Virginia’s 12MW Offshore Wind Project Green-Lighted

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has granted its first wind energy research lease for a 12MW offshore wind test facility off Virginia.

The lease has been given to Virginia’s Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME), which partnered with Dominion Resources, Inc. to develop the Virginia Offshore Wind Technology Advancement Project (VOWTAP).

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded $4 million to the developers in 2012, supporting initial engineering, design, and permitting for the proposed offshore wind facility.

In 2013, a lease application was submitted to BOEM for the installation and operation of two 6MW turbines, associated cabling to shore, and ancillary metocean facilities, such as meteorological buoys. The same year, the developers submitted their Research Activities Plan.

The project was awarded an additional $47 million from the DOE in May 2014, to help fund the construction of the offshore wind demonstration project. he VOWTAP team proposed designing, developing and demonstrating a grid-connected, 12-megawatt offshore wind facility consisting of two Alstom 6-megawatt turbines mounted on innovative foundations.

The VOWTAP will consist of two Alstom 6MW turbines mounted on innovative foundations, and is scheduled to become operational in 2017.

“The data collected under this research lease will help us understand the wind potential, weather and other conditions relevant to standing up wind power generation offshore Virginia,” said BOEM Director Abigail Ross Hopper. “This data will be valuable not only to BOEM and DMME, but also to other government agencies, the offshore renewable energy industry, universities, environmental organizations and others.”

Based on the comments received on the environmental assessment (EA), published in December 2014, and depending on the results of ongoing consultations, BOEM will revise the EA with a Finding of No Significant Impact or issue a notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

Upon completion of BOEM’s technical and environmental reviews and other reviews required by Federal law, BOEM may approve, approve with modifications or disapprove the Research Activities Plan. DMME must receive BOEM’s approval of its Research Activities Plan prior to the installation of the two turbines and associated cabling to shore.

Image: Alstom