Offshore staff
RICHMOND, Va. — Dominion Energy's Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) commercial project reached a major regulatory milestone when the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) completed its environmental analysis on Sept. 25 of the 2.6-GW project planned off the Virginia Beach coast.
The final environmental impact statement (EIS) reflects feedback from Tribal Nations, ocean users, local communities, the offshore wind industry and other interested stakeholders, and it analyzes potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures associated with CVOW's construction.
The notice of availability for the final EIS will publish in the Federal Register on Sept. 29.
The EIS reflects public comments as well as extensive studies, evaluations and designs to maximize CVOW's environmental benefits and minimize potential impacts. This includes actions taken offshore to minimize impacts to marine life, such as North Atlantic right whales, and actions taken onshore to design and build a transmission route that avoids impacts to natural and cultural resources and environmental justice communities to the maximum extent possible.
Dominion says CVOW remains on budget and on schedule. Offshore construction is expected to begin in early 2024 and to conclude in late 2026.
As the largest offshore wind project under development in the US, CVOW will produce enough carbon-free electricity for 660,000 Virginia homes and generate expected fuel savings of more than $3 billion for customers during the project's first 10 years of operation, according to Dominion.
The company is proposing to construct 176 14.7-MW wind turbines and three offshore substations in a 112,800-acre commercial lease area located 27 miles off the Virginia Beach coast.
09.25.2023
