Summary: The Sea Monster Sized Ship Disrupting Biden’s Wind Energy Dreams
America has offshore wind-energy dreams. But to fulfil them, large barges need to be constructed to pick up parts from ports, haul them into the ocean and construct the windmills.
Washington is trying to nurse the industry back to health, but “they do not have the vessels to do so”, says Sven Boedewig, managing partner of a maritime advisory firm.
In Europe and elsewhere, the turbine-installation vessels can shuttle to and from ports to pick up parts for such projects. But in the US, the Jones Act protects the domestic maritime industry for commercial shipping and in the event of war. So only US made and US operated barges can carry the turbine components from the port to wind farm sites.
Dominion Energy saw this vessel shortage in 2020 and turned to Bank of America to finance a shipbuilding project originally expected to cost $550m. Charybdis, a massive vessel being constructed in a shipyard at the Southern tip of Texas, emobidies the American dream for offshore wind farming.
But its project schedule has been delayed and budget exceeded. Dominion expects the vessel to be complete by late 2024 or early 2025, a year behind schedule. It would cost $625m, almost double what a similar ship would cost abroad.
Original Article: https://www.wsj.com/business/logistics/the-sea-monster-sized-ship-disrupting-bidens-wind-energy-dreams-e007942e?mod=hp_featst_pos4
