Dominion Energy is proposing the largest offshore wind development in the US, a 2.6-GW development that would provide renewable energy to customers in the Commonwealth and provide a significant boost to the offshore wind industry on the east coast of the US
The company has filed an application with PJM, the regional transmission organisation that co-ordinates the grid in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia, to interconnect the proposed turbines to the transmission grid.
Dominion Energy’s filing is the first step to move forward in developing Virginia’s full offshore wind potential.
The company said it looks forward to working with the Northam administration in the state and other partners on the next steps in public policy needed to realise “the clean energy and economic potential of offshore wind.”
“Offshore wind is an excellent renewable energy source and this filing with PJM shows how serious we are about bringing commercial-scale offshore wind to Virginia, giving our customers what they have asked for – more renewable energy,” said Dominion Energy vice president of generation construction Mark Mitchell.
“Governor Ralph Northam has made it clear Virginia is committed to leading the way in offshore wind. We are rising to this challenge with this 2,600-MW commercial offshore wind development.”
If approved, the project would be located in the 112,800 acres Dominion Energy currently is leasing from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 43 km off the coast of Virginia Beach. Following the key filing with PJM, survey work is expected to begin in 2020 and a construction and operations plan will be submitted in 2022.
Building on the anticipated deployment of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project in 2020, Dominion Energy plans to move forward with the offshore wind project in three phases, each of 880 MW.
The first phase of the buildout will support initial generation of wind energy by 2024. Additional phases will come online in 2025 and 2026.
The company began construction in June on the 12-MW CVOW project, which is the first fully permitted wind project in federal waters.
Dominion Energy will leverage key learnings from the permitting, design and development of that project as it goes through a similar process for commercial offshore wind development.
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