Dominion Energy gets final federal approvals for offshore wind farm

Dominion Energy received the last two major federal approvals needed to begin construction of its 2.6-gigawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW).

CVOW will be the largest offshore wind farm in the United States, powering some 660,000 homes once fully constructed in late 2026.

“Virginia is leading the way for offshore wind as we near the start of offshore construction for Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind,” Bob Blue, Dominion Energy’s chair, president, and CEO, said. “These regulatory approvals keep CVOW on time and on budget as we focus on our mission of providing customers with reliable, affordable and increasingly clean energy.”

The two approvals came from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which gave its final approval of CVOW’s Construction and Operations Plan (COP), which authorizes construction offshore.

The other came from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which issued its permit to allow for permitted impacts to U.S. waters, including the route of the electric transmission line that will connect the renewable energy to the electric grid onshore.

“In an important step forward, we are thrilled to see the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project receive two major approvals that will place the nation’s largest offshore wind farm right off the coast of Virginia,” Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) said in a joint statement. “The progress on this project to date speaks volumes about the level of cooperation between the Biden administration, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Dominion Energy, and their commitment to the future of green energy in the Commonwealth. We look forward to continuing to work together to see this project through to the finish line.”

CVOW, to be located off the coast of Virginia Beach, will consist of 176 turbines and three offshore substations.

Some onshore construction activities began in November 2023 following BOEM’s favorable Record of Decision. It will now quickly ramp up with these last approvals.