Dominion, Port of Virginia Working on Lease Agreement to Support 2.6 GW OWF Construction

Dominion Energy and the Port of Virginia are working on a lease agreement for a site at Portsmouth Marine Terminal which would support the construction of the 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind offshore wind farm.

The lease concerns a 70-acre area where the developer plans to establish a staging and pre-assembly area for the foundations and turbines to be installed at the wind farm’s site some 43.5 kilometres (27 miles) offshore Virgibia Beach.

This is according to the latest update from the Port of Virginia, which reported on 17 August that the port had processed record volumes last month (more than 293,000 TEUs), and that investments in the port’s infrastructure continue with both long- and short-term projects. 

“The industry is evolving and as a result we’ll continue with our investment strategy so that we are always prepared for the future. This positions us to meet the needs of the customers and grow our market share”, said Stephen A. Edwards, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority.

The CVOW commercial offshore wind project is now under review by the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which started the process last month, after Dominion Energy submitted its Construction and Operations Plan (COP) in December 2020.

The COP includes information about the construction, operations and conceptual decommissioning plans for the wind farm, as well as about onshore and support facilities.

The large scale offshore wind farm, which already has its 12 MW pilot predecessor up and running off Virginia, could comprise up to 205 turbines and have an installed capacity of up to 3 GW.

During development and construction, the project would generate an average of approximately 900 jobs from 2020-2026, with a peak of approximately 1,500 jobs in 2024 and 2025. During operations and maintenance, the offshore wind farm would support about 1,100 long-term jobs.

Dominion Energy plans to start construction in 2024 and have the offshore wind farm operational in 2026.