Biden administration opens review of Dominion's 2,640-MW Virginia offshore wind farm

The Biden administration on July 1 announced it opened a review of a proposed offshore wind project, Dominion Energy Inc.'s 2,640-MW Virginia Beach Offshore Wind Project (Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind).

It is the fifth offshore wind project the administration has committed to reviewing since January, part of a surge of regulatory activity meant to put the U.S. on track for 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030. The project, which could power up to 660,000 homes, is also the largest proposed wind farm in the U.S. to date.

Dominion in an announcement said the project remains on schedule for completion in 2026. Dominion said it will ask state regulators for approval later this year.

The U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will publish a notice of intent to review the project July 2, kicking off a 30-day public comment period to determine the potential environmental impacts of the project, which would be located 23.5 nautical miles offshore from Virginia Beach, Va. Dominion said it expects the federal review to last two years.

Dominion, which operates legally as Virginia Electric and Power Co. in the state, is proposing to build up to 205 turbines. Dominion has tapped Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA to supply 14-MW turbines for the project.

Dominion in September 2019 initially announced it planned to build the project located near its initial 12-MW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (Virginia Offshore Wind Technology Advancement Project) test project. The pilot project, built by Danish developer Ørsted A/S, came online in 2020. Ørsted, because it built the smaller wind park for Dominion, now has the exclusive right to negotiate a stake in the larger project.

Dominion is leading a consortium of companies, including Ørsted and Eversource Energy, to build the nation's first offshore wind turbine installation vessel.

Virginia has a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2045.

"Virginia is all in on offshore wind," Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, said in an announcement. "We are developing the infrastructure, workforce, supply chain, and manufacturing capabilities needed to capture the many benefits of this emerging industry."