Dominion Energy's offshore wind installation vessel launched to water

Dominion Energy Inc’s (NYSE:D) vessel Charybdis, the first US-built and Jones Act-qualified offshore wind installation vessel, was launched from land to water, the energy provider said on Monday.

The vessel is under construction at the Brownsville, Texas shipyard of Singapore's Seatrium Ltd (SGX:S51). It will support Dominion Energy’s 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project.

Also on Monday, the CVOW project secured a final construction air permit from the Environmental Protection Agency, the 11th and final federal permit needed to start offshore construction, the company said. Offshore monopile installation is due to kick off in May. DEME meanwhile said that its offshore installation vessel Orion is travelling back to the US to start its assignment on CVOW.

The Charybdis vessel is designed to handle turbines of 12 MW or larger. According to a recent announcement by the Interior Department, whose officials toured the ship in March, its construction is expected to be completed by late 2024 or in 2025.

"Charybdis is vital not only to CVOW, but also to the growth of the offshore wind industry along the US East Coast and is key to the continued development of a domestic supply chain by providing a homegrown solution for the installation of offshore wind turbines," Bob Blue, Dominion Energy's chair, president and chief executive, said in Monday’s statement.

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