Dominion Energy gets approval from BOEM for offshore wind project
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has no objection to the design, fabrication, and installation of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project being developed by Dominion Energy.
Dominion is proposing to build two 6-megawatt wind turbines 27 miles off the Virginia Beach coast next year. The company is working with Orsted, an offshore wind development contracted for CVOW, and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, which is manufacturing the wind turbines.
“This is a significant milestone as we move forward on building the first-ever fully permitted offshore wind project in federal waters,” Mark Mitchell, Dominion Energy’s vice president of generation construction, said. “This process will provide key learnings we can apply to our commercial-scale offshore wind project.”
Dominion submitted its Facility Design Report (FDR) and Fabrication and Installation Report (FIR), and after review, the BOEM said it had no objection to the two reports. The FDR details the design of the project, while the FIR describes the fabrication and installation plans of the equipment.
The FDR/FIR no objection determination is the latest milestone in a list of firsts for the burgeoning offshore wind industry in the U.S. to come through the CVOW project,” Thomas Brostrom, CEO of Orsted US Offshore Wind, said. “As the only fully permitted project in the U.S. federal waters, CVOW continues to provide all involved parties valuable experience that will drive regulatory efficiencies and increased certainty that will reduce costs for future projects in the U.S.”
The project remains on track to begin construction in the summer of 2020. The CVOW will power about 3,000 homes and the turbines will not be visible from shore.
“This formal approval is a significant milestone for the Coastal Virginia project,” Steve Dayney, U.S. Head of Offshore, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE), said. “We are very proud of this accomplishment, which will enable us to maintain momentum in the project and may serve as a blueprint of success for others.”
CVOW received approval last November from the Virginia State Corporation Commission.
