Dominion Energy has announced the installation of 78 monopile foundations and 4 offshore substation foundations for the 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project during the first installation season.
The company's initial objectives of at least 70 monopiles set into the sea floor 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach have been achieved with the installation. CVOW, an offshore wind project under construction in the U.S., will consist of 176 turbines to 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, which is 43% complete, is on-budget and schedule to be completed by late 2026. The company will now 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.
The monopile foundations, which are being staged at Portsmouth Marine Terminal, are single vertical, steel cylinders manufactured by EEW SPC and are being installed into the sea floor to support the wind turbine generators supplied by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. Monopile installations will resume in May 2025 steady with the project construction schedule.
About 1,000 Virginia-based workers, more than 800 in the Hampton Roads region, are working on the CVOW project or with other businesses supporting CVOW. More than 1,000 local jobs are required to support ongoing operations and maintenance of this facility after the project begins commercial operation.
