Ørsted and Eversource to charter Dominion Jones Act WTIV

Dominion Energy WTIV is designed to handle current turbine technologies as well as next generation turbine sizes of 12 megawatt or larger

Ørsted and Eversource have reached an agreement to charter Dominion Energy’s Charybdis, the first Jones Act-qualified offshore wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV), for the construction of two offshore wind farms in the Northeast.

Currently under construction at the Keppel AmFELS shipyard, Charybdis is expected to be sea ready by late 2023, and will first be deployed out of New London, Conn., harbor to support the construction of Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind, both under joint development by Ørsted and Eversource, to serve nearly 1 million homes in Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York. Once complete, the two projects will generate more than 1.6 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy.

The charter’s terms will allow the vessel, subject to state regulatory approval, to support construction of Dominion Energy’s 2.6 gigawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project off the coast of Virginia Beach, which is expected, consistent with prior guidance, to be completed in 2026.

The approximately $500 million Charybdis will operate as part of Dominion Energy’s Contracted Assets segment. It is designed to handle current turbine technologies as well as next generation turbine sizes of 12 megawatts or larger. It will also be capable of the installation of foundations for turbines.

“Offshore wind is critical to America’s clean-energy future and the Charybdis plays a vital role in reaching the Biden administration’s ambitious goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind production by 2030,” said Bob Blue, Dominion Energy’s chair, president and chief executive officer. “We look forward to working with Ørsted and Eversource on the construction of Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind to continue to grow the offshore wind industry in the U.S.”

“This new, state-of-the-art American-made wind turbine installation vessel is a major milestone for the offshore wind industry at both the local and national level,” said Joe Nolan, president and CEO of Eversource Energy. “As offshore wind continues to grow in Connecticut and throughout the U.S., we are seeing the birth of a new, domestic supply chain that will create thousands of jobs across the country for decades to come.”

“A Jones Act-qualified installation vessel is a game-changer for the development of the U.S. offshore wind industry,” said David Hardy, CEO of Ørsted Offshore North America. “This investment will enable us to unlock the economic benefits of offshore wind, not just for the Northeast, but for the Southern states as well. We’re proud to partner with Dominion Energy and Eversource on this historic milestone.”