Sepp Blatter Eviscerates Gianni Infantino Over Trump, Ronaldo And Saudi Arabia
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Daily Telegraph.
This is the first paragraph.
Sepp Blatter can no longer bring himself to say Gianni Infantino’s name. Instead, the Swiss administrator – who ran Fifa from 1998 to 2015 until he left amid an enormous corruption scandal – refers to Infantino only as “my successor” and “the leader” as he takes his adversary to task ahead of Friday’s World Cup draw.
The article is worth a full read and the video is worth watching.
I’m Watching The World Cup Draw With A Sick Bucket
Here’s the bucket, which is an ideal accompaniment to when Trump appears on television.
Note.
- I have seen a number of American presidents and Trump isn’t even worth rating.
- As Putin and Mohammed bin Salman’s friend and apologist he certainly doesn’t deserve any form of Peace Prize.
- And who was the strumpet in the lizard costume?
- I thought Robbie Williams had more sense than to provide entertainment.
- Who’s this black guy in a red hat?
- Rio Ferdinand seems to be doing a good job.
But then everybody has a realistic price.
I actually suspect, I won’t watch much of the World Cup, as I can find better things too do. I certainly won’t watch any matches, where Trump is present.
Lower Thames Crossing Tunnelling ‘To Begin In 2028’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The tunnelling process for the Lower Thames Crossing is due to begin in 2028.
These three paragraphs add more detail to the story.
National Highways said negotiations to buy one of the world’s largest tunnelling machines were now under way.
It would be capable of digging 60 metres below the Thames, creating a new road link between Essex and Kent, and now enables the project to secure private sector investment to deliver the remainder of the construction.
Next summer, work on the northern tunnel entrance where the tunnel machine will begin its journey will get under way.
Hopefully, it’ll all be complete by the early 2030s.
The Elephant In The Garden Of England
This section shows the proposed route of the Lower Thames Crossing.
It as an extract of a previous post called Elizabeth Line To Ebbsfleet Extension Could Cost £3.2 Billion.
It is proposed that the new Lower Thames Crossing is built to the East of Gravesend.
This map from the Department of Transport, shows the route.
Note.
- The new crossing, which is shown in red, bypasses the Dartford Crossing on the M25.
- The A226 runs between Gravesend and Higham via a junction with the new crossing at Chalk.
- Northfleet is to the West of Gravesend.
This Google Map shows the area between Chalk and Higham.
WSMR Resubmits Formal Application To The ORR
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway.
These three paragraphs give full details of the application.
Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway is committed to delivering the connectivity that communities across Wales and England need and deserve. Our resubmitted application reflects stakeholder feedback and demonstrates how we’ve listened to MPs and regional partners who urged us to reapply.
This application differs from our previous submission, which includes us requesting fewer train paths and offering an additional stop at Wellington, enhancing connectivity for people in Shropshire. Furthermore, by making better use of available capacity – including paths that have been released and remain unused – we aim to strengthen regional links and support economic growth.
WSMR’s new open access service will provide faster, more convenient travel options for passengers in Wrexham, Shrewsbury, Wellington, Telford, Walsall and beyond, improving access to jobs, education and leisure opportunities. We remain committed to introducing this service for the regions we serve and delivering benefits for communities along the route.
Note.
£100m ‘Global Players’ Wind Farm Deal To Create 300 Jobs
The title of this post, is the same as this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A £100m deal which will create about 300 jobs has been agreed between the developers of two Irish Sea offshore wind farms and Belfast Harbour.
These three paragraphs add more detail.
The joint developers of the Mona and Morgan offshore wind farms will lease Belfast Harbour’s D1 terminal for the assembly and preparation of wind turbine components.
Work is being carried out to get the site ready for use from 2028.
Joe O’Neill, chief executive of Belfast Harbour, described it as a “huge deal”, not just for the harbour but for Belfast and the wider region.
Joe O’Neill seems happy with the deal, if you read the full BBC article.
This Google Map shows Belfast Harbour with the D1 Terminal in the centre.
Note.
- The red arrow indicates the D1 Terminal.
- It appears to be within walking distance of Belfast City Airport.
- The harbour is not that far from the city centre.
I would expect, this could be an ideal harbour to prepare wind turbines for erection.
But Where Will The Cruise Ships Dock In Belfast, If The D1 Terminal Is Being Used To Prepare And Assemble Wind Turbines?
Google AI gave this answer to my question!
Cruise ships will dock at a new deepwater berth at Belfast Harbour’s D3 terminal starting with the 2028 cruise season. This new facility is a dual-purpose terminal being built to accommodate both the largest cruise vessels and the assembly and installation of offshore wind turbines.
Note.
- The date fits with the new site for turbine work being ready by 2028.
- The new D3 Terminal will take some of the largest cruise vessels.
- I suspect, it will be able to supply ships with suitable low-carbon fuel, as required.
- Could it also take the very large ships used to install turbines?
- It’s almost as if Belfast Harbour are making an attraction of the turbines.
Google AI gives this overview of the D3 Terminal.
The Belfast Harbour D3 cruise terminal is a new £90 million dual-purpose deepwater quay under construction, designed to accommodate the world’s largest cruise ships and support the offshore wind energy industry. Construction on the project, which is Belfast Harbour’s largest-ever investment, began in April 2025 and is expected to be operational for the 2028 cruise season. The facility will include a 340m quay and new terminal building for passengers, and will be converted for cargo handling during the cruise season.
It certainly looks like Belfast is designing a dual-purpose terminal, that will bring the maximum benefit to the city and its people.
Which Offshore Wind Projects Will Use Belfast Harbour?
Google AI gave this answer to my question!
The Mona and Morgan offshore wind farms, being developed by EnBW and JERA Nex bp, will use Belfast Harbour. The port’s D1 terminal will serve as the hub for the assembly and marshalling of wind turbine components for these projects, which are planned for the Irish Sea and are expected to be operational by 2028.
I suspect there will be others.
£1.5 billion Enables UK-US Pair To Get Their Hands On Europe’s Giant LNG Terminal
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Offshore Energy.
This is the sub-heading.
UK-based energy player Centrica and U.S. investment firm Energy Capital Partners (ECP), part of Bridgeport Group, have brought into their fold a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Kent County, United Kingdom.
This paragraph gives Centrica’s view of the Grain LNG Terminal.
The UK firm portrays the terminal as Europe’s largest LNG regasification facility, with a capacity of 15 million tonnes of LNG a year. Located on the UK’s Isle of Grain, the terminal features unloading infrastructure, regasification equipment, and truck-loading facilities.
In a press release, which is entitled Investment in Grain LNG, that was published in August 2025, Centrica said this.
Opportunities for efficiencies to create additional near-term value, and future development options including a combined heat and power plant, bunkering, hydrogen and ammonia.
The tone of the article in Offshore Energy and the press release is unmistakable. – Centrica intend to make good use of their investment.
I suggest you read both documents fully.
- Europe’s largest LNG regasification facility, with a capacity of 15 million tonnes of LNG a year, will certainly need a large combined heat and power plant.
- Will any spare power from the CHP plant, be sent to Germany, through the 1.4 GW NeuConnect interconnector, which should be commissioned by 2028?
- Hydrogen, ammonia and LNG are the three low-carbon fuels used by modern ships, so I suspect hydrogen and ammonia will be produced on the island.
- Centrica are investors in the efficient hydrogen-generation process ; HiiROC.
- Hydrogen and nitrogen are the two feedstocks for ammonia.
Centrica certainly have big plans for the Grain LNG Terminal.
I shall be following Centrica closely.
UK’s ‘Largest’ Floating Solar Farm Given Go-ahead
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A floating solar farm described as the UK’s largest is to be built in the north of England after planning permission was approved.
These three paragraphs add more details.
The 46,500-panel array will be installed at the Port of Barrow’s Cavendish Dock in Cumbria and will be capable of producing enough energy to power 14,000 homes a year.
It will be built by Associated British Ports (ABP) and will be used to power the area’s advanced manufacturing sector, including submarine-maker BAE Systems.
The company’s divisional port manager Bryan Davies said the solar farm would “drive economic growth” and was a major milestone in the company’s plans to develop Port of Barrow.
This Google Map shows Cavendish Dock in the centre of Barrow-in-Furness.
Note.
- BAe Systems are in the West side of the map.
- It looks like the picture on the BBC article was taken from the East.
- In the picture the Cavendish Causeway runs across the bottom-left Corner.
- The solar array appears to be in the North side of the dock.
The solar array will be an impressive structure, when it is complete.
Manchester To London Train To Run Without Passengers
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A train service taking commuters from Manchester to London is to run empty for around five months following a decision by the rail regulator.
These three paragraphs add more detail.
A decision by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), means the 07:00 GMT service operated by Avanti West Coast from Manchester Piccadilly to London will still run but will only be used to carry staff from mid-December.
An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said they were “disappointed” with the decision, which would “clearly impact those customers who already use these services”.
An ORR spokesperson said the decision was made on “robust evidence” from Network Rail to guard against possible service disruption on the West Coast Main Line.
It is a long article on the BBC and I suspect, it is one of those, that should be fully-read before commenting.
I looked up last Friday’s service and found this.
- It was an eleven-coach Class 390 train.
- The train goes via Macclesfield, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford, but only stops to pick up passengers at Stockport.
- It left on time at 07:00.
- It arrived in London at 09:20, which was twenty-one minutes late.
I think, I’ll see this train arrive on Monday.
Could Avanti West Coast Be Planning A Fast Service From Both Liverpool and Manchester?
Consider.
- Manchester Piccadilly has a 07:00 train to Euston, that takes two hours via Stoke-on-Trent.
- The train also stops at Stockport.
- The Manchester Piccadilly train is an eleven-car Class 390 train, that is 265.3 metres long.
- Liverpool Lime Street has a 06:43 train to Euston, that takes two hours and 11 minutes via Crewe, that stops at Runcorn.
- The Liverpool Lime Street train is a seven-car Class 807 train, that is 182 metres long.
Note.
- I wonder, if at some time in the future, these two services could both be run by seven-car Class 807 trains, that joined at Crewe.
- This might not have been possible with Class 390 trains, as the pair of trains would have been very long.
- Class 390 trains may not be able to split and join.
- I don’t think any extra paths would be needed.
This would give Crewe, Liverpool, Manchester, Runcorn and Stockport, a fast early train to Euston.
EDF Developing Offshore Wind-Powered Hydrogen Production Project In French EEZ
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
EDF Power Solutions has invited applications for a tender for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) services and hazard studies as part of a project to develop an offshore hydrogen production station in France’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
This is the first paragraph.
The project, dubbed HYODE (HYdrogen Offshore DunkerquE), will produce green hydrogen by coupling offshore wind farms with an offshore electrolyser near Dunkirk, France, and is planned to also include storage and transport by ship to port, forming what EDF describes as an “innovative solution” to help scale green hydrogen production.
I asked Google AI, if there are any operational offshore hydrogen electrolysers and received this answer.
Yes, there are operational offshore electrolyser projects, though large-scale, dedicated offshore hydrogen platforms are still in development. The first operational offshore production on an existing gas platform is planned for late 2024 with the PosHYdon project. Additionally, a pilot project in the UK is testing the full integration of a hydrogen electrolyser onto an existing offshore wind turbine, with another project in the Netherlands installing an offshore hydrogen production and storage platform.
But, I did get this page on page on the Ramboll web site, which is entitled The Rise Of Offshore Hydrogen Production At Scale, which has this introductory paragraph.
The stage is set for producing green hydrogen from offshore wind and desalinated seawater. Building on existing and proven technology, offshore wind farms have the potential to become future production hubs for green hydrogen production at scale to meet increasing demand.
That sounds very promising, especially, if proven technology is borrowed from the offshore oil and gas industry.
It’s
Island’s Birds Thriving Decade After Railway Project
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
An island transformed into a nature haven thanks to excavations from a major engineering project is thriving with record numbers of birds.
These two paragraphs add detail to the story.
RSPB Wallasea Island, a 740-hectare reserve at Rochford in Essex, was created using more than three million tonnes of earth, brought by boat from the tunnels and shafts created by the Crossrail scheme.
Before work began more than a decade ago there were just a small number of birds present – but almost 40,000 arrived last winter.
This Google Map shows the location of Wallasea Island.
Note.
- Wallasea Island is indicated by the red arrow.
- Southend-on-Sea is in the South-West corner of the map.
- To the East of Wallasea Island is Foulness Island, which at one time was to be the location for London’s third airport.
- In the Summer, there is a ferry to Wallasea Island from Burnham-on-Crouch, where there is a railway station.
- The distance between the quay and the station loooks to be about five hundred metres.
I will make a trip.
The Anonymous Widower 