Wind turbine components, monopiles en route for Dominion Energy offshore project

The first wind turbines will soon be coming to federal waters, with news from Dominion Energy and Ørsted this week that necessary components and monopiles for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project have shipped from Germany and Denmark.

Despite the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, Dominion says that the project remains on track for both installation and operations. This means it could be producing enough energy to power 3,000 homes by later this year, thanks to two 6-megawatt Siemens Gamesa turbines.

“This is a monumental step toward the installation of the first offshore wind turbines in federal waters, which will deliver clean, renewable energy to our customers,” Mark Mitchell, Dominion Energy vice president of generation construction, said. “The construction of these two turbines will help us reach our goal for net zero emissions and position Virginia as a leader in offshore wind.”

The turbines’ foundations were fabricated by EEW SPC and shipped from Germany. Their components, on the other hand, are coming from Denmark. Both will be installed 27 miles offshore later this spring. This work parallels onshore construction meant to guarantee the interconnection of the turbines at a company substation near Camp Pendleton.

“Even though this project consists of two monopiles and transition pieces, it has profound importance for the development of the U.S. offshore wind market, as this is the first project that successfully has passed all phases of BOEM approval,” Christoph Schorge, CEO of the EEW Group, said. “This milestone will pave the way for the large-scale commercial projects to follow. Both Dominion Energy and Ørsted are key developers in the U.S, and the collaboration on this project demonstrates the determination toward the rapid development of U.S. offshore wind.”

Later this month, Dominion Energy will conduct ocean surveys to map the seabed of the 112,800 acres on which the 2,600 MW CVOW will sprawl, beginning in 2024. The surveys are meant to determine potential impacts on ocean and sea life.