DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Israel, Lebanon finalise maritime demarcation deal without mutual recognition
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Israeli and Lebanese leaders finalised a U.S-brokered maritime demarcation on Thursday, bringing a measure of accommodation between the enemy states as they eye offshore energy exploration. Leaders from Lebanon, Israel and the United States have all hailed the deal as "historic" but the possibility of a wider diplomatic breakthrough remains slim. Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed separately in Jerusalem, saying the deal was a "tremendous achievement" that had produced Lebanon's de facto recognition of Israel. But Aoun later said the deal was purely "technical" and would have "no political dimensions or impacts that contradict Lebanon's foreign policy". Lower-level delegations from each country headed to the United Nations' peacekeeping base at Naqoura along their contested land border, which has yet to be delineated.

☆ The US is home to only 7 offshore wind turbines. But one startup is betting on autonomous underwater vehicles to map the seafloor up to 10 times as fast as current methods.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Lily Katzman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Bedrock's seafloor-mapping technologies have the potential to spur offshore wind developments. In spring 2021, the Biden administration set a lofty goal of producing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. Baldwin said Ørsted had a dedicated team of more than 100 people to interpret marine data for the company's offshore wind developments. Bedrock's goal is to make the seafloor process up to 10 times as fast as current methods, DiMare told Emerging Tech Brew. "I'm hoping that we get that seafloor map so that we can make wise decisions about where to put our resilience infrastructure, our wind farms," she said.

☆ Israeli court gives Lebanon maritime deal a green light
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Israel's Supreme Court on Sunday rejected petitions that would have held up a landmark U.S.-brokered deal setting a maritime border with Lebanon. The court's decision eliminates one of the last hurdles in Israel that could disrupt the deal. There has been some opposition in Israel to how the government has handled the deal. Prime Minister Yair Lapid said his government's approval was sufficient, while his opposition says it must be ratified by parliament, especially during an election run-up. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Emily Rose; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. envoy in Lebanon next week with maritime deal to sign
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIRUT, Oct 19 (Reuters) - U.S. energy envoy Amos Hochstein will be in Beirut next week carrying a copy of the maritime agreement with Israel for Lebanese officials to sign, Lebanese negotiator Elias Bou Saab told Reuters on Wednesday. "Hochstein will be in Beirut next week with the agreement that we will sign," Bou Saab said. A traditional signing protocol with leaders from both countries present is unlikely given that Israel and Lebanon remain technically in a state of war. U.S. envoy Hochstein told a webinar hosted by the Middle East Institute on Tuesday he would be travelling to the region next week but did not give dates or destinations. "The President of Lebanon and Prime Minister of Israel will decide on the signing.

"The Hezbollah leadership scrutinized the understanding line by line before agreeing to it," said one of the sources familiar with the group's thinking. Two Hezbollah lawmakers told Reuters the group was open to the idea of a deal as a pathway to alleviate some of Lebanon’s economic woes. At one point, Hezbollah conveyed its frustration at the slow pace of the talks to Hochstein via Ibrahim, the Western source said. A U.S. official told Reuters Hezbollah had nearly "killed the deal with their provocative rhetoric and actions threatening war". "Once the pipes are in the water, war becomes a long way away," said a source familiar with Hezbollah's thinking.

read moreIt will take effect once Lebanon and Israel send letters to Washington, which will issue a notice announcing the deal is in place. Parties to the deal would seek to resolve any further maritime differences through the United States, securing an ongoing guarantor role for Washington. A centrist, Lapid's caretaker government wants the deal done soon but has denied that the country's election is the deadline. TotalEnergies is set to begin exploration at the Qana prospect immediately after the deal takes effect, though Lebanon's energy minister said preparations would take a number of months. Seeking to play down future Lebanese profits, Israeli Energy Minister Karine Elharrar told Tel Aviv's 103 FM radio initial estimates put that prospect's total value at some $3 billion.

A view shows the border wall between Lebanon and Israel as pictured from Kfar Kila village, southern Lebanon, October 11, 2022. The agreement is meant to resolve a territorial dispute in the eastern Mediterranean sea in an area where Lebanon aims to explore for natural gas. It was also endorsed by the heavily armed, Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, which until recently has threatened to attack Israeli gas facilities, according to two officials. While Israel has moved ahead with production and export of natural gas, Lebanon's efforts have been hamstrung by political dysfunction. An Israeli official said final approval was expected within the next three weeks.

☆ Unidentified drones were spotted near offshore installations days before Nord Stream attack, according to letter from Norwegian energy security agency
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-30 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

There's been an uptick in unidentified drones near Norwegian offshore energy facilities in September. Leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines this week have largely been blamed on sabotage. Nord Stream 1 and 2 each consist of two pipelines carrying natural gas from Russia to Europe. Germany canceled plans to put Nord Stream 2 into operation after Russia moved forces into Ukraine in February. And in early September, Russian state-controlled gas giant Gazprom turned off Nord Stream 1's gas supply to Europe.

☆ U.N. secretary general says ‘polluters must pay,’ calls for extra tax on fossil fuel profits
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The U.N. secretary general said Tuesday that developed economies should impose an extra tax on the profits of fossil fuel firms, with the funds diverted to countries affected by climate change and households struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. But it’s high time to put fossil fuel producers, investors and enablers on notice.”“Polluters must pay. Back in May, for example, the U.K.’s former finance minister, Rishi Sunak, announced details of what he called a “temporary, targeted energy profits levy” on oil and gas firms. And therefore, our proposal also includes the fossil fuel electricity producers, who have to give a crisis contribution.”Overall, von der Leyen said the proposal would raise over 140 billion euros, or around $140.1 billion. “And transition means transition — it means it takes some time.”“The idea that we can turn off the taps and end fossil fuels tomorrow, it’s obviously ridiculous and naive,” Winters said.

☆ UN secretary general says 'polluters must pay,' calls for extra tax on fossil fuel profits
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

On Tuesday, he said fossil fuel firms and their "enablers" needed to be held to account. Fossil fuel firms and their "enablers" needed to be held to account, he went on to state. It also included what he called "the massive public relations machine raking in billions to shield the fossil fuel industry from scrutiny." But it's high time to put fossil fuel producers, investors and enablers on notice." And today, I am calling on all developed economies to tax the windfall profits of fossil fuel companies."

Search resuls for: "Offshore Energy"

10 mentions found