Virginia Offshore Wind Development

Harnessing the offshore wind resource is a win-win for Virginia and allows the Commonwealth to be part of the green revolution across the nation. As more offshore wind areas are developed in the United States, costs, which have declined dramatically over the past decade in Europe, will continue to come down significantly and have come down in other states in the U.S., e.g., Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Virginia’s offshore wind research efforts can contribute to these cost declines through learning and efficiencies gained during project deployment. Virginia’s unique port and workforce assets provide a tremendous opportunity for the Commonwealth to establish itself as a leader in offshore wind power development by capitalizing on the opportunity to grow a new industry.

Click HERE to learn more about how Virginia has been preparing to be a leader in the offshore wind sector for over a decade.

Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) Demonstration Project

Dominion Energy contracted in 2017 with a global wind leader — Ørsted Energy of Denmark — to build Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW), a two turbine, 12 MW demonstration project 23.5 miles nautical offshore from the Virginia Beach coastline.

CVOW is located in the Commonwealth’s 2,135-acre research lease, the only one of its kind along the East Coast for offshore renewable energy awarded by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). The project is currently in the final stages of BOEM approval with a 2020 target completion date. CVOW continues Dominion Energy’s commitment to 3,000 megawatts of solar and wind energy under development or in operation by the beginning of 2022.

The project already has made numerous scientific contributions to help lower cost and risk industry wide. Dominion Energy’s partnership with Ørsted will further reduce the costs of CVOW. In addition, rigorous environmental protocols are in place, and oversight by federal, state and third party regulators and observers will ensure that CVOW will be respectful of archaeological resources, fishery resources, marine mammals and other species and their habitats as well as protecting the interests of shipping and defense from our large base in Norfolk.

Dominion Energy has selected LE Meyers to perform onshore electrical design and construction. Beginning August 2018, offshore survey vessels began to clear the cable route by investigation for any unexploded ordnance or other debris. On August 3, 2018, Dominion Energy filed a request with the Virginia State Corporation Commission for project approval.

Click HERE to learn more about CVOW and the current progress.

Commercial Development Off Virginia’s Coast

CVOW will lay the groundwork for potential large-scale commercial development (up to 2,000 MW) in an 112,800-acre commercial Wind Energy Area adjacent to CVOW beginning approximately 23.5 nautical miles east of Virginia Beach in which Dominion Energy has leased from BOEM. All other lease areas along the East Coast are controlled by private development companies, which must enter into power purchase agreements with utilities in other states.