Dominion Energy has completed installation of the two-turbine, 12-MW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot project 43 km off Virginia Beach
The first offshore windfarm to be approved by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and installed in federal waters, and second constructed in the US, was completed on schedule despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The turbines will now undergo acceptance testing before being energised and producing enough clean, renewable energy, at peak output, to power 3,000 Virginia homes.
Dominion Energy will apply the valuable permitting, design, installation and operations experience from the pilot project to its proposed 2.6-GW commercial project. That project, which is the largest announced offshore wind project in North America, is on track to commence construction in 2024. On completion, it will provide enough renewable electricity to power up to 650,000 homes.
Dominion Energy chairman, president and chief executive Thomas Farrell II said, “Construction of these two turbines is a major milestone not only for offshore wind in Virginia but also for offshore wind in the US.
“Clean energy jobs have the potential to serve as a catalyst to re-ignite the economy following the impacts of the pandemic and continue driving down carbon emissions.”
Governor Ralph Northam said, “This project propels Virginia to national leadership in America’s transition to clean energy.
“It is also shaping a new industry that will bring thousands of new clean energy jobs to Virginia. By working together, Virginia is shaping an investment that is good for workers, good for business, and good for the American economy.”
Offshore wind is a key part of Dominion Energy’s comprehensive clean energy strategy to meet standards outlined in the Virginia Clean Economy Act and to achieve the company’s net zero carbon dioxide and methane emissions commitment by 2050.
Ørsted, the largest offshore wind developer in the world, is serving as the offshore engineering, procurement and construction lead for the project. The company has invested in the Port of Virginia. L E Myers Company performed the onshore construction work.
The pilot project was first announced three years ago and received Virginia State Corporation Commission approval in November 2018. Onshore construction of the electrical interconnection facilities and the half-mile conduit which holds the final stretch of cable connecting the turbines 43 km off the coast to a company substation near Camp Pendleton commenced mid-2019 and was completed earlier this year.
Survey and geotechnical work continue on the company’s 2.6-GW full-scale wind development. These surveys will support the development of the project’s construction and operations plan to be submitted to BOEM later this year.
Dominion Energy named Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy its preferred wind turbine supplier for the project earlier this year. The turbine OEM will supply its new SG 14-222 DD turbine for the project.
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