SCC Seeks Public Voice on Virginia Offshore Wind Project

The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) has scheduled a hearing to obtain public testimony on Dominion Energy’s proposed Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project.

Dominion Energy is seeking approval to construct two offshore wind turbines with a combined capacity of 12MW in a federal lease area in the Mid-Atlantic some 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach.

The hearing is scheduled to be held in Richmond on 9 October at 10:00 a.m. local time. The deadline for submitting written comments on the project is 3 October, with an online form also available.

Dominion Energy entered into a strategic initiative with Ørsted last year to develop the CVOW project, in which the Danish company is in charge of the construction.

Ørsted will build the demonstration project using two units of Siemens Gamesa’s 6-MW SWT-6.0-154 turbines, scheduled for operation by late 2020, when they are expected to provide the operational, weather and environmental experience needed for large-scale development in the adjacent 112,800-acre site leased by Dominion Energy from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).

The large-scale lease area has the capacity to generate up to 2GW of offshore wind if fully developed. Ørsted holds exclusive rights to discuss a strategic partnership with the Virginia-based company about developing the commercial site based on the successful deployment of the pilot wind farm.