A vessel aids in the construction of a wind turbine offshore Virginia (courtesy: Dominion Energy)Dominion Energy has announced the first monopile foundation at 2.6-GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) was installed approximately 29 miles off the Virginia Beach coast. The monopile was installed by the Orion, DEME Group’s heavy lift vessel.
Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind is the largest offshore wind farm currently under construction in the United States. Once complete, the $9.8 billion CVOW will consist of 176 turbines, and the company maintains the project is still on schedule to be completed in late 2026.
The monopile foundations that are being staged at Portsmouth Marine Terminal are single vertical, steel cylinders manufactured by EEW SPC that will be installed on the sea floor to support the wind turbine generators. Consistent with the project construction schedule, Dominion Energy will continue to install monopiles through the fall of 2024 and resume installations in May 2025.
“We are proud to partner with Dominion Energy on this landmark project,” said Bill White, president of DEME Offshore US. “DEME’s Orion vessel, equipped with industry-leading Vibro Hammer technology, is uniquely designed to efficiently install CVOW’s massive monopiles, all weighing over 1,000 tons. Our talented project team will include skilled American union pile drivers, creating a robust and prepared workforce. We look forward to working with our consortium partner Prysmian to help deliver Virginia-made energy to the Commonwealth.”
“This is a monumental day for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind team, who have worked tirelessly to keep this project on budget and on schedule to provide our customers with reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean energy,” said Robert M. Blue, Dominion Energy’s chair, president and chief executive officer. “We are taking extensive precautions to ensure this project is fully protective of the environment and to protect marine species.”
A federal judge will soon decide whether Dominion Energy obtained the necessary federal approvals for the project. In March, several groups filed a lawsuit alleging that Dominion didn’t obtain approvals concerning impacts to the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
Experts say there’s no evidence that limited wind farm construction on the Atlantic Coast has directly resulted in any whale deaths.
To protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale, Dominion says no monopiles will be installed between November 1 and April 30, when whales are expected to be migrating past the project area. Additional measures to protect whales and other aquatic life include the use of “bubble curtains,” which are perforated hoses that have air pumped through them to create a wall of bubbles around the monopiles during installation, reducing soundwaves underwater. Vessels will also be staffed by Protected Species Observers and adhere to speed restrictions to avoid collisions with protected species.
In February, Dominion Energy announced it had reached an agreement to sell a 50% non-controlling interest in Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind to Stonepeak, an investment firm, through the formation of an offshore wind partnership in which Dominion Energy will retain full operational control of the construction and operations of CVOW.
