Dominion Mulls Options After VOWTAP Loses USD 40 Million in Federal Funding

Dominion Virginia Power is assessing options for its proposed 12MW offshore wind demonstration project off Virginia in light of an announcement that the US Department of Energy is withdrawing USD 40 million in funding.

“Naturally, we are disappointed in the DOE’s decision because we still believe that offshore wind has a great potential to deliver clean, renewable energy to Virginia,” said Mary C. Doswell, senior vice president‒Dominion Energy Solutions.

“However, we also recognize the unique regulatory and cost challenges involved in our project and appreciate the DOE’s desire to support other projects that may have an earlier opportunity for fruition.”

Doswell said Dominion plans to consult with other members of the project team, known as the Virginia Offshore Wind Technology Advancement Project (VOWTAP), as well as participants in a stakeholder group of government, research and community representatives, before deciding on next steps.

The VOWTAP project would install two 6-megawatt wind turbines in federal waters about 24 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. At peak production, the turbines would generate enough electricity to power up to 3,000 homes. Current bids for constructing the project range from about USD 300 million to USD 380 million, compared with an initial estimate of about USD 230 million.

Doswell said the DOE made its decision after Dominion could not guarantee an in-service date for the project earlier than 2020. While the company has been working toward an earlier date, there are too many uncertainties to meet DOE’s request, Dominion said.  These include the high cost of the project, the inability to get firm construction contracts, and the increasing complexities of gaining regulatory approval for energy infrastructure projects.

“This project is a first in many ways,” Doswell said. “As such, you need to account for many variables when attempting to lock in on a date with any degree of certainty.”

VOWTAP was one of three offshore wind projects chosen by the DOE in May 2014 to receive a second round of funding.

VOWTAP’s other partners are Alstom Power Inc., recently acquired by General Electric Company, a wind turbine manufacturer that will supply the turbines; KBR, a global engineering, construction, and services firm; Keystone Engineering, the designer of the substructure; the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a federally funded research and development center; Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries; and the Virginia Tech Advanced Research Institute, representing the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium.