Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind moves closer to construction

The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) commercial offshore wind project moved closer to ramping up construction when the first eight monopile foundations were safely offloaded at Portsmouth Marine Terminal.

The marine terminal is where they will be staged until the installation of the 2.6-gigawatt project begins in the spring of 2024. The foundations are a single vertical, steel cylinder, manufactured by EEW SPC. The offloading of the foundations was supported by union workers from the International Longshoremen’s Association. The foundations will be installed into the sea floor to support the wind turbine generators.

When in operation, CVOW, developed by Dominion Energy, will generate enough electricity to power 660,000 homes. It is the largest offshore wind project under development in the United States. It is expected to generate fuel savings of $3 billion for customers during the project’s first 10 years of operation.

“The delivery of the first foundations is further evidence that our Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project continues to move forward on time and on budget to provide reliable, affordable and increasingly clean energy to our customers,” Bob Blue, Dominion Energy’s chair, president and CEO, said. “This regulated offshore wind project positions us, and the Commonwealth of Virginia, as leaders in the development of offshore wind and provides many benefits for our customers and local economies.”

The project continues to advance through the federal permitting process. Last month, it received the final Environmental Impact Statement from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). In the coming days, BOEM is expected to issue its Record of Decision on the project.

More than 750 Virginia-based workers – nearly 530 in the Hampton Roads region – have been engaged on the CVOW project or with other businesses supporting CVOW. Further, more than 1,000 local jobs will be needed to support ongoing operations and maintenance of this facility after the project is commercial.