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TOP BUSINESS PARKS
Places and Practices That Inspire
The International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP), whose 350 members host around 115,000 companies in 81 countries, in September announced at the organization’s conference in Beijing the three winners of its Inspiring Solutions awards.
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Two years before its lease was paused a week ago, the $1.5 billion Revolution Wind project received final federal permitting review approval from the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council. The project was slated to bring 704 MW of clean energy to Connecticut and Rhode Island, generating enough energy to power more than 250,000 homes.
Photo courtesy of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council
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One month after the U.S. Department of the Interior directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to “take the necessary steps, in accordance with federal law, to terminate the restrictive Biden 2024–2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program and replace it with a new, expansive 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program by October 2026,” the DOI on December 22 announced it was immediately pausing the leases “for all large-scale offshore wind projects under construction in the United States due to national security risks identified by the Department of War in recently completed classified reports.” The following leases are paused:
1. Vineyard Wind 1 (OCS-A 0501)
2. Revolution Wind (OCS-A 0486)
3. CVOW – Commercial (OCS-A 0483)
4. Sunrise Wind (OCS-A 0487)
5. Empire Wind 1 (OCS-A 0512)
Among the security risks, says the DOI, is a finding that “the movement of massive turbine blades and the highly reflective towers create radar interference called ‘clutter’ ” that “obscures legitimate moving targets and generates false targets in the vicinity of the wind projects.”
Ørsted’s subsidiary Revolution Wind, a 50/50 joint venture with Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables, has been constructing the Revolution Wind project, which in September secured a preliminary injunction from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to resume work following a federal government stop-work order. CVOW has been served by a dedicated marine terminal covered by Site Selection in 2022. Empire Wind’s project was among those hanging in limbo earlier this year when Alexis Elmore reported on offshore wind for the July issue of Site Selection, including a look at how European projects continue to surge forward. It remains to be seen what the paused leases mean for U.S. supply chain sites such as the New Jersey Wind Port, first chronicled in Site Selection in July 2022. — Adam Bruns
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The UAE has unveiled a $1 billion Yemen energy rebuild.
Photo courtesy of AETOSWire
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The United Arab Emirates recently announced a $1 billion package to help rebuild Yemen’s electricity sector, a move that analysts in Europe say could open new avenues for European renewable-energy firms seeking entry points into high-impact stabilisation projects across the Middle East.
According to the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the decision was disclosed during the UAE’s participation in the first Yemen National Energy Conference (YFNEC 2025) recently. UAE’s Ambassador to Yemen Mohamed Hamad Al Zaabi reaffirmed the country’s commitment to advancing sustainable energy in Yemen, addressing longstanding grid challenges and strengthening public–private partnerships to stimulate future investment.
“The country’s renewed intervention arrives as Europe accelerates its engagement with Gulf partners on energy security, climate resilience and regional stabilization,” said a release from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Brussels has repeatedly stressed that restoring essential services in conflict-affected regions is central to reducing forced displacement, protecting Red Sea shipping routes and supporting long-term peacebuilding efforts. Yemen — situated at the southern mouth of the Red Sea — remains a critical part of that equation.”
The UAE’s allocation includes plans to build solar, wind and conventional power plants, part of a wider effort to restore reliable power in a country where many areas receive fewer than four hours of electricity per day. The program will be executed by Abu Dhabi-based Global South Utilities, which recently inaugurated a 53-MW solar project in Shabwah and is doubling capacity at an Aden solar PV plant.
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Photo courtesy of Justin Starner
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A hike on New Year’s Day is always a great way to begin a new calendar year. Justin Starner, son of Site Selection Executive Vice President Ron Starner, made this photo in mid-December after hiking the 4.5-mile Pine Mountain Trail to the mountain’s summit in Cartersville, Georgia, with his brother Michael. The trail is not to be confused with the other Pine Mountain Trail in Georgia, a 23-mile system of trails and loops found in the western part of the state at F.D.R. State Park, near Callaway Resort & Gardens.
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