Dominion gets BOEM nod for 12-MW wind demo off Virginia

Dominion Energy Inc (NYSE:D) has obtained key permits for the design, fabrication and installation of a 12-MW offshore wind demonstrator off the coast of Virginia, the US utility said on Monday.

The US Bureau of Ocean Management (BOEM) issued a no objection determination on the Facility Design Report (FDR) and Fabrication and Installation Report (FIR) for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project -- the first offshore wind farm in the mid-Atlantic. Dominion filed the specific reports together with Denmark’s Ørsted A/S (CPH:ORSTED), which is acting as an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the project, and turbine supplier Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA (BME:SGRE).

The proposed wind park will use two 6-MW turbines that will be installed in a federal lease area about 27 miles (43.5 km) off the coast of Virginia Beach.

The new approvals concern the design of all major components of the planned power facility, and the fabrication and installation plans of the equipment. They put the project on track to begin offshore construction next summer.

The CVOW project was greenlighted by the Virginia State Corporation Commission in November 2018 and onshore construction works have started this summer. The demo scheme will provide permitting, construction and operational experience for the development of an adjacent wind lease area held by Dominion Energy that could accommodate up to 2,000 MW of turbines, if fully developed.

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