First Coastal Virginia Monopiles En Route to US

September 27, 2023, by Adnan Memija

The first eight monopiles for the 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project have set sail from EEW SPC’s factory in Rostock, Germany, and are en route to the Portsmouth Marine Terminal in the US.

On 21 September, the first eight monopiles for Dominion Energy’s CVOW project were loaded at the Rostock quayside. In preparation for RoRo loading, the units were lifted into the transport cradle using the Strand Jack system.

The 83-metre-long foundations are on their way to Portsmouth Marine Terminal in Portsmouth, Virginia, where they will arrive in approximately two and a half weeks.

In total, EEW SPC will manufacture 176 monopiles that weigh 1,538 tonnes and have a diameter of up to 9.5 metres that will be installed on the offshore construction site by DEME Group.

As reported, Dominion Energy selected a consortium of DEME and Prysmian as the Balance of Plant (BoP) contractors in charge of the transportation and installation of the foundations and the substations, and the engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) services for the inter-array and export cables for what will be the largest commercial offshore wind farm in the United States.

The 2.6 GW CVOW project is being built approximately 27 miles (about 43 kilometres) off the Virginia coast.

Recently, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) completed its environmental review of the proposed project.

The offshore wind farm will feature 176 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW wind turbines with the installation scheduled to begin next year.

Once fully operational in 2026, the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is expected to generate enough electricity to power up to 660,000 households.