U.S. Interior Completes Environmental Review of Wind Project Offshore Virginia

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Sept. 25 announced the completion of its environmental review of Dominion Energy Inc.’s proposed Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project off Virginia. The project located about 23.5 nautical miles offshore Virginia Beach, would provide up to 3 gigawatts (GW) of wind energy. The wind farm would have the capacity to power up to 660,000 homes. Virginia has a goal of installing 5.2 GW of offshore wind by 2034. The project will also support the national offshore wind target of 30 GW by 2030.

The bureau plans to issue a decision regarding project approval in the upcoming fall season. The agency initiated a public comment period on a draft statement in Dec. 2022, which included virtual meetings to gather feedback from tribal nations, local communities, commercial fishing interests, and other stakeholders. The 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act requires Dominion Energy to deploy 2.5 GW to 3 GW of offshore wind energy by 2028.

The announcement comes on the heels of federal approval of the fourth commercial-scale offshore wind project, a 704-megawatt wind farm to be built off the coast of Rhode Island. The bureau has also approved Ørsted’s 1.1 GW wind project off the coast of New Jersey, the third commercial-scale offshore wind project in the U.S. The first offshore wind auction in the Gulf of Mexico, held in August, resulted in one lease area receiving a high bid of $5.6 million. In this auction, RWE, a company based in Germany, won the rights to a 102,480-acre Lake Charles, Louisiana that has the capacity to produce around 1.24 GW of offshore wind energy and power approximately 435,400 homes. The auction involved three lease areas off Texas and Louisiana.

Even as projects approach permitting milestones, the U.S. offshore wind industry faces headwinds from mounting opposition and financial challenges. The industry is faced with a host of challenges including opposition over impacts to the environment and coastal economies, escalating costs, and delays.

For the Coastal Virginia project, Dominion Energy has adopted a Project Design Envelope approach to describe the project’s facilities and activities. The design considers a range of project designs, such as foundation and wind turbine options, to evaluate their impact on various resources, including marine mammals, fish, benthic habitats, commercial fisheries, and navigation.

The notice of availability for the final review will be published in the Federal Register on Sept. 29, 2023.