Delta Air Lines will contribute $100,000 to the American Red Cross to support relief efforts in Haiti following a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck the country on August 14.
The affected region is home to more than 800,000 people. This donation enables the global Red Cross network in its efforts helping families impacted by the earthquake. The Haitian Red Cross with the support of the global Red Cross Red Crescent network are leading efforts to aid families, including providing first aid and helping with search and rescue efforts.
This contribution is in addition to the $1 million grant to the American Red Cross as an Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) partner.
The American Red Cross is Delta’s longest-standing non-profit partner, and the partnership has allowed the airline, its customers and employees to help people in need around the world since 1941. For more information on the services of the Red Cross, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org.
The Tempest program is expected to generate long-term high value employment, with productivity per worker 78% higher than the national average, underlining how this exciting programme can make a significant contribution to the UK Government’s levelling up priorities and the wider economy.
The program is being delivered by Team Tempest – combining the expertise of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, MBDA UK and Rolls-Royce. Working with international partners, the team is leading progress towards a UK-led internationally collaborative Future Combat Air System which will ensure the Royal Air Force and its allies retain world-leading, independent military capability.
Key to the success of Tempest is delivering this highly-advanced capability more rapidly and more cost effectively than ever before.
Investment by industry and MOD in research and development for Tempest will generate positive spill-over benefits for the wider economy through applications of new technologies in other sectors and driving innovation in collaboration with hundreds of companies, SMEs and academic organisations.
KiwiRail has named world-renowned Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) based in Ulsan, South Korea as its preferred shipyard to build the two new Interislander ferries.
KiwiRail Chief Executive Greg Miller said the decision to work with HMD was a significant step forward for the new Interislander project and the culmination of a robust, competitive, year-long selection process.
“Our ship procurement team and the evaluation panel, including naval architects, ship brokers and maritime lawyers, have undertaken a rigorous process to select the right shipyard and this announcement, on schedule, is a great end to the year for our team,” Mr Miller said.
“KiwiRail has specified a Makers’ List of components – predominantly American and European, including the engines, propulsion system and navigation system – to ensure the new ships will serve New Zealand well for the next 30 years.
“The two new ferries and the upgraded terminals in Waitohi Picton and Wellington are a major investment in the future of the Cook Strait freight and passenger services, with a significant taxpayer contribution. It’s crucial that we deliver the best outcome for New Zealand and for our passengers and customers and with the selection of HMD shipyard, I am confident we have achieved that.”
Once commissioned and built, the two new ferries will replace KiwiRail’s three ageing Interislander ferries,which are nearing the end of their working lives. KiwiRail operates around 3800 services a year, transporting about 850,000 passengers, 250,000 cars and up to $14 billion worth of freight, but with significant growth predicted.
New terminals and berths in Waitohi Picton and Wellington are planned to accommodate the new ferries and improve the Interislander service for customers and staff.
HMD is the world’s sixth-largest shipbuilder globally with decades of experience building complex ships, including HMNZS Aotearoa for NZDF.
It is over 20 years since New Zealand introduced a brand-new purpose-built ferry to its fleet. Once built, the two new ferries will be more efficient and support KiwiRail’s goal to reduce carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2050. The new ferries will be designed to use different energy sources through their life if these are available in New Zealand, and at day one will provide for battery operations when docking and plug into local power supply at each port.
The Government committed $400 million in Budget 2020 to the New Interislander project, building on a $35 million-dollar investment in Budget 2019.
Massimo Soprano, Ships Programme Manager at KiwiRail, said the selection process had been highly competitive with some of the best shipyards in the world putting in tenders for the contract.
Mr Miller said that despite the complexity and number of parties involved in the purchase of the two new ferries and the terminal upgrades in both Waitohi Picton and Wellington, things were progressing well with the new Interislander project.
A Letter of Intent (LOI) has now been signed with HMD. A LOI is a non-binding agreement that allows KiwiRail and HMD to progress to more detailed contract negotiations and is a normal step in the procurement process for large-scale ship building.
Embraer and EDP, a company that operates in all segments of the Brazilian energy sector, have signed a partnership for electric aircraft research. Through its EDP Smart division, the Portuguese-based multinational announced a financial contribution for the acquisition of energy storage and battery charging technologies for Embraer’s all-electric demonstrator aircraft project, utilizing the EMB-203 Ipanema as its test bed. The prototype, which is already in development, is scheduled to complete its inaugural flight in 2021.
The investment is part of the cooperation agreement signed by both companies to advance their shared knowledge of energy storage and battery charging technologies for aviation – one of the main challenges of the project. The partnership aims to investigate the applicability of high voltage batteries for the electric propulsion systems of small aircraft, in addition to evaluating the main operating characteristics, such as weight, efficiency and power quality, thermal control and management, cycling loading and unloading, and operational safety.
EDP Headquarters in Portugal
Technological Cooperation
This proposal for the technological development of aeronautical electrification was initially created as a cooperation between Embraer and WEG, in May 2019. The project was developed as an effective and efficient instrument for training and for the maturation of technologies prior to their application in future products.
The scope of the partnership with EDP is to develop shared research in the storage of high voltage energy, complementing Embraer’s ongoing research. These research and development initiatives seek to accelerate the combined knowledge of the technologies necessary for the use and integration of batteries and electric motors in order to increase the energy efficiency of the propulsion systems of aircraft.
For the evaluations, a small single-engine aircraft is being used as the test bed to perform a primary assessment of electrification technologies. Ground tests have taken place at Embraer’s facilities in Botucatu, in the interior of São Paulo, in preparation for the first flight, which will take place at Embraer’s Gavião Peixoto unit.
Electrification is just one project in a series of initiatives being developed by Embraer and the entire aeronautical industry aimed at ensuring a commitment to environmental sustainability, as already exemplified by biofuel developments to reduce carbon emissions.
EDP has a global commitment to electrify 100% of its fleet by 2030, as well as to develop new offers and commercial solutions that promote the energy transition. Last year, during Aneel’s Public Call on the topic of Efficient Electric Mobility, the Company approved an investment of about R$ 50 million in projects, via a Research and Development Fund consisting of both corporate and partner resources.
