Offshore Turbine Toilets, BlackRock’s $38B Acquisition

OEG celebrates 500 offshore turbine toilet installations while
BlackRock acquires AES for $38 billion, signaling continued
investment despite global wind auction slowdowns and European wind
droughts. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update
on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored
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show? Email us! Welcome to Uptime News. Flash Industry News
Lightning fast. Your host, Allen Hall, shares the renewable
industry news you may have missed. Allen Hall 2025: There's
good news today from the wind energy sector, and it starts of all
places with toilets. OEG and Aberdeen Headquartered company just
reached a milestone. They've installed their 500th in turbine
welfare unit across the UK's offshore wind sector. If you've ever
worked on an offshore wind turbine, you know why this matters.
These aren't just convenience facilities. Their dignity and their
safety. The other difference between a dangerous transfer to a
standby vessel and staying on the job. The units operate in the
harshest offshore conditions with no external power or water. Nine
offshore wind farms now have these facilities and they're making
offshore work accessible for [00:01:00] women helping
retain a more diverse workforce. And while OEG celebrates 500
installations, something much larger is happening in the American
Midwest. Gulf Pacific Power. Just completed a major transaction
with NL Green Power North America. Gulf Pacific acquired all of E
L's interest in five operating wind facilities, totaling over 800
megawatts of capacity. The portfolio includes Prairie Rose in
Minnesota, Goodwill and Origin, and Rocky Ridge in Oklahoma, and a
facility in North Dakota. Projects with long-term power purchase
agreements and high credit counterparties. And then there's
BlackRock. The world's largest asset manager is placing a $38
billion bet on American clean energy. They're close to acquiring
power Giant a ES, which have give BlackRock ownership of nearly
eight gigawatts of wind power capacity. A [00:02:00] ES
leads in sign deals with data center customers with artificial
intelligence driving unprecedented electricity demand. That
positioning matters. The weather numbers tell their own story about
wind's challenging year. Most of Europe recorded wind speeds four
to 8% below normal in the first half of this year. The wind drought
curtailed generation in Germany, Spain, France, and the United
Kingdom. But the Northeastern United States saw winds seven to 10%
above average in parts of Norway, Sweden, and Northern China also
benefited. And in storm, Amy, which is passing through the uk, it
drove wholesale electricity prices negative for 17 hours. 20
gigawatts of wind power flooded the grid and the grid paid users to
consume electricity. Too much wind, not enough demand. The offshore
wind industry faces real headwinds. Global awards fell more than
70% in the first nine months of this year. Of about 20 gigawatts of
expected auctions, [00:03:00] only 2.2 gigawatts have
been awarded. Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark are preparing
new frameworks to restore investor confidence and Japan designated
two promising offshore zones, but confidence there is still shaken
when Mitsubishi pulled out of its first auction due to some sorry
costs. So here's what we have. An Aberdeen company celebrating 500
toilet installations that transform working conditions. A
Midwestern power company expanding its wind portfolio by 800
megawatts and the world's largest asset manager, betting $38
billion on American energy infrastructure. All while offshore
auctions stall globally, all while Europe experiences a wind
drought and the UK experiences at times too much wind. The sector
faces challenges US federal opposition, variable weather, and
market slowdowns, but the fundamentals haven't changed. Data
centers. Need power and [00:04:00]someone has to generate
those megawatts and companies are still buying wind farms. Asset
managers, are still making billion dollar bets, and engineers are
still improving infrastructure. One toilet at a time. When a
company celebrates its 500th toilet installation, it's about
commitment to an industry they believe has a future. When investors
acquire 800 megawatts of operating capacity, they're betting on
tomorrow. And when the world's largest asset manager places a $38
billion bet. They're looking past the turbulence to see the demand.
500 reasons to believe each one installed in a turbine tower. Each
one making life better for workers in harsh conditions. Each. One.
A sign that this industry isn't going anywhere.