Dominion Energy has selected Huisman Equipment to fabricate the crane for the United States’ first Jones Act compliant offshore wind installation vessel. Huisman joins a consortium of offshore wind industry leaders to build the vessel, which Dominion calls ‘strategically important to the U.S. offshore wind market’.
The crane will have a lifting capacity of 2200 short tonnes, which corresponds to roughly 1980 metric tonnes. It will be able to install the latest generation of offshore wind turbines.
‘A Jones Act compliant offshore wind installation vessel is vital for the continued growth of the U.S. offshore wind industry,’ said Mark D. Mitchell, Dominion Energy’s vice president of generation construction. ‘Huisman is a global leader and brings years of experience to this venture and will further enable the offshore wind industry to bring clean, renewable energy to customers in the U.S.’
Dominion Energy announced in May it is leading a consortium to build a Jones Act compliant installation vessel. The company expects the vessel to be fully utilized on a pipeline exceeding 5 gigawatts of U.S. offshore wind construction through 2027 which it says enables the investment needed for this first-of-its-kind vessel. Jones Act-compliant vessels need to be built in the US, meaning construction costs will be significantly higher compared to similar vessels that are built in Asia.
The vessel is expected to enter the market in December 2023 and will likely be based ut of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia with a U.S. crew, which is another Jones Act-requirement.
2.6 GW project
Dominion Energy sees offshore wind generation as a vital part of its strategy to meet standards outlined in the Virginia Clean Economy Act and to achieve the company’s net-zero carbon dioxide and methane emissions commitment by 2050.
In June, the company completed installation of the 12-megawatt, two turbine Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot project, located 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. Ocean surveys and geotechnical work are also underway for the 2,600-megawatt full-scale CVOW project, which is located in a lease area adjacent to the pilot project.
This article first appeared on Project Cargo Journal, which is another publication of SWZ|Maritime’s publishing partner Promedia.
