As reported by MarineLog, Texas-based energy fund, EnCap Investments, is betting on U.S. startup Bleutec Industries’ innovative approach to Jones Act restrictions for WTIVs operating in U.S. coastal waters. The company’s Binary Marine Installation Solution (BMIS) concept further bifurcates wind turbine installation by separating the piling installation and the wind turbine installation. Bleutec appears to believe that this will allow it to get Jones Act-qualified ships into the water faster and cheaper than traditional wind turbine installation vessels (WTIVs). The Charybdis, Dominion Energy’s Jones Act-qualified WTIV, will cost at least around $500 million when she eventually hits the water in December 2023. Offshore wind firms with projects along the East Coast are increasingly keen to get access to vessels capable of completing the growing number of U.S. offshore wind projects.
