The US completed construction of its second offshore wind project – and first in federal waters – as Dominion Energy finished installing both turbines at its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind development.
The 12MW pilot project using twin 6MW Siemens Gamesa turbines will be tested ahead of commissioning this summer, said the utility, which built CVOW as a precursor to an immense 2.6GW project that is America’s largest yet planned.
The Virginia pilot joins the Block Island project off Rhode Island as just the second project turning off the US, but ahead of what will be a massive build-out that could see up to 30GW added off America's coasts by 2030.
CVOW – which Dominion constructed in conjunction with global offshore wind pacesetter Orsted – is in an 8.6 sq km area leased by the state about 43km from shore, adjacent to the western flank of a 456 sq km zone that the utility is leasing for commercial wind development.
"The construction of these two turbines is a major milestone not only for offshore wind in Virginia but also for offshore wind in the US," said Dominion Energy CEO Thomas Farrell.
Dominion plans to start building the 2.6GW project from 2024 using 14MW turbines from Siemens Gamesa that would be the world’s largest in operation.
