years. Energy Voice has contacted Eni and the UK government for comment in response to the FT story. HyNet North West Industries set to make use of CO2 storage through HyNet include cement, construction materials, oil refining, recycling and waste management, low carbon hydrogen and waste-to-energy generation. Eni expects to be able to store 10Mtpa of CO2 before the end of the decade. The project backers, including EET Hydrogen and Viridor, estimate HyNet will contribute up to £17bn in economic benefits. Alongside the HyNet and East Coast Cluster, the industry is also progressing the Acorn CCS project in Scotland and the Viking CCS project in the Humber under the Track-2 process. In 2024, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) regulator also finalised its first ever offshore carbon
Petronas Pens 11 Agreements to Advance Malaysia’s OGSE Sector
Malaysia’s Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) has signed 11 Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) to boost the country’s oil and gas services and equipment (OGSE) sector through two initiatives, Yard Transformation and Productivity Enhancement, and Skilled Trade Champion. The MOUs were signed by Petronas’ Malaysia Petroleum Management (MPM). The agreements promote cooperation with industry stakeholders to improve the efficiency of fabrication yards through modernization and to develop a highly skilled local workforce, Petronas said in a media release. “The MOUs reflect PETRONAS’ steadfast commitment to build a robust and sustainable oil and gas sector in Malaysia. The structured implementation, undertaken in close collaboration with homegrown OGSE players, will focus on delivering measurable outcomes to create an environment that is conducive for investment and accelerated growth, aligned with national aspirations”, MPM Senior Vice President Bacho Pilong said. As part of the Yard Transformation and Productivity Enhancement initiative, Petronas said it has signed five MOUs with leading local fabrication yard contractors: Brooke Holding Sdn. Bhd., Ocean Might Sdn. Bhd., Muhibbah Engineering (M) Bhd., Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Bhd., and Sapura Fabrication Sdn. Bhd. Petrona said this initiative is a vital part of Malaysia’s overall plan to rejuvenate the fabrication yard ecosystem. The efforts aimed at transformation emphasize the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies, enhancing workforce skills, and broadening market prospects to increase productivity, it said. Petronas added that under the Skilled Trade Champion initiative, six MOUs were signed with key industry players, including Pan-Malaysia Maintenance, Construction and Modification contractors, Hook-up and Commissioning contractors, and the Malaysia Offshore Support Vessel Owners’ Association. These collaborations focus on enhancing essential offshore trades, including rigging, blasting and painting, scaffolding, welding, joint-making, and seafaring. The initiative also emphasizes the importance of enhancing the skills of Malaysian seafarers to develop a larger pool of qualified officers in offshore
Planning reforms to deliver clean energy projects ‘at least a year faster’
The UK government says clean energy projects and other major infrastructure will be delivered “at least a year faster” on average under accelerated planning reforms. The government said “burdensome” statutory consultation requirements for major projects will be scrapped through amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Reforming the planning system was a key pledge of the Labour party ahead of its election victory last year amid frustration from the energy sector over delays. The reforms will cut down the average two-year statutory pre-consultation period by half, the government said, “paving the way for new roads, railways and windfarms”. Altogether, the government estimates the reforms could save over £1 billion for industry and taxpayers within the current term of parliament. Deputy Prime Minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner said the UK “can’t afford to have projects held up by tiresome requirements and uncertainty”. “We are strengthening the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to make sure we can lead the world again with new roads, railways, and energy infrastructure as part of the Plan for Change, whilst ensuring local people still have a say in our journey to get Britain building,” Rayner said. ‘Significant step forward’ for renewable energy RenewableUK head of policy James Robottom welcomed the government announcement and said the reforms are a “significant step forward for the renewable energy industry”. “The industry has a long track record of engaging early and closely with local communities and a wide range of environmental stakeholders, and this will continue as we want to carry on building projects with local support by giving communities a clear voice in the decision-making process,” he said. Ørsted UK country manager Benj Sykes said the changes will allow developers to “focus on the issues that matter to stakeholders and local communities, and to our developments”.
AI could offset energy demand by cutting industry consumption, says Minister
Power-hungry AI data centres could more than offset their energy demands with the technology being used to drive down consumption across other industries, a science minister has said. Labour frontbencher Lord Vallance of Balham told Parliament the UK stood “a very good chance” of securing a large number of computer processing sites, as critics cast doubt on Britain’s attraction given its high energy costs compared with other countries. The Government has previously set out plans to turn areas of industrial wasteland into “hotbeds” for AI development. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wants to drastically expand use of the technology to help revolutionise struggling public services and turn around Britain’s economy. Measures include the development of “growth zones” around the country to build infrastructure such as data centres and improve access to the power grid. However, concern has been expressed at the amount of energy consumed by the new technology as the Government pursues the emissions goal of net-zero by 2050. It follows the ending of the mainstream political consensus on tackling climate change, amid worries over the cost of the UK’s green transition on household bills. Tory peer Lord Mackinlay of Richborough, director of the Global Warming Policy Foundation think tank, said: “For that diminishing number of people who still believe that diminishing Britain’s 0.8% of global CO2 still further is actually an undertaking worth having, I bring very good news. “And that is the amount of CO2 to be released from UK data centres will be very close to zero. “Because with energy price in the UK some three times higher than the US, double the price of much of mainland Europe – notably Switzerland where this is a developing industry – I very much doubt we will have any or very few energy hungry AI centres.” But Lord
TotalEnergies to Scale Down Petrochemical Production at Antwerp Complex
TotalEnergies SE said it will end ethylene production from the oldest steam cracker at its Antwerp refining and petrochemical complex by 2027, citing “overcapacity” in Europe. The facility will continue to produce ethylene from a newer steam cracker. Investment will also be refocused on the facility’s decarbonization. The older cracker has relied on a third-party consumer, which recently decided to end the contract by 2027. “As a result, the steam cracker, which is not integrated to TotalEnergies’ downstream polymer production, will no longer have any outlets for its ethylene production”, the French integrated energy company said in an online statement. “The unit shutdown will allow the site to focus on its more recent steam cracker, whose ethylene production is entirely consumed by TotalEnergies’ industrial units in Antwerp and Feluy”. The shutdown will not result in layoffs. “The 253 employees concerned will each be offered a solution aligned with their personal situation: retirement or an internal transfer to another position based at the Antwerp site”, the statement said. “This project is subject to the legally required employee consultation and notification process, which TotalEnergies will initiate with representatives of Antwerp platform employees in late April”. The facility, on the other hand, will this year enable a conventional refining unit to co-process biomass to produce 50,000 metric tons a year of sustainable aviation fuel. This will be supplied to aviation customers, TotalEnergies said. Meanwhile as part of the facility’s decarbonization TotalEnergies has signed a tolling deal for 130 megawatts (MW) from a 200-MW electrolyzer project of Air Liquide. That secures 15,000 metric tons per annum of green hydrogen for the Antwerp complex. “Upstream of the electrolyzer, TotalEnergies will supply green electricity thanks to its OranjeWind offshore wind project”, TotalEnergies added. “Scheduled for the end of 2027, the project will reduce CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions at the
Government will make ‘calm and considered’ decision on zonal pricing, Miliband says
The UK government will make a “calm and considered decision” on whether to shake up the energy market and move towards zonal pricing, Ed Miliband has said. The Energy Secretary is reported to be considering zonal pricing, which some newspaper reports have said could lead to higher bills in the South East of England, while other areas may get cheaper energy. There are also concerns among the Scottish renewable energy sector that zonal pricing reforms could risk “derailing” tens of billions of pounds of offshore wind investment. The changes could also impact areas including battery storage and green hydrogen production. Asked about the move by Sky News, Miliband said: “We’re still looking at the details of this, which is something we’ve got to really get right, and we are studying in detail the effect. “My bottom line here is we want to cut bills, and we want to do so in a way that’s fair, and we want to make sure that happens, and that’s my test for any reforms that we make. © Supplied by Ocean WindsThe last turbine to be installed on the Moray West offshore wind farm in Scotland. “There’s very strong views on both sides of industry, as you’ll probably have gathered on this. People are fighting it out. “We’re going to take this, make a calm and considered decision on this.” Miliband said he would not take a decision that would raise energy prices in some parts of the country. Speaking to LBC about zonal pricing, the Energy Secretary said: “I’m not going to take a decision that is going to raise prices in some parts of the country. That is not what I’m going to do. “Honestly, this is about reforms to cut prices for people, that is my absolute bottom line here.” He
UK government set to approve Eni’s HyNet carbon capture plans
The UK government and Italian energy firm Eni are set to announce approval for a major carbon capture project in England on Thursday, according to reports. The FT reported that officials will announce the go-ahead for a 38 mile pipeline as part of the HyNet North West carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, citing two people familiar with the project. The announcement will be made at a major energy security summit in London later today. Under the HyNet plans, industrial emissions will be capture and transported for storage at Eni’s Douglas CCS platform in the Liverpool Bay. Based in the north west of England, HyNet was selected as one of the two Track-1 CCUS clusters to receive funding from the UK government in November 2021 alongside the East Coast Cluster. © HyNetHyNet The UK government gave approval to the Northern Endurance Partnership CCS project, part of the East Coast Cluster, in December last year. The approvals come after the government last year pledged nearly £22 billion for the Track 1 projects over the next 25 years. Energy Voice has contacted Eni and the UK government for comment in response to the FT story. HyNet North West Industries set to make use of CO2 storage through HyNet include cement, construction materials, oil refining, recycling and waste management, low carbon hydrogen and waste-to-energy generation. Eni expects to be able to store 10Mtpa of CO2 before the end of the decade. The project backers, including EET Hydrogen and Viridor, estimate HyNet will contribute up to £17bn in economic benefits. Alongside the HyNet and East Coast Cluster, the industry is also progressing the Acorn CCS project in Scotland and the Viking CCS project in the Humber under the Track-2 process. In 2024, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) regulator also finalised its first ever offshore carbon
Petronas Pens 11 Agreements to Advance Malaysia’s OGSE Sector
Malaysia’s Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) has signed 11 Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) to boost the country’s oil and gas services and equipment (OGSE) sector through two initiatives, Yard Transformation and Productivity Enhancement, and Skilled Trade Champion. The MOUs were signed by Petronas’ Malaysia Petroleum Management (MPM). The agreements promote cooperation with industry stakeholders to improve the efficiency of fabrication yards through modernization and to develop a highly skilled local workforce, Petronas said in a media release. “The MOUs reflect PETRONAS’ steadfast commitment to build a robust and sustainable oil and gas sector in Malaysia. The structured implementation, undertaken in close collaboration with homegrown OGSE players, will focus on delivering measurable outcomes to create an environment that is conducive for investment and accelerated growth, aligned with national aspirations”, MPM Senior Vice President Bacho Pilong said. As part of the Yard Transformation and Productivity Enhancement initiative, Petronas said it has signed five MOUs with leading local fabrication yard contractors: Brooke Holding Sdn. Bhd., Ocean Might Sdn. Bhd., Muhibbah Engineering (M) Bhd., Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Bhd., and Sapura Fabrication Sdn. Bhd. Petrona said this initiative is a vital part of Malaysia’s overall plan to rejuvenate the fabrication yard ecosystem. The efforts aimed at transformation emphasize the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies, enhancing workforce skills, and broadening market prospects to increase productivity, it said. Petronas added that under the Skilled Trade Champion initiative, six MOUs were signed with key industry players, including Pan-Malaysia Maintenance, Construction and Modification contractors, Hook-up and Commissioning contractors, and the Malaysia Offshore Support Vessel Owners’ Association. These collaborations focus on enhancing essential offshore trades, including rigging, blasting and painting, scaffolding, welding, joint-making, and seafaring. The initiative also emphasizes the importance of enhancing the skills of Malaysian seafarers to develop a larger pool of qualified officers in offshore
Planning reforms to deliver clean energy projects ‘at least a year faster’
The UK government says clean energy projects and other major infrastructure will be delivered “at least a year faster” on average under accelerated planning reforms. The government said “burdensome” statutory consultation requirements for major projects will be scrapped through amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Reforming the planning system was a key pledge of the Labour party ahead of its election victory last year amid frustration from the energy sector over delays. The reforms will cut down the average two-year statutory pre-consultation period by half, the government said, “paving the way for new roads, railways and windfarms”. Altogether, the government estimates the reforms could save over £1 billion for industry and taxpayers within the current term of parliament. Deputy Prime Minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner said the UK “can’t afford to have projects held up by tiresome requirements and uncertainty”. “We are strengthening the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to make sure we can lead the world again with new roads, railways, and energy infrastructure as part of the Plan for Change, whilst ensuring local people still have a say in our journey to get Britain building,” Rayner said. ‘Significant step forward’ for renewable energy RenewableUK head of policy James Robottom welcomed the government announcement and said the reforms are a “significant step forward for the renewable energy industry”. “The industry has a long track record of engaging early and closely with local communities and a wide range of environmental stakeholders, and this will continue as we want to carry on building projects with local support by giving communities a clear voice in the decision-making process,” he said. Ørsted UK country manager Benj Sykes said the changes will allow developers to “focus on the issues that matter to stakeholders and local communities, and to our developments”.
AI could offset energy demand by cutting industry consumption, says Minister
Power-hungry AI data centres could more than offset their energy demands with the technology being used to drive down consumption across other industries, a science minister has said. Labour frontbencher Lord Vallance of Balham told Parliament the UK stood “a very good chance” of securing a large number of computer processing sites, as critics cast doubt on Britain’s attraction given its high energy costs compared with other countries. The Government has previously set out plans to turn areas of industrial wasteland into “hotbeds” for AI development. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wants to drastically expand use of the technology to help revolutionise struggling public services and turn around Britain’s economy. Measures include the development of “growth zones” around the country to build infrastructure such as data centres and improve access to the power grid. However, concern has been expressed at the amount of energy consumed by the new technology as the Government pursues the emissions goal of net-zero by 2050. It follows the ending of the mainstream political consensus on tackling climate change, amid worries over the cost of the UK’s green transition on household bills. Tory peer Lord Mackinlay of Richborough, director of the Global Warming Policy Foundation think tank, said: “For that diminishing number of people who still believe that diminishing Britain’s 0.8% of global CO2 still further is actually an undertaking worth having, I bring very good news. “And that is the amount of CO2 to be released from UK data centres will be very close to zero. “Because with energy price in the UK some three times higher than the US, double the price of much of mainland Europe – notably Switzerland where this is a developing industry – I very much doubt we will have any or very few energy hungry AI centres.” But Lord
TotalEnergies to Scale Down Petrochemical Production at Antwerp Complex
TotalEnergies SE said it will end ethylene production from the oldest steam cracker at its Antwerp refining and petrochemical complex by 2027, citing “overcapacity” in Europe. The facility will continue to produce ethylene from a newer steam cracker. Investment will also be refocused on the facility’s decarbonization. The older cracker has relied on a third-party consumer, which recently decided to end the contract by 2027. “As a result, the steam cracker, which is not integrated to TotalEnergies’ downstream polymer production, will no longer have any outlets for its ethylene production”, the French integrated energy company said in an online statement. “The unit shutdown will allow the site to focus on its more recent steam cracker, whose ethylene production is entirely consumed by TotalEnergies’ industrial units in Antwerp and Feluy”. The shutdown will not result in layoffs. “The 253 employees concerned will each be offered a solution aligned with their personal situation: retirement or an internal transfer to another position based at the Antwerp site”, the statement said. “This project is subject to the legally required employee consultation and notification process, which TotalEnergies will initiate with representatives of Antwerp platform employees in late April”. The facility, on the other hand, will this year enable a conventional refining unit to co-process biomass to produce 50,000 metric tons a year of sustainable aviation fuel. This will be supplied to aviation customers, TotalEnergies said. Meanwhile as part of the facility’s decarbonization TotalEnergies has signed a tolling deal for 130 megawatts (MW) from a 200-MW electrolyzer project of Air Liquide. That secures 15,000 metric tons per annum of green hydrogen for the Antwerp complex. “Upstream of the electrolyzer, TotalEnergies will supply green electricity thanks to its OranjeWind offshore wind project”, TotalEnergies added. “Scheduled for the end of 2027, the project will reduce CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions at the
UK government set to approve Eni’s HyNet carbon capture plans
The UK government and Italian energy firm Eni are set to announce approval for a major carbon capture project in England on Thursday, according to reports. The FT reported that officials will announce the go-ahead for a 38 mile pipeline as part of the HyNet North West carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, citing two people familiar with the project. The announcement will be made at a major energy security summit in London later today. Under the HyNet plans, industrial emissions will be capture and transported for storage at Eni’s Douglas CCS platform in the Liverpool Bay. Based in the north west of England, HyNet was selected as one of the two Track-1 CCUS clusters to receive funding from the UK government in November 2021 alongside the East Coast Cluster. © HyNetHyNet The UK government gave approval to the Northern Endurance Partnership CCS project, part of the East Coast Cluster, in December last year. The approvals come after the government last year pledged nearly £22 billion for the Track 1 projects over the next 25 years. Energy Voice has contacted Eni and the UK government for comment in response to the FT story. HyNet North West Industries set to make use of CO2 storage through HyNet include cement, construction materials, oil refining, recycling and waste management, low carbon hydrogen and waste-to-energy generation. Eni expects to be able to store 10Mtpa of CO2 before the end of the decade. The project backers, including EET Hydrogen and Viridor, estimate HyNet will contribute up to £17bn in economic benefits. Alongside the HyNet and East Coast Cluster, the industry is also progressing the Acorn CCS project in Scotland and the Viking CCS project in the Humber under the Track-2 process. In 2024, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) regulator also finalised its first ever offshore carbon
Government will make ‘calm and considered’ decision on zonal pricing, Miliband says
The UK government will make a “calm and considered decision” on whether to shake up the energy market and move towards zonal pricing, Ed Miliband has said. The Energy Secretary is reported to be considering zonal pricing, which some newspaper reports have said could lead to higher bills in the South East of England, while other areas may get cheaper energy. There are also concerns among the Scottish renewable energy sector that zonal pricing reforms could risk “derailing” tens of billions of pounds of offshore wind investment. The changes could also impact areas including battery storage and green hydrogen production. Asked about the move by Sky News, Miliband said: “We’re still looking at the details of this, which is something we’ve got to really get right, and we are studying in detail the effect. “My bottom line here is we want to cut bills, and we want to do so in a way that’s fair, and we want to make sure that happens, and that’s my test for any reforms that we make. © Supplied by Ocean WindsThe last turbine to be installed on the Moray West offshore wind farm in Scotland. “There’s very strong views on both sides of industry, as you’ll probably have gathered on this. People are fighting it out. “We’re going to take this, make a calm and considered decision on this.” Miliband said he would not take a decision that would raise energy prices in some parts of the country. Speaking to LBC about zonal pricing, the Energy Secretary said: “I’m not going to take a decision that is going to raise prices in some parts of the country. That is not what I’m going to do. “Honestly, this is about reforms to cut prices for people, that is my absolute bottom line here.” He
Petronas Pens 11 Agreements to Advance Malaysia’s OGSE Sector
Malaysia’s Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) has signed 11 Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) to boost the country’s oil and gas services and equipment (OGSE) sector through two initiatives, Yard Transformation and Productivity Enhancement, and Skilled Trade Champion. The MOUs were signed by Petronas’ Malaysia Petroleum Management (MPM). The agreements promote cooperation with industry stakeholders to improve the efficiency of fabrication yards through modernization and to develop a highly skilled local workforce, Petronas said in a media release. “The MOUs reflect PETRONAS’ steadfast commitment to build a robust and sustainable oil and gas sector in Malaysia. The structured implementation, undertaken in close collaboration with homegrown OGSE players, will focus on delivering measurable outcomes to create an environment that is conducive for investment and accelerated growth, aligned with national aspirations”, MPM Senior Vice President Bacho Pilong said. As part of the Yard Transformation and Productivity Enhancement initiative, Petronas said it has signed five MOUs with leading local fabrication yard contractors: Brooke Holding Sdn. Bhd., Ocean Might Sdn. Bhd., Muhibbah Engineering (M) Bhd., Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Bhd., and Sapura Fabrication Sdn. Bhd. Petrona said this initiative is a vital part of Malaysia’s overall plan to rejuvenate the fabrication yard ecosystem. The efforts aimed at transformation emphasize the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies, enhancing workforce skills, and broadening market prospects to increase productivity, it said. Petronas added that under the Skilled Trade Champion initiative, six MOUs were signed with key industry players, including Pan-Malaysia Maintenance, Construction and Modification contractors, Hook-up and Commissioning contractors, and the Malaysia Offshore Support Vessel Owners’ Association. These collaborations focus on enhancing essential offshore trades, including rigging, blasting and painting, scaffolding, welding, joint-making, and seafaring. The initiative also emphasizes the importance of enhancing the skills of Malaysian seafarers to develop a larger pool of qualified officers in offshore
AI could offset energy demand by cutting industry consumption, says Minister
Power-hungry AI data centres could more than offset their energy demands with the technology being used to drive down consumption across other industries, a science minister has said. Labour frontbencher Lord Vallance of Balham told Parliament the UK stood “a very good chance” of securing a large number of computer processing sites, as critics cast doubt on Britain’s attraction given its high energy costs compared with other countries. The Government has previously set out plans to turn areas of industrial wasteland into “hotbeds” for AI development. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wants to drastically expand use of the technology to help revolutionise struggling public services and turn around Britain’s economy. Measures include the development of “growth zones” around the country to build infrastructure such as data centres and improve access to the power grid. However, concern has been expressed at the amount of energy consumed by the new technology as the Government pursues the emissions goal of net-zero by 2050. It follows the ending of the mainstream political consensus on tackling climate change, amid worries over the cost of the UK’s green transition on household bills. Tory peer Lord Mackinlay of Richborough, director of the Global Warming Policy Foundation think tank, said: “For that diminishing number of people who still believe that diminishing Britain’s 0.8% of global CO2 still further is actually an undertaking worth having, I bring very good news. “And that is the amount of CO2 to be released from UK data centres will be very close to zero. “Because with energy price in the UK some three times higher than the US, double the price of much of mainland Europe – notably Switzerland where this is a developing industry – I very much doubt we will have any or very few energy hungry AI centres.” But Lord
Planning reforms to deliver clean energy projects ‘at least a year faster’
The UK government says clean energy projects and other major infrastructure will be delivered “at least a year faster” on average under accelerated planning reforms. The government said “burdensome” statutory consultation requirements for major projects will be scrapped through amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Reforming the planning system was a key pledge of the Labour party ahead of its election victory last year amid frustration from the energy sector over delays. The reforms will cut down the average two-year statutory pre-consultation period by half, the government said, “paving the way for new roads, railways and windfarms”. Altogether, the government estimates the reforms could save over £1 billion for industry and taxpayers within the current term of parliament. Deputy Prime Minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner said the UK “can’t afford to have projects held up by tiresome requirements and uncertainty”. “We are strengthening the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to make sure we can lead the world again with new roads, railways, and energy infrastructure as part of the Plan for Change, whilst ensuring local people still have a say in our journey to get Britain building,” Rayner said. ‘Significant step forward’ for renewable energy RenewableUK head of policy James Robottom welcomed the government announcement and said the reforms are a “significant step forward for the renewable energy industry”. “The industry has a long track record of engaging early and closely with local communities and a wide range of environmental stakeholders, and this will continue as we want to carry on building projects with local support by giving communities a clear voice in the decision-making process,” he said. Ørsted UK country manager Benj Sykes said the changes will allow developers to “focus on the issues that matter to stakeholders and local communities, and to our developments”.
Microsoft will invest $80B in AI data centers in fiscal 2025
And Microsoft isn’t the only one that is ramping up its investments into AI-enabled data centers. Rival cloud service providers are all investing in either upgrading or opening new data centers to capture a larger chunk of business from developers and users of large language models (LLMs). In a report published in October 2024, Bloomberg Intelligence estimated that demand for generative AI would push Microsoft, AWS, Google, Oracle, Meta, and Apple would between them devote $200 billion to capex in 2025, up from $110 billion in 2023. Microsoft is one of the biggest spenders, followed closely by Google and AWS, Bloomberg Intelligence said. Its estimate of Microsoft’s capital spending on AI, at $62.4 billion for calendar 2025, is lower than Smith’s claim that the company will invest $80 billion in the fiscal year to June 30, 2025. Both figures, though, are way higher than Microsoft’s 2020 capital expenditure of “just” $17.6 billion. The majority of the increased spending is tied to cloud services and the expansion of AI infrastructure needed to provide compute capacity for OpenAI workloads. Separately, last October Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said his company planned total capex spend of $75 billion in 2024 and even more in 2025, with much of it going to AWS, its cloud computing division.
John Deere unveils more autonomous farm machines to address skill labor shortage
Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Self-driving tractors might be the path to self-driving cars. John Deere has revealed a new line of autonomous machines and tech across agriculture, construction and commercial landscaping. The Moline, Illinois-based John Deere has been in business for 187 years, yet it’s been a regular as a non-tech company showing off technology at the big tech trade show in Las Vegas and is back at CES 2025 with more autonomous tractors and other vehicles. This is not something we usually cover, but John Deere has a lot of data that is interesting in the big picture of tech. The message from the company is that there aren’t enough skilled farm laborers to do the work that its customers need. It’s been a challenge for most of the last two decades, said Jahmy Hindman, CTO at John Deere, in a briefing. Much of the tech will come this fall and after that. He noted that the average farmer in the U.S. is over 58 and works 12 to 18 hours a day to grow food for us. And he said the American Farm Bureau Federation estimates there are roughly 2.4 million farm jobs that need to be filled annually; and the agricultural work force continues to shrink. (This is my hint to the anti-immigration crowd). John Deere’s autonomous 9RX Tractor. Farmers can oversee it using an app. While each of these industries experiences their own set of challenges, a commonality across all is skilled labor availability. In construction, about 80% percent of contractors struggle to find skilled labor. And in commercial landscaping, 86% of landscaping business owners can’t find labor to fill open positions, he said. “They have to figure out how to do
2025 playbook for enterprise AI success, from agents to evals
Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More 2025 is poised to be a pivotal year for enterprise AI. The past year has seen rapid innovation, and this year will see the same. This has made it more critical than ever to revisit your AI strategy to stay competitive and create value for your customers. From scaling AI agents to optimizing costs, here are the five critical areas enterprises should prioritize for their AI strategy this year. 1. Agents: the next generation of automation AI agents are no longer theoretical. In 2025, they’re indispensable tools for enterprises looking to streamline operations and enhance customer interactions. Unlike traditional software, agents powered by large language models (LLMs) can make nuanced decisions, navigate complex multi-step tasks, and integrate seamlessly with tools and APIs. At the start of 2024, agents were not ready for prime time, making frustrating mistakes like hallucinating URLs. They started getting better as frontier large language models themselves improved. “Let me put it this way,” said Sam Witteveen, cofounder of Red Dragon, a company that develops agents for companies, and that recently reviewed the 48 agents it built last year. “Interestingly, the ones that we built at the start of the year, a lot of those worked way better at the end of the year just because the models got better.” Witteveen shared this in the video podcast we filmed to discuss these five big trends in detail. Models are getting better and hallucinating less, and they’re also being trained to do agentic tasks. Another feature that the model providers are researching is a way to use the LLM as a judge, and as models get cheaper (something we’ll cover below), companies can use three or more models to
OpenAI’s red teaming innovations define new essentials for security leaders in the AI era
Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More OpenAI has taken a more aggressive approach to red teaming than its AI competitors, demonstrating its security teams’ advanced capabilities in two areas: multi-step reinforcement and external red teaming. OpenAI recently released two papers that set a new competitive standard for improving the quality, reliability and safety of AI models in these two techniques and more. The first paper, “OpenAI’s Approach to External Red Teaming for AI Models and Systems,” reports that specialized teams outside the company have proven effective in uncovering vulnerabilities that might otherwise have made it into a released model because in-house testing techniques may have missed them. In the second paper, “Diverse and Effective Red Teaming with Auto-Generated Rewards and Multi-Step Reinforcement Learning,” OpenAI introduces an automated framework that relies on iterative reinforcement learning to generate a broad spectrum of novel, wide-ranging attacks. Going all-in on red teaming pays practical, competitive dividends It’s encouraging to see competitive intensity in red teaming growing among AI companies. When Anthropic released its AI red team guidelines in June of last year, it joined AI providers including Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI, and even the U.S.’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which all had released red teaming frameworks. Investing heavily in red teaming yields tangible benefits for security leaders in any organization. OpenAI’s paper on external red teaming provides a detailed analysis of how the company strives to create specialized external teams that include cybersecurity and subject matter experts. The goal is to see if knowledgeable external teams can defeat models’ security perimeters and find gaps in their security, biases and controls that prompt-based testing couldn’t find. What makes OpenAI’s recent papers noteworthy is how well they define using human-in-the-middle
Three Aberdeen oil company headquarters sell for £45m
Three Aberdeen oil company headquarters have been sold in a deal worth £45 million. The CNOOC, Apache and Taqa buildings at the Prime Four business park in Kingswells have been acquired by EEH Ventures. The trio of buildings, totalling 275,000 sq ft, were previously owned by Canadian firm BMO. The financial services powerhouse first bought the buildings in 2014 but took the decision to sell the buildings as part of a “long-standing strategy to reduce their office exposure across the UK”. The deal was the largest to take place throughout Scotland during the last quarter of 2024. Trio of buildings snapped up London headquartered EEH Ventures was founded in 2013 and owns a number of residential, offices, shopping centres and hotels throughout the UK. All three Kingswells-based buildings were pre-let, designed and constructed by Aberdeen property developer Drum in 2012 on a 15-year lease. © Supplied by CBREThe Aberdeen headquarters of Taqa. Image: CBRE The North Sea headquarters of Middle-East oil firm Taqa has previously been described as “an amazing success story in the Granite City”. Taqa announced in 2023 that it intends to cease production from all of its UK North Sea platforms by the end of 2027. Meanwhile, Apache revealed at the end of last year it is planning to exit the North Sea by the end of 2029 blaming the windfall tax. The US firm first entered the North Sea in 2003 but will wrap up all of its UK operations by 2030. Aberdeen big deals The Prime Four acquisition wasn’t the biggest Granite City commercial property sale of 2024. American private equity firm Lone Star bought Union Square shopping centre from Hammerson for £111m. © ShutterstockAberdeen city centre. Hammerson, who also built the property, had originally been seeking £150m. BP’s North Sea headquarters in Stoneywood, Aberdeen, was also sold. Manchester-based
2025 ransomware predictions, trends, and how to prepare
Zscaler ThreatLabz research team has revealed critical insights and predictions on ransomware trends for 2025. The latest Ransomware Report uncovered a surge in sophisticated tactics and extortion attacks. As ransomware remains a key concern for CISOs and CIOs, the report sheds light on actionable strategies to mitigate risks. Top Ransomware Predictions for 2025: ● AI-Powered Social Engineering: In 2025, GenAI will fuel voice phishing (vishing) attacks. With the proliferation of GenAI-based tooling, initial access broker groups will increasingly leverage AI-generated voices; which sound more and more realistic by adopting local accents and dialects to enhance credibility and success rates. ● The Trifecta of Social Engineering Attacks: Vishing, Ransomware and Data Exfiltration. Additionally, sophisticated ransomware groups, like the Dark Angels, will continue the trend of low-volume, high-impact attacks; preferring to focus on an individual company, stealing vast amounts of data without encrypting files, and evading media and law enforcement scrutiny. ● Targeted Industries Under Siege: Manufacturing, healthcare, education, energy will remain primary targets, with no slowdown in attacks expected. ● New SEC Regulations Drive Increased Transparency: 2025 will see an uptick in reported ransomware attacks and payouts due to new, tighter SEC requirements mandating that public companies report material incidents within four business days. ● Ransomware Payouts Are on the Rise: In 2025 ransom demands will most likely increase due to an evolving ecosystem of cybercrime groups, specializing in designated attack tactics, and collaboration by these groups that have entered a sophisticated profit sharing model using Ransomware-as-a-Service. To combat damaging ransomware attacks, Zscaler ThreatLabz recommends the following strategies. ● Fighting AI with AI: As threat actors use AI to identify vulnerabilities, organizations must counter with AI-powered zero trust security systems that detect and mitigate new threats. ● Advantages of adopting a Zero Trust architecture: A Zero Trust cloud security platform stops
Google adds more AI tools to its Workspace productivity apps
Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Google continues to bring its flagship AI models to its productivity apps, expanding its Gemini features. The company today announced several updates to its Workspace products, including the addition of Audio Overviews and new streamlined methods for tracking meetings. Audio Overviews, which was first introduced in Google’s popular NotebookLM, allows people to create podcasts on their chosen research topic. Now, through Gemini, users can create audio files based on uploaded documents and slides. They can also generate audio overviews within deep research reports. These podcast-style audio files are downloadable. Audio Overview generates voices and grounds its discussions solely on the provided documents. Google previously told VentureBeat that its tests showed some people prefer learning through listening, where information is presented in a conversational format. The company also launched a new feature called Canvas in Gemini, which lets people create drafts and refine text or code using the Gemini model. Google said Canvas helps “generate, optimize and preview code.” Canvas documents can be shared with Google Docs. Updated calendars Google also streamlined how users can add events and meetings to their calendars. Gemini will detect if an email contains details of events and can prompt people to add it to their calendar. The model will surface emails with potential appointments if the user misses them. Some plug-ins for Google, such as Boomerang, offer similar features that display appointments above the subject line. The Gemini-powered calendar feature will open a Gemini chat window alerting the user of the event. Pointing AI models to surface data or events from emails has become a cornerstone of enterprise AI assistants and agents. Microsoft’s new agents parse through emails for input. Startup Martin AI has an AI assistant
Former DeepSeeker and collaborators release new method for training reliable AI agents: RAGEN
Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More 2025 was, by many expert accounts, supposed to be the year of AI agents — task-specific AI implementations powered by leading large language and multimodal models (LLMs) like the kinds offered by OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and DeepSeek. But so far, most AI agents remain stuck as experimental pilots in a kind of corporate purgatory, according to a recent poll conducted by VentureBeat on the social network X. Help may be on the way: a collaborative team from Northwestern University, Microsoft, Stanford, and the University of Washington — including a former DeepSeek researcher named Zihan Wang, currently completing a computer science PhD at Northwestern — has introduced RAGEN, a new system for training and evaluating AI agents that they hope makes them more reliable and less brittle for real-world, enterprise-grade usage. Unlike static tasks like math solving or code generation, RAGEN focuses on multi-turn, interactive settings where agents must adapt, remember, and reason in the face of uncertainty. Built on a custom RL framework called StarPO (State-Thinking-Actions-Reward Policy Optimization), the system explores how LLMs can learn through experience rather than memorization. The focus is on entire decision-making trajectories, not just one-step responses. StarPO operates in two interleaved phases: a rollout stage where the LLM generates complete interaction sequences guided by reasoning, and an update stage where the model is optimized using normalized cumulative rewards. This structure supports a more stable and interpretable learning loop compared to standard policy optimization approaches. The authors implemented and tested the framework using fine-tuned variants of Alibaba’s Qwen models, including Qwen 1.5 and Qwen 2.5. These models served as the base LLMs for all experiments and were chosen for their open weights and robust instruction-following capabilities. This
Former DeepSeeker and collaborators release new method for training reliable AI agents: RAGEN
Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More 2025 was, by many expert accounts, supposed to be the year of AI agents — task-specific AI implementations powered by leading large language and multimodal models (LLMs) like the kinds offered by OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and DeepSeek. But so far, most AI agents remain stuck as experimental pilots in a kind of corporate purgatory, according to a recent poll conducted by VentureBeat on the social network X. Help may be on the way: a collaborative team from Northwestern University, Microsoft, Stanford, and the University of Washington — including a former DeepSeek researcher named Zihan Wang, currently completing a computer science PhD at Northwestern — has introduced RAGEN, a new system for training and evaluating AI agents that they hope makes them more reliable and less brittle for real-world, enterprise-grade usage. Unlike static tasks like math solving or code generation, RAGEN focuses on multi-turn, interactive settings where agents must adapt, remember, and reason in the face of uncertainty. Built on a custom RL framework called StarPO (State-Thinking-Actions-Reward Policy Optimization), the system explores how LLMs can learn through experience rather than memorization. The focus is on entire decision-making trajectories, not just one-step responses. StarPO operates in two interleaved phases: a rollout stage where the LLM generates complete interaction sequences guided by reasoning, and an update stage where the model is optimized using normalized cumulative rewards. This structure supports a more stable and interpretable learning loop compared to standard policy optimization approaches. The authors implemented and tested the framework using fine-tuned variants of Alibaba’s Qwen models, including Qwen 1.5 and Qwen 2.5. These models served as the base LLMs for all experiments and were chosen for their open weights and robust instruction-following capabilities. This
Amazon’s SWE-PolyBench just exposed the dirty secret about your AI coding assistant
Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Amazon Web Services today introduced SWE-PolyBench, a comprehensive multi-language benchmark designed to evaluate AI coding assistants across a diverse range of programming languages and real-world scenarios. The benchmark addresses significant limitations in existing evaluation frameworks and offers researchers and developers new ways to assess how effectively AI agents navigate complex codebases. “Now they have a benchmark that they can evaluate on to assess whether the coding agents are able to solve complex programming tasks,” said Anoop Deoras, Director of Applied Sciences for Generative AI Applications and Developer Experiences at AWS, in an interview with VentureBeat. “The real world offers you more complex tasks. In order to fix a bug or do feature building, you need to touch multiple files, as opposed to a single file.” The release comes as AI-powered coding tools have exploded in popularity, with major technology companies integrating them into development environments and standalone products. While these tools show impressive capabilities, evaluating their performance has remained challenging — particularly across different programming languages and varying task complexities. SWE-PolyBench contains over 2,000 curated coding challenges derived from real GitHub issues spanning four languages: Java (165 tasks), JavaScript (1,017 tasks), TypeScript (729 tasks), and Python (199 tasks). The benchmark also includes a stratified subset of 500 issues (SWE-PolyBench500) designed for quicker experimentation. “The task diversity and the diversity of the programming languages was missing,” Deoras explained about existing benchmarks. “In SWE-Bench today, there is only a single programming language, Python, and there is a single task: bug fixes. In PolyBench, as opposed to SWE-Bench, we have expanded this benchmark to include three additional languages.” The new benchmark directly addresses limitations in SWE-Bench, which has emerged as the de facto standard
Roundtables: Brain-Computer Interfaces: From Promise to Product
Available only for MIT Alumni and subscribers.
Recorded on April 23, 2025
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Brain-Computer Interfaces: From Promise to Product Speakers: David Rotman, editor at large, and Antonio Regalado, senior editor for biomedicine. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have been crowned the 11th Breakthrough Technology of 2025 by MIT Technology Review’s readers. BCIs are electrodes implanted into the brain to send neural commands to computers, primarily to assist paralyzed people. Hear from MIT Technology Review editor at large David Rotman and senior editor for biomedicine Antonio Regalado as they explore the past, present, and future of BCIs. Related Coverage
From friction to flow: Why Swissport scrapped its VPN maze for Cato’s SASE fabric
Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More In Swissport’s world, strengthening security and networking provides an opportunity to serve more customers and grow. Swissport’s global IT operations started to expose the strains of relying on legacy systems for security and networking, which were quickly becoming a liability for the company. Senior management could see that centralized visibility was a major challenge, which led them to take quick action. Swissport’s growth outpaced its legacy systems The security and networking challenges that Swissport faced began to multiply as its business expansion accelerated. Legacy systems were hindering the ability to serve customers, secure global locations and expand the business. The senior management team told VentureBeat that legacy systems weren’t keeping up with the pace of their business, leading the team to consider new alternatives, starting with secure access service edge (SASE). In 2024, Swissport provided ground services for 247 million airline passengers, handled more than five million tons of air freight at 117 cargo centers and served airlines at 279 airports in 45 countries across six continents. As the world’s largest provider of ground and cargo handling services in the aviation industry, a core part of how Swissport excels for its customers is connecting and securing its global IT operations. That’s table stakes for a business with over 26,000 users, including ground crew and remote workers. “The biggest challenge wasn’t just visibility—it was consistency,” said Giles Ashton-Roberts, Chief Information Security Officer at Swissport. “We had to unify how we enforce security across hundreds of sites without slowing down the business.” From fragmented infrastructure to SASE “We’re truly a 24/7 business. It’s always peak time somewhere in the world, and we need to keep our network both secure and available,” Richard Thorp,
TotalEnergies to Scale Down Petrochemical Production at Antwerp Complex
TotalEnergies SE said it will end ethylene production from the oldest steam cracker at its Antwerp refining and petrochemical complex by 2027, citing “overcapacity” in Europe. The facility will continue to produce ethylene from a newer steam cracker. Investment will also be refocused on the facility’s decarbonization. The older cracker has relied on a third-party consumer, which recently decided to end the contract by 2027. “As a result, the steam cracker, which is not integrated to TotalEnergies’ downstream polymer production, will no longer have any outlets for its ethylene production”, the French integrated energy company said in an online statement. “The unit shutdown will allow the site to focus on its more recent steam cracker, whose ethylene production is entirely consumed by TotalEnergies’ industrial units in Antwerp and Feluy”. The shutdown will not result in layoffs. “The 253 employees concerned will each be offered a solution aligned with their personal situation: retirement or an internal transfer to another position based at the Antwerp site”, the statement said. “This project is subject to the legally required employee consultation and notification process, which TotalEnergies will initiate with representatives of Antwerp platform employees in late April”. The facility, on the other hand, will this year enable a conventional refining unit to co-process biomass to produce 50,000 metric tons a year of sustainable aviation fuel. This will be supplied to aviation customers, TotalEnergies said. Meanwhile as part of the facility’s decarbonization TotalEnergies has signed a tolling deal for 130 megawatts (MW) from a 200-MW electrolyzer project of Air Liquide. That secures 15,000 metric tons per annum of green hydrogen for the Antwerp complex. “Upstream of the electrolyzer, TotalEnergies will supply green electricity thanks to its OranjeWind offshore wind project”, TotalEnergies added. “Scheduled for the end of 2027, the project will reduce CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions at the
Government will make ‘calm and considered’ decision on zonal pricing, Miliband says
The UK government will make a “calm and considered decision” on whether to shake up the energy market and move towards zonal pricing, Ed Miliband has said. The Energy Secretary is reported to be considering zonal pricing, which some newspaper reports have said could lead to higher bills in the South East of England, while other areas may get cheaper energy. There are also concerns among the Scottish renewable energy sector that zonal pricing reforms could risk “derailing” tens of billions of pounds of offshore wind investment. The changes could also impact areas including battery storage and green hydrogen production. Asked about the move by Sky News, Miliband said: “We’re still looking at the details of this, which is something we’ve got to really get right, and we are studying in detail the effect. “My bottom line here is we want to cut bills, and we want to do so in a way that’s fair, and we want to make sure that happens, and that’s my test for any reforms that we make. © Supplied by Ocean WindsThe last turbine to be installed on the Moray West offshore wind farm in Scotland. “There’s very strong views on both sides of industry, as you’ll probably have gathered on this. People are fighting it out. “We’re going to take this, make a calm and considered decision on this.” Miliband said he would not take a decision that would raise energy prices in some parts of the country. Speaking to LBC about zonal pricing, the Energy Secretary said: “I’m not going to take a decision that is going to raise prices in some parts of the country. That is not what I’m going to do. “Honestly, this is about reforms to cut prices for people, that is my absolute bottom line here.” He
UK government set to approve Eni’s HyNet carbon capture plans
The UK government and Italian energy firm Eni are set to announce approval for a major carbon capture project in England on Thursday, according to reports. The FT reported that officials will announce the go-ahead for a 38 mile pipeline as part of the HyNet North West carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, citing two people familiar with the project. The announcement will be made at a major energy security summit in London later today. Under the HyNet plans, industrial emissions will be capture and transported for storage at Eni’s Douglas CCS platform in the Liverpool Bay. Based in the north west of England, HyNet was selected as one of the two Track-1 CCUS clusters to receive funding from the UK government in November 2021 alongside the East Coast Cluster. © HyNetHyNet The UK government gave approval to the Northern Endurance Partnership CCS project, part of the East Coast Cluster, in December last year. The approvals come after the government last year pledged nearly £22 billion for the Track 1 projects over the next 25 years. Energy Voice has contacted Eni and the UK government for comment in response to the FT story. HyNet North West Industries set to make use of CO2 storage through HyNet include cement, construction materials, oil refining, recycling and waste management, low carbon hydrogen and waste-to-energy generation. Eni expects to be able to store 10Mtpa of CO2 before the end of the decade. The project backers, including EET Hydrogen and Viridor, estimate HyNet will contribute up to £17bn in economic benefits. Alongside the HyNet and East Coast Cluster, the industry is also progressing the Acorn CCS project in Scotland and the Viking CCS project in the Humber under the Track-2 process. In 2024, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) regulator also finalised its first ever offshore carbon
Petronas Pens 11 Agreements to Advance Malaysia’s OGSE Sector
Malaysia’s Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) has signed 11 Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) to boost the country’s oil and gas services and equipment (OGSE) sector through two initiatives, Yard Transformation and Productivity Enhancement, and Skilled Trade Champion. The MOUs were signed by Petronas’ Malaysia Petroleum Management (MPM). The agreements promote cooperation with industry stakeholders to improve the efficiency of fabrication yards through modernization and to develop a highly skilled local workforce, Petronas said in a media release. “The MOUs reflect PETRONAS’ steadfast commitment to build a robust and sustainable oil and gas sector in Malaysia. The structured implementation, undertaken in close collaboration with homegrown OGSE players, will focus on delivering measurable outcomes to create an environment that is conducive for investment and accelerated growth, aligned with national aspirations”, MPM Senior Vice President Bacho Pilong said. As part of the Yard Transformation and Productivity Enhancement initiative, Petronas said it has signed five MOUs with leading local fabrication yard contractors: Brooke Holding Sdn. Bhd., Ocean Might Sdn. Bhd., Muhibbah Engineering (M) Bhd., Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Bhd., and Sapura Fabrication Sdn. Bhd. Petrona said this initiative is a vital part of Malaysia’s overall plan to rejuvenate the fabrication yard ecosystem. The efforts aimed at transformation emphasize the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies, enhancing workforce skills, and broadening market prospects to increase productivity, it said. Petronas added that under the Skilled Trade Champion initiative, six MOUs were signed with key industry players, including Pan-Malaysia Maintenance, Construction and Modification contractors, Hook-up and Commissioning contractors, and the Malaysia Offshore Support Vessel Owners’ Association. These collaborations focus on enhancing essential offshore trades, including rigging, blasting and painting, scaffolding, welding, joint-making, and seafaring. The initiative also emphasizes the importance of enhancing the skills of Malaysian seafarers to develop a larger pool of qualified officers in offshore
Planning reforms to deliver clean energy projects ‘at least a year faster’
The UK government says clean energy projects and other major infrastructure will be delivered “at least a year faster” on average under accelerated planning reforms. The government said “burdensome” statutory consultation requirements for major projects will be scrapped through amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Reforming the planning system was a key pledge of the Labour party ahead of its election victory last year amid frustration from the energy sector over delays. The reforms will cut down the average two-year statutory pre-consultation period by half, the government said, “paving the way for new roads, railways and windfarms”. Altogether, the government estimates the reforms could save over £1 billion for industry and taxpayers within the current term of parliament. Deputy Prime Minister and housing secretary Angela Rayner said the UK “can’t afford to have projects held up by tiresome requirements and uncertainty”. “We are strengthening the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to make sure we can lead the world again with new roads, railways, and energy infrastructure as part of the Plan for Change, whilst ensuring local people still have a say in our journey to get Britain building,” Rayner said. ‘Significant step forward’ for renewable energy RenewableUK head of policy James Robottom welcomed the government announcement and said the reforms are a “significant step forward for the renewable energy industry”. “The industry has a long track record of engaging early and closely with local communities and a wide range of environmental stakeholders, and this will continue as we want to carry on building projects with local support by giving communities a clear voice in the decision-making process,” he said. Ørsted UK country manager Benj Sykes said the changes will allow developers to “focus on the issues that matter to stakeholders and local communities, and to our developments”.
AI could offset energy demand by cutting industry consumption, says Minister
Power-hungry AI data centres could more than offset their energy demands with the technology being used to drive down consumption across other industries, a science minister has said. Labour frontbencher Lord Vallance of Balham told Parliament the UK stood “a very good chance” of securing a large number of computer processing sites, as critics cast doubt on Britain’s attraction given its high energy costs compared with other countries. The Government has previously set out plans to turn areas of industrial wasteland into “hotbeds” for AI development. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wants to drastically expand use of the technology to help revolutionise struggling public services and turn around Britain’s economy. Measures include the development of “growth zones” around the country to build infrastructure such as data centres and improve access to the power grid. However, concern has been expressed at the amount of energy consumed by the new technology as the Government pursues the emissions goal of net-zero by 2050. It follows the ending of the mainstream political consensus on tackling climate change, amid worries over the cost of the UK’s green transition on household bills. Tory peer Lord Mackinlay of Richborough, director of the Global Warming Policy Foundation think tank, said: “For that diminishing number of people who still believe that diminishing Britain’s 0.8% of global CO2 still further is actually an undertaking worth having, I bring very good news. “And that is the amount of CO2 to be released from UK data centres will be very close to zero. “Because with energy price in the UK some three times higher than the US, double the price of much of mainland Europe – notably Switzerland where this is a developing industry – I very much doubt we will have any or very few energy hungry AI centres.” But Lord
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