Virginia lawmakers have passed a bill to advance workforce development in the offshore wind industry.
The bill (HB67), which passed both the Virginia House of Delegates and the State Senate in March and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature, introduces a measure focused on assessing workforce and training needs for the offshore wind sector.
The bill requires the Virginia Department of Energy to evaluate and identify training and educational resources needed to support the offshore wind industry. The measure calls for aligning workforce development efforts with the specific demands of the sector, including technical skills and safety requirements.
Under HB67, the Department is tasked with working alongside relevant stakeholders to assess current capabilities and determine gaps in training infrastructure. The initiative is intended to ensure that Virginia is prepared to meet the labour needs associated with offshore wind development.
The legislation was introduced during the 2026 session of the Virginia General Assembly.
Virginia currently has one offshore wind project in operation, the 12 MW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot , and is on its way to having the biggest offshore wind farm in the country operating off its coast as the 2.6 GW commercial CVOW project is being built by Dominion Energy off Virginia Beach and is expected to be completed in 2026.
The commercial offshore wind farm recently produced its first power, shortly after its first wind turbines were installed.