Wind

Dominion's 2.6GW Virginia offshore wind array steams ahead with first substation amid Trump turbulence

Despite President’s order that freezes most sector activity, utility is 'confident CVOW will be completed on-time, and that Virginia's clean energy transition will continue'

First of three substations for Dominion Energy's CVOW offshore wind project arrive at Virginia's Portsmouth Marine Terminal
First of three substations for Dominion Energy's CVOW offshore wind project arrive at Virginia's Portsmouth Marine TerminalPhoto: Dominion Energy/LinkedIn
US Offshore Wind Editor, Recharge

Virginia's Portsmouth Marine Terminal announced receipt of the first of three 880MW substations for Dominion Energy’s nation-leading, 2.6GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) array that is currently in at-sea construction.

The regulated utility contracted the substations in 2021 from a consortium of Semco Maritime and CS Wind, part of a massive early procurement drive that was critical in helping the project avoid the largest subsequent impacts of inflation that wreaked havoc on the industry.
The fully permitted CVOW began offshore installation last May. So far, maritime contractor Deme has installed 78 monopiles manufactured by German fabricator EEW and several offshore substation foundations, with construction continuing despite President Donald Trump’s call for a moratorium on most offshore wind development activities.

On his first day in office, Trump issued an executive order directing the secretary of Interior to "conduct a comprehensive review of the ecological, economic, and environmental necessity of terminating or amending any existing wind energy leases, identifying any legal bases for such removal”.

The directive potentially endangers some 19GW of capacity approved by Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, with industry uncertain when the reviews will begin, what they will entail, and their duration.

“Virginia's clean energy transition and our ‘all of the above’ strategy, including Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW), have been underway for several years under multiple state and federal administrations and with bipartisan support from policymakers at every level,” Dominion’s offshore wind spokesperson Jeremy Slayton told Recharge.

“We're confident CVOW will be completed on-time, and that Virginia's clean energy transition will continue with bipartisan support for many years to come.”

Construction steams ahead

CVOW is one of three projects in at-sea construction, along with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Iberdrola-controlled Avangrid’s 800MW Vineyard Wind 1 and Orsted’s 704MW Revolution Wind.

Vineyard Wind has resumed turbine installation after a lengthy stall following a blade collapse in July that shut down construction during an investigation.

Turbine supplier GE Vernova identified manufacturing defects at a Canadian factory and is replacing those blades. It expects to complete installation of all 62 of its 13MW Haliade-X units for the project off Massachusetts by the end of the year.
Installation of Revolution’s 64 Siemens Gamesa 11MW turbines has also been delayed by supply chain issues and soil contamination at its onshore substation site in Rhode Island, with Orsted delaying commercial operations date (COD) to 2026. The project’s power will be split between Rhode Island and Connecticut.
The developer’s 920MW Sunrise Wind to New York has also begun onshore construction but has pushed back COD to 2027 amid financial losses. It remains unclear if Trump’s review order will add to its troubles.
An Orsted spokesperson told Recharge: "We’re in the process of reviewing the White House’s executive order on wind to assess the impact on our portfolio."

CVOW is slated to complete installation of all 176 Siemens Gamesa 14.7MW turbines by 2027, providing critical energy to a market expected to see a huge surge in demand.

The $10bn array is the only US offshore wind project to remain on time and on budget following Orsted's completed 132MW array to New York.

Northern Virginia is the world’s largest data centre hub that is expected to ramp fast amid the growing demands of artificial intelligence (AI).

Dominion expects demand in its service territory to rise 6% annually through the end of the decade.
(Copyright)

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Published 31 January 2025, 00:06Updated 31 January 2025, 08:23
AmericasUSDominion EnergyCVOWOrsted