The US authorities have approved the development of Dominion Energy’s 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project – the largest approved offshore wind project in the US so far.
This is the fifth approval of a commercial-scale, offshore wind energy project under the Biden administration following the approval of the Vineyard Wind 1, South Fork Wind, Ocean Wind 1 – which was just dropped by Ørsted, and Revolution Wind projects.
Located approximately 23.5 nautical miles offshore Virginia Beach, the CVOW project would be able to provide reliable offshore wind energy for over 900,000 homes. The project is expected to provide about 900 jobs each year during the construction phase and support an estimated 1,100 annual jobs during the operations phase.
After carefully considering the analysis and alternatives in the final environmental impact statement (EIS), the US Department of Interior has approved a plan which includes up to 176 wind turbine generators, each with a capacity of 14.7 MW.
With this approval, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) remains on track to complete reviews of at least 16 offshore wind energy project plans by 2025, representing more than 27 GW of clean energy.
“Today’s approval of the largest offshore wind project in U.S. history builds on the undeniable momentum we are seeing. Together with the labour community, industry, Tribes, and partners from coast to coast, we are aggressively working toward our clean energy goals,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
