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Displaying items by tag: ISAF

#annalisemurphy – An eighth in race four scored yesterday helped Annalise Murphy climb ten places in the overall standings after six races at Miami Olympic classes regatta. The first World Cup event of 2014 has been subject to some pretty fickle conditions so far, not to the liking of the Irish Laser European champion who now counts (48), 35, 42 8, 29 and 26 to be 33rd overall in her 50–boat radial fleet.

The 2012 Olympic Silver Medalist Marit Bouwmeester (NED) made the most of Thursday's early afternoon gusts. She was dominant and won the first two of three races to move into second place behind defending champion Paige Railey (USA). In Race 4, Bouwmeester was in seventh at the first mark and sixth at the second. Nonetheless, the 2011 World Champion came from behind to win again. Race 5 was a duel between Bouwmeester, Railey and Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN). Bouwmeester had a slight lead around the first three marks, until Railey gained the advantage around the final mark. Bouwmeester bested Railey in the sprint to the finish by four seconds. Rindom was third.

The top four boats finished within 14 seconds of each other. Railey still holds an 11 point lead. Claire Merry (CAN) jumped to fourth place with a first place finish in Race 6.

Published in Olympic
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#matchrace – ISAF have released details of two international Grade 'W' match racing events for which Match Racing Ireland are seeking teams. They are the ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship and the ISAF Youth Match Racing World Championship.

Event details:
The ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship
Venue: Royal Cork YC, Ireland
Dates June 3-8, 2014
NoR: http://www.sailing.org/36867.php

ISAF Youth Match Racing World Championship
Venue: Nylandska Jaktklubben, Finland
Dates: July 23-27, 2014
NoR: http://www.sailing.org/36865.php

Representatives of interested teams should contact Ric Morris ([email protected]) with team details as set out in the NoRs before January 29 in order to give our selected teams the best opportunity of success in these competitions.

Published in Match Racing
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#isaf – The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) invites applications to the ISAF Athlete Participation Programme for the 2014 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship.

The ISAF Athlete Participation Programme (APP) was created in 2002 and assists athletes with attending the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship by offering coaching support and financial subsidies towards the entry fee and travel costs. The World Youth Sailing Trust provides a Championship coach. The APP is targeted at sailors from nations in Subscription Categories 1 and 2.

Priority will be given for new countries and for countries that have not participated in the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship during the last two years.

Thanks to APP funding, sailors from the Cook Islands, Cuba, El Salvador, Serbia, Botswana and Paraguay have been able to compete at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship.

The 2014 ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship will take place in Tavira, Portugal from 12-19 July 2014.

The ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship is open to competitors aged under 19 in the year of the championship (i.e. for Ireland, under 19 on 31 December 2014) in the events and equipment listed below (all supplied), the Youth Worlds occupies a unique place in the sailing calendar. Simply getting to the championship is a major achievement for most as entry is limited to one boat per nation, per event, meaning sailors first having to win through their national qualification series.

Event - Equipment
Boy's One Person Dinghy - Laser Radial
Girl's One Person Dinghy - Laser Radial
Boy's Two Person Dinghy - 420
Girl's Two Person Dinghy - 420
Boy's Windsurfer - RS:X with 8.5m2 sail
Girl's Windsurfer - RS:X with 8.5m2 sail
Open Multihull - Sirena SL16
Open Skiff - 29er

www.isafyouthworlds.com

Published in World Sailing
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#rio – Five Medal Races wrapped up the action at ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne with two nations dominating proceedings, Ireland was not represented.

Australia dominated the multihull and skiff fleets whilst China locked out the opposition to take all six podium places in the RS:X.

A strong northerly breeze met athletes at Sandringham Yacht Club for the final day of ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne. With gusts over 20 knots there were thrills and spills aplenty on the Stadium course as fans gathered on the Yacht Club balcony to enjoy the spectacle.

Top three by class:

2.4 Metre
1. Paul Francis, NZL
2. Michael Leydon, AUS
3. Matthew Bugg, AUS

470 Men
1.Mathew Belcher / William Ryan
2. Sime Fantela / Igor Marenic, CRO
3. Angus Galloway / Tim Hannah, AUS

470 Women
1. Shasha Chen / Yang Gao, CHN
2. Sasha Ryan / Jaime Ryan, AUS
3. Nan Zhang / Xiao Lv, CHN

49er
1. Nathan Outteridge / Iain Jensen, AUS
2. David Gilmour / Sam Phillips, AUS
3. William Phillips / Rhys Mara, AUS

49erFX
1.Olivia Price / Eliza Solly, AUS
2. Haylee Outteridge / Ella Clark, AUS
3. Ragna Agerup / Maia Agerup, NOR

Finn
1. Bjorn Allansson, SWE
2. Oliver Tweddell, AUS
3. Jake Lilley, AUS

Kiteboarding Men
1. Florian Gruber, GER
2. Riccardo Andrea Leccese, ITA
3. Alejandro Climent Hernandez, ESP

Kiteboarding Women
1. Nuria Goma, ESP
2. Lisa Hickman, AUS
3. Natalie Clarke, AUS

Laser
1. Tom Burton, AUS
2. Thomas Saunders, NZL
3. Matthew Wearn, AUS

Laser Radial
1. Tatiana Drozdovskaya, BLR
2. Dongshuang Zhang, CHN
3. Krystal Weir, AUS

Nacra 17
1.Darren Bundock / Nina Curtis, AUS
2.Euan McNicol / Lucinda Whitty, AUS
3.Jason Waterhouse / Lisa Darmanin, AUS

RS:X Men
1.Chuankun Shi, CHN
2. Chunzhuang Liu, CHN
3. Zhennan Fang, CHN

RS:X Women
1.Manjia Zheng, CHN
2. Qiaoshan Weng, CHN
3. Peina Chen, CHN

SKUD 18
1. Jovin Tan / Desiree Lim, SIN
2. Duncan MacGregor / Liesl Tesch, AUS
3. Amethyst Barnbrook / Brett Pearce

Published in Olympic

#icra – Of all the items on Saturday's ICRA cruiser conference agenda the 'liveliest' issue debated was how ISAF sailing categories are to be policed at future ICRA cruiser national championships.

A gathering of 110 downstairs in the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire found fertile ground for debate and there were many opinions and suggestions on how the difference between 'professional' and 'amateur' sailors should be treated. There was little in the way of consenus, however, about whether professionals should be restricted from competing at the National Championships.

Currently, two professional sailors are permitted in class zero, one in class one and none below that.

After a good solid debate, ICRA Chair Nobby Reilly deferred the matter and asked for any further contributions by email.

The ISAF Sailor Classification system provide events and classes with an international system of classification for sailors to provide a clear distinction between 'professional' and 'amateur' sailors.  At last year's ICRA Nationals professional sailors were limited but how the rule was policed in Fenit left many asking questions. 

Reilly's deferral however didn't stop the chat on the contentious topic. The après conference in the bar – where one insider says the real talking on the matter was done – focussed on a resolution of the issue. The ICRA Notice of Race for the 2014 championships is now published and ICRA is expecting sailors to respect the rule. 'The intention is for it to be self policing because ICRA has not got the resources to handle the administrative burden the ISAF system brings', one ICRA source told Afloat.ie

The ISAF Sailor Classification Code defines how sailors are classified but it is the responsibility of sailors to apply for a classification and provide all information necessary to determine his or her classification.

The hope now is that debate on the issue has raised awareness.

Published in ICRA
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#IFDS - The International Association for Disabled Sailing (IFDS) has agreed to a merger with the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) that will secure the future of competitive sailing for athletes with disabilities.

The ISAF's official website explains that the merger, to be completed in 12 months' time, will create a single governing body for member national authorities and sailors alike "to better serve the needs and interests of sailors with disabilities".

IFDS president and former Irish Paralympian John Twomey said he was "delighted" at the agreement and said he and his team "look forward to implementing" the new alliance, which would provide for consistent regulations across all sailing classes, both able bodied and differently abled.

The functions of the current IFDS leadership will be replaced by a new IFDS Committee within the ISAF Annual Conference schedule, and the IFDS chair will hold a full voting seat on the ISAF Council.

In addition, the IFDS will retain responsibility for the Paralympic Sailing Competition, including event and equipment selection as well as the IFDS World Championships - staged this summer in Kinsale.

The merger news comes just four months after Twomey warned of the potential bankruptcy of the IFDS, arising from the substantial legal costs incurred in an action over the results of the Sonar class at the 2012 Paralympics.

Published in World Sailing
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#internationaljudge – Gordon Davies is the newest addition to Ireland's line up of international sailing officials. The Bray Sailing Club member was appointed an International Judge (IJ) at this week's ISAF conference in Oman bringing the number of Irish World Sailing officials to 15.

Reappointed in Oman were Coleraine's Bill O'Hara (Judge), David Lovegrove (Race Officer), Con Murphy (Race Officer) bringing Ireland's total number to 8 IROs, 5 IJ and 2 IUs

With the Davies appointment there is now an IJ based on the east coast alongside the three Dublin based International Race Officers - David Lovergrove, London 2012's Jack Roy and Con Murphy.

As well as on the water duties, the local role of an IJ is often to assist event organisers in recruiting a jury (hopefully at low cost = reduced entry fees)

ISAF race officials have an obligation to train competitors and local race officials which in Davies case has involved rules training and mentoring up and coming judges and umpires.

Interestingly, in 2014 ISAF judges will have to sit a test for renewal. The first generation of IJs never passed a test, and some have difficulty with English so it is anticipated that there will be many judges dropping out of system in 2014.

The full list of Ireland's ISAF officials is below:

Crosbie Alan IRL 2002 International Race Officer
Crowley Peter IRL 2002 International Race Officer
Hutchieson Ronald IRL 1982 International Judge
Lovegrove David IRL 2005 International Race Officer
Murphy Con IRL 2009 International Race Officer
O'Connor Michael IRL 2007 International Umpire
O'Connor Michael IRL 2007 International Judge
O'Gorman Tony IRL 1997 International Race Officer
O'Gorman Tony IRL 1997 International Judge
O'Hara Bill IRL 2010 International Race Officer
O'Hara Bill IRL 2001 International Judge
O'Hara Bill IRL 2006 International Umpire
Roy Jack IRL 1998 International Race Officer
Wilkinson Jamie IRL 2007 International Race Officer

 

 

Published in World Sailing
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ISAF has announced the winners of the 2013 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards are (Male) Mathew Belcher (AUS) (Female) Jo Aleh & Polly Powrie (NZL)

Having being nominated twice before in 2010 and 2012, it proved to be third time lucky for Mathew Belcher, the Australian Olympic and World champion in the 470 dinghy class, whose current winning streak stretches to an amazing 17 consecutive regattas.

"It's a complete honour," said Belcher during the awards ceremony held in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. "It's great recognition for this year and the efforts we've put in and the results we've achieved. I am very fortunate to have great support, from my coach Victor Kovalenko, crew and support staff."

470 sailors were also rewarded in the female category of the Awards. The New Zealand pairing of Jo Aleh and Olivia 'Polly' Powrie are the current women's Olympic and World champions in the Class.

"I'm a little bit shocked," said Aleh. "There were some amazing nominees this year and we are delighted to be part of this. We feel honoured to be part of the group." "We haven't done this alone and we had some wonderful people behind us who have been truly supportive," added Powrie.

A full report will be issued tomorrow, Wednesday 13 November 2013.

ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards
The winners of the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards were decided by vote by the Member National Authorities (MNAs) of ISAF following a worldwide selection process that began with an open invitation for nominations. Two awards, one for a female sailor/crew and one for a male sailor/crew, were presented to the individuals who are deemed to have most distinguished themselves during the qualifying period from 1 September 2012 to 31 August 2013.

Past recipients of the Awards – which were launched in 1994 – have been drawn from the diverse disciplines of the sport: Olympic dinghy and keelboats, single-handed ocean racing, transatlantic record breaking, match-racing, America's Cup and windsurfing are all represented. In addition to the magnificent ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Trophy, each winner is presented with a Rolex timepiece.

The full list of nominees for the coveted and prestigious 2013 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards were:

Male
Mathew Belcher (AUS) – Men's 470 World & Olympic Champion
François Gabart (FRA) – IMOCA World Champion & 2012-13 Vendée Globe Winner
Johnny Heineken (USA) – Kiteboarding World #1 & 2012 Men's Course Racing World Champion
Paul Larsen (AUS) – Vestas Sailrocket 2 Outright Speed Record
Ian Williams (GBR) – Match Racing 2012 Match Racing World Champion
World #1 Open Match Racer for 16 consecutive releases starting in January 2012

Female
Jo Aleh & Olivia Powrie (NZL) – Women's 470 World & Olympic Champions
Deneen Demourkas (USA) – Farr 30 2013 World Champion – third consecutive title
Erika Heineken (USA) – Kiteboarding 2012 Course Racing World Champion
Raiya Al Habsi (OMA) – First Omani Woman To Sail in the Rolex Fastnet Race

Published in World Sailing
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#annalisemurphy – Ireland's Laser European champion Annalise Murphy is 12th in the latest world sailing rankings released tonight. Following a Laser Radial invasion in China with two 200-point regattas, the rankings have seen shifts throughout.

Moving to World #1 for the first time is France's Mathilde de Kerangat. Bronze at ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao, 11th at the Laser Radial World Championship mixed with good results over the last 12 months has seen her rise steadily.

Rizhao City hosted the Laser Radial World Championship in advance of ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao with movement prevalent from top to bottom.

ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao victor Dongshuang Zhang (CHN) is one of the biggest climbers going from World #60 to World #17.

2013 Laser Radial World Champion Tina Mihelic (CRO) moves up seven places to World #16.

Tatiana Drozdovskaya (BLR) drops down from World #1 to World #3 as Tuula Tenkanen (FIN) hits World #2.

For the new ISAF rankings list click here

Published in Annalise Murphy
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#Kitesurfing - Kitesurfing would add an 'urban sport' feel to the Olympic programme and should be reconsidered for inclusion in future Olympic Games.

That's the message according to the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) in the minutes of its recent Executive Committee meeting in Paris (available as a PDF to read or download HERE).

In his report on recent activities, ISAF president Carlo Croce related that a "constructive meeting" had taken place with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with a view to the possibility of adding kitesurfing to the list of Olympic sports in future.

On a similar note, a decision was taken to send a letter to the organisers of the Mediterranean Games asking them to consider hosting kitesurfing at their next event in Spain in 2017.

The ISAF's interest in kitesurfing is no surprise, given last year's move to include the new sport at the Rio Games in 2016 at the expense of windsurfing, only for the decision to be reversed at the federation's AGM in Dun Laoghaire last November amid accusations over the new sport's allegedly 'dangerous' reputation.

That was something of a bitter blow at the time to Claudine Murphy - sister of Olympic hero Annalise - who had been campaigning in the new class.

However, she has since teamed with Andrea Brewster to challenge for a spot in the 49er FX skiff class - and hopefully make it a sister act with her younger Laser-racing sibling in Brazil less than three years from now.

Published in Kitesurfing
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Page 8 of 16

Ireland's Offshore Renewable Energy

Because of Ireland's location at the Atlantic edge of the EU, it has more offshore energy potential than most other countries in Europe. The conditions are suitable for the development of the full range of current offshore renewable energy technologies.

Offshore Renewable Energy FAQs

Offshore renewable energy draws on the natural energy provided by wind, wave and tide to convert it into electricity for industry and domestic consumption.

Offshore wind is the most advanced technology, using fixed wind turbines in coastal areas, while floating wind is a developing technology more suited to deeper water. In 2018, offshore wind provided a tiny fraction of global electricity supply, but it is set to expand strongly in the coming decades into a USD 1 trillion business, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). It says that turbines are growing in size and in power capacity, which in turn is "delivering major performance and cost improvements for offshore wind farms".

The global offshore wind market grew nearly 30% per year between 2010 and 2018, according to the IEA, due to rapid technology improvements, It calculated that about 150 new offshore wind projects are in active development around the world. Europe in particular has fostered the technology's development, led by Britain, Germany and Denmark, but China added more capacity than any other country in 2018.

A report for the Irish Wind Energy Assocation (IWEA) by the Carbon Trust – a British government-backed limited company established to accelerate Britain's move to a low carbon economy - says there are currently 14 fixed-bottom wind energy projects, four floating wind projects and one project that has yet to choose a technology at some stage of development in Irish waters. Some of these projects are aiming to build before 2030 to contribute to the 5GW target set by the Irish government, and others are expected to build after 2030. These projects have to secure planning permission, obtain a grid connection and also be successful in a competitive auction in the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS).

The electricity generated by each turbine is collected by an offshore electricity substation located within the wind farm. Seabed cables connect the offshore substation to an onshore substation on the coast. These cables transport the electricity to land from where it will be used to power homes, farms and businesses around Ireland. The offshore developer works with EirGrid, which operates the national grid, to identify how best to do this and where exactly on the grid the project should connect.

The new Marine Planning and Development Management Bill will create a new streamlined system for planning permission for activity or infrastructure in Irish waters or on the seabed, including offshore wind farms. It is due to be published before the end of 2020 and enacted in 2021.

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE.

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE. Is there scope for community involvement in offshore wind? The IWEA says that from the early stages of a project, the wind farm developer "should be engaging with the local community to inform them about the project, answer their questions and listen to their concerns". It says this provides the community with "the opportunity to work with the developer to help shape the final layout and design of the project". Listening to fishing industry concerns, and how fishermen may be affected by survey works, construction and eventual operation of a project is "of particular concern to developers", the IWEA says. It says there will also be a community benefit fund put in place for each project. It says the final details of this will be addressed in the design of the RESS (see below) for offshore wind but it has the potential to be "tens of millions of euro over the 15 years of the RESS contract". The Government is also considering the possibility that communities will be enabled to invest in offshore wind farms though there is "no clarity yet on how this would work", the IWEA says.

Based on current plans, it would amount to around 12 GW of offshore wind energy. However, the IWEA points out that is unlikely that all of the projects planned will be completed. The industry says there is even more significant potential for floating offshore wind off Ireland's west coast and the Programme for Government contains a commitment to develop a long-term plan for at least 30 GW of floating offshore wind in our deeper waters.

There are many different models of turbines. The larger a turbine, the more efficient it is in producing electricity at a good price. In choosing a turbine model the developer will be conscious of this ,but also has to be aware the impact of the turbine on the environment, marine life, biodiversity and visual impact. As a broad rule an offshore wind turbine will have a tip-height of between 165m and 215m tall. However, turbine technology is evolving at a rapid rate with larger more efficient turbines anticipated on the market in the coming years.

 

The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme is designed to support the development of renewable energy projects in Ireland. Under the scheme wind farms and solar farms compete against each other in an auction with the projects which offer power at the lowest price awarded contracts. These contracts provide them with a guaranteed price for their power for 15 years. If they obtain a better price for their electricity on the wholesale market they must return the difference to the consumer.

Yes. The first auction for offshore renewable energy projects is expected to take place in late 2021.

Cost is one difference, and technology is another. Floating wind farm technology is relatively new, but allows use of deeper water. Ireland's 50-metre contour line is the limit for traditional bottom-fixed wind farms, and it is also very close to population centres, which makes visibility of large turbines an issue - hence the attraction of floating structures Do offshore wind farms pose a navigational hazard to shipping? Inshore fishermen do have valid concerns. One of the first steps in identifying a site as a potential location for an offshore wind farm is to identify and assess the level of existing marine activity in the area and this particularly includes shipping. The National Marine Planning Framework aims to create, for the first time, a plan to balance the various kinds of offshore activity with the protection of the Irish marine environment. This is expected to be published before the end of 2020, and will set out clearly where is suitable for offshore renewable energy development and where it is not - due, for example, to shipping movements and safe navigation.

YEnvironmental organisations are concerned about the impact of turbines on bird populations, particularly migrating birds. A Danish scientific study published in 2019 found evidence that larger birds were tending to avoid turbine blades, but said it didn't have sufficient evidence for smaller birds – and cautioned that the cumulative effect of farms could still have an impact on bird movements. A full environmental impact assessment has to be carried out before a developer can apply for planning permission to develop an offshore wind farm. This would include desk-based studies as well as extensive surveys of the population and movements of birds and marine mammals, as well as fish and seabed habitats. If a potential environmental impact is identified the developer must, as part of the planning application, show how the project will be designed in such a way as to avoid the impact or to mitigate against it.

A typical 500 MW offshore wind farm would require an operations and maintenance base which would be on the nearby coast. Such a project would generally create between 80-100 fulltime jobs, according to the IWEA. There would also be a substantial increase to in-direct employment and associated socio-economic benefit to the surrounding area where the operation and maintenance hub is located.

The recent Carbon Trust report for the IWEA, entitled Harnessing our potential, identified significant skills shortages for offshore wind in Ireland across the areas of engineering financial services and logistics. The IWEA says that as Ireland is a relatively new entrant to the offshore wind market, there are "opportunities to develop and implement strategies to address the skills shortages for delivering offshore wind and for Ireland to be a net exporter of human capital and skills to the highly competitive global offshore wind supply chain". Offshore wind requires a diverse workforce with jobs in both transferable (for example from the oil and gas sector) and specialist disciplines across apprenticeships and higher education. IWEA have a training network called the Green Tech Skillnet that facilitates training and networking opportunities in the renewable energy sector.

It is expected that developing the 3.5 GW of offshore wind energy identified in the Government's Climate Action Plan would create around 2,500 jobs in construction and development and around 700 permanent operations and maintenance jobs. The Programme for Government published in 2020 has an enhanced target of 5 GW of offshore wind which would create even more employment. The industry says that in the initial stages, the development of offshore wind energy would create employment in conducting environmental surveys, community engagement and development applications for planning. As a site moves to construction, people with backgrounds in various types of engineering, marine construction and marine transport would be recruited. Once the site is up and running , a project requires a team of turbine technicians, engineers and administrators to ensure the wind farm is fully and properly maintained, as well as crew for the crew transfer vessels transporting workers from shore to the turbines.

The IEA says that today's offshore wind market "doesn't even come close to tapping the full potential – with high-quality resources available in most major markets". It estimates that offshore wind has the potential to generate more than 420 000 Terawatt hours per year (TWh/yr) worldwide – as in more than 18 times the current global electricity demand. One Terawatt is 114 megawatts, and to put it in context, Scotland it has a population a little over 5 million and requires 25 TWh/yr of electrical energy.

Not as advanced as wind, with anchoring a big challenge – given that the most effective wave energy has to be in the most energetic locations, such as the Irish west coast. Britain, Ireland and Portugal are regarded as most advanced in developing wave energy technology. The prize is significant, the industry says, as there are forecasts that varying between 4000TWh/yr to 29500TWh/yr. Europe consumes around 3000TWh/year.

The industry has two main umbrella organisations – the Irish Wind Energy Association, which represents both onshore and offshore wind, and the Marine Renewables Industry Association, which focuses on all types of renewable in the marine environment.

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