All monopiles and almost half of the transition pieces (TPs) have been installed at the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project site, with wind turbine installation expected to start this month and the project anticipated to produce first power at the beginning of next year.
The offshore wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) Charybdis arrived at Portsmouth Port in September. According to the latest information released by Dominion Energy, the vessel is expected to be cleared to load and install turbines in November. The CVOW developer also noted there are no time-of-year or time-of-day restrictions on installing turbines.
In its third-quarter results, Dominion Energy, which owns both the 2.6 GW offshore wind project and the wind turbine installation vessel, said all 176 monopiles have been installed, with 63 transition pieces also in place, as well as the jacket foundation for the second of the project’s three offshore substations.
The offshore wind farm is now at 66 per cent of completion and remains on track to achieve first power production in the first quarter of next year and full commissioning by the end of 2026.
CVOW will feature 176 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW wind turbines . Once in operation, it will become the biggest US offshore wind farm and, with an installed capacity of 2.6 GW, one of the biggest in the world today.
The project is owned jointly by Dominion Energy and Stonepeak, which acquired a 50 per cent noncontrolling interest in the 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind last year. Under the agreement the two partners signed, Dominion Energy will retain full operational control of the construction and operations of the offshore wind project, and Stonepeak will have customary minority rights.