By Billy Ludt | August 31, 2020
Dominion Energy has selected the global firm, Huisman, to fabricate the crane to be used on the United States’ first Jones Act compliant offshore wind installation vessel. Huisman joins a consortium of offshore wind industry leaders led by Dominion Energy to build a Jones Act compliant vessel, which is strategically important to the U.S. offshore wind market.
“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 VP 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.”
The Jones Act is a federal law that regulates maritime commerce in the United States and requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be transported on ships that are built, owned and operated by U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
Huisman has a portfolio of products for the offshore wind market, with factories in four countries worldwide. Its products range from handling tools, (fully motion compensated) pile grippers and large capacity lightweight cranes. The crane for this installation vessel will be able to lift 2,200 tons and will enable the installation of the new generation of state-of-the-art wind turbines.
“We are proud to contribute to Dominion Energy’s ambition to enable large scale offshore wind development in the United States and we are grateful for their trust in Huisman to deliver and install this crane,” said David Roodenburg, CEO of Huisman.
Dominion Energy announced in May it is leading a consortium to build a Jones Act compliant installation vessel and the company expects the vessel to be fully utilized on a pipeline exceeding 5 GW of U.S. offshore wind construction through 2027, enabling the investment needed for this first of its kind vessel.
The vessel, which is likely to enter service in 2023, is expected to be based out of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia with a U.S. crew. This effort represents a significant step in developing a domestic manufacturing supply chain to support the multi-gigawatt opportunity for zero-carbon electricity generation in the waters off the U.S. coast.
Offshore wind generation is a part of Dominion Energy’s comprehensive clean energy 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 the installation of the 12-MW, two turbine Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind pilot project, located 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. Ocean surveys and geotechnical work are also underway for the 2,600-MW full-scale CVOW project, which is located in a lease area adjacent to the pilot project. These surveys will support the development of the project’s “Construction and Operations Plan” to be submitted to BOEM later this year.
News item from Dominion Energy