RICHMOND, Va. — Dominion Energy announced that 78 monopile foundations and 4 offshore substation foundations were installed for the 2.6-gigawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project during the first installation season, achieving the company’s initial objectives of at least 70 monopiles set into the sea floor 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach.
CVOW, the largest offshore wind project under construction in the United States, will consist of 176 turbines that will generate enough clean, renewable energy to power up to 660,000 homes and is expected to generate fuel savings of $3 billion for customers during the first 10 years of operation.
CVOW construction remains on-budget and on schedule to be complete in late 2026. The project is now 43 percent complete. For the next few months, the company will focus on installation of the first offshore substation, continued export cable lays and onshore transmission construction, and placement of transition pieces on top of monopiles in preparation for turbine installation starting in 2025.
“Our Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project shows that regulated offshore wind works in the United States,” said Robert M. Blue, Dominion Energy’s chair, president and chief executive officer. “As we face unprecedented customer demand, offshore wind is critical to our diverse, all-of-the-above generation mix to keep the lights on for our customers with affordable, reliable and increasingly clean energy.”
The monopile foundations, which are being staged at Portsmouth Marine Terminal, are single vertical, steel cylinders manufactured by global leader EEW SPC and are being installed into the sea floor to support the wind turbine generators supplied by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. Consistent with the project construction schedule, monopile installations will resume in May 2025.
Offshore wind’s economic development and jobs benefits are transformative for Hampton Roads and the Commonwealth. Nearly 1,000 Virginia-based workers – more than 800 in the Hampton Roads region – have been engaged on the CVOW project or with other businesses supporting CVOW. More than 1,000 local jobs will be needed to support ongoing operations and maintenance of this facility after the project begins commercial operation.
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