Dominion Energy and Orsted are to begin construction shortly at the two-turbine Coastal Virginia offshore wind demo project in the US after key components began their journey stateside from Europe.
The partners said two EEW-fabricated foundations and a pair of Siemens Gamesa 6MW turbines have left Germany and Denmark, respectively, for a two-week trip to a construction base at Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada.
The two monopile foundations will be the first ever installed in US federal waters. The demonstration project will also be the first project in US federal waters passing the BOEM approval.
Installation is expected to begin later this spring and the turbines are due to enter service by the end of the year.
Onshore construction for the pilot project began last year in June to facilitate the interconnection of the turbines at a company substation near Camp Pendleton. At peak production, the pilot project will power 3000 homes.
“This is a monumental step toward the installation of the first offshore wind turbines in federal waters, which will deliver clean, renewable energy to our customers,” said Mark Mitchell, Dominion Energy vice president of generation construction.
“The construction of these two turbines will help us reach our goal for net zero emissions and position Virginia as a leader in offshore wind.”
“This announcement marks yet another milestone in the U.S. offshore wind industry and reinforces Orsted’s leadership in facilitating a robust U.S. market,” said Thomas Brostrom, CEO of Ørsted North America Offshore.
“Ørsted’s experience and the hard work of its colleagues have made it possible to keep the project on time and on budget in spite of the disruption of global commerce.”
Also this month, Dominion Energy is conducting ocean surveys to map the seabed of the 112,800-acre lease area where the company’s 2,600-megawatt CVOW project will be built beginning in 2024.
These surveys will help the company determine potential impacts to ocean and sea life and will support the development of the project’s Construction and Operations Plan to be submitted to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management later this year.