Dominion chooses turbine supplier for $7.8B offshore wind farm

Spanish engineering firm Siemens Gamesa will supply the 600-foot-tall turbines.

Published January 7, 2020 by Sydney Lake

Richmond-based Dominion Energy has selected Spanish renewable energy engineering company Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A. as the preferred turbine supplier for its proposed $7.8 billion offshore wind farm off the coast of Virginia Beach, Dominion announced Tuesday.

Dominion announced plans in September 2019 to build a 220-turbine wind farm 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach by 2026. The wind farm, which would be the largest in the nation, is being proposed as part of Dominion’s initiative to reduce its carbon emissions by 55% in the next decade and 80% by 2050. The project would produce enough zero-carbon electricity to power 650,000 Virginia homes.

Biscay, Spain-based Siemens Gamesa manufactured two 6-megawatt turbines for Dominion’s $300 million Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot offshore wind energy project off Virginia Beach’s coast, which is the first step towards building the larger wind farm. Construction on the CVOW pilot project began in June 2019 and is expected to be complete by spring. The turbines will be brought online and producing power for up to 3,000 homes later this year, according to Dominion.

Siemens Gamesa will work with Dominion to evaluate offshore wind supply chain development in Virginia and to determine how many turbines will be required for the project.

The 6-megawatt turbines will be 600 feet tall when measured from the ocean’s surface to the tip of the top blade — or taller than the Washington Monument.

“Virginia aims to become a national leader in offshore wind, and we are encouraged to see progress toward that goal,” Gov. Ralph Northam said in a statement. “For Virginia, it’s about two things: Jobs and a cleaner environment. Wind energy is one of our top economic priorities and a critical component of Virginia’s clean energy strategy, and this is an important step forward.”

Dominion secured a lease from the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in 2013 for the 112,800-acre offshore property where the wind turbines will be built.

“Virginia state agencies have been tasked to develop a plan to produce 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Offshore wind is a fast-growing and important contributor to meet this goal,” said Steve Dayney, head of offshore North America at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, in a statement.

Dominion supplies energy to approximately 7.5 million customers in 18 states.