Richmond-based Dominion Energy announced today that it is advancing its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project by achieving a key regulatory milestone. Accordingly, the electricity and natural gas company said that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will publish in the Federal Register on Friday the Notice of Intent (NOI) for the proposed 2.6-gigawatt commercial project.
Read more of our news content, here; EPRI launches initiative to help ensure Sufficient Electricity Supply
Indeed, this project is the largest planned offshore wind farm in the United States.
The Issuance of NOI – Advancing CVOW
The issuance of NOI begins BOEM’s and other federal agencies’ review of the project. Besides, it initiates an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) preparation, which will take about two years. Lastly, it opens a 30-day public comment period during which federal agencies will conduct scoping meetings; moreover, they will accept comments to inform the preparation of the EIS.
In this regard, Robert M. Blue, Dominion Energy’s chair, president, and chief executive officer, commented in a media release; “The Notice of Intent marks an important regulatory milestone; besides, it ensures CVOW remains on schedule to complete construction in 2026.“
Particularly, “so we can deliver clean, renewable offshore wind energy to Dominion Energy Virginia customers,” added Blue. Therefore, “we look forward to continuing to work with our federal regulators and the public; mainly, as we move forward with the environmental review process.”
Similarly, Governor Ralph Northam said; “Virginia is all in on offshore wind. In fact, we are developing the infrastructure, workforce, supply chain, and manufacturing capabilities needed to capture the many benefits of this emerging industry.”
Hence, “this announcement puts our Commonwealth on a path to harnessing the power of wind; particularly, to produce affordable and reliable renewable energy, create thousands of new jobs, and meet our ambitious climate goals.“
More about the project – Dominion Energy
Indeed, Dominion Energy filed in December 2020 a Construction and Operations Plan (COP) to build the CVOW commercial project in a 112,800-acre commercial lease area. Accordingly, the plan called for 2,640 megawatts of clean, renewable energy to be installed.
As a result, the wind farm will generate enough renewable energy to power up to 660,000 Dominion Energy Virginia customers’ homes at peak output. According to the company, BOEM’s issuance of the NOI reflects its determination that the COP is complete.
As the company stated in the media release, offshore wind generation is a significant component of its comprehensive clean energy strategy. Particularly, Dominion Energy aims to meet standards mandated in the Virginia Clean Economy Act. Also, it wants to achieve the company’s net-zero carbon dioxide and methane emissions commitment by 2050.
Finally, according to an economic impact study performed by Glen Allen-based Mangum Economics, the CVOW commercial project could create approximately 900 jobs. Additionally, it could generate $143 million in economic impact annually during construction and 1,100 jobs. Lastly, it can deliver almost $210 million in economic impact annually during the operation of the turbines.
Similarly, during construction, the CVOW commercial project could generate nearly $5 million per year in local and state tax revenue.
