Source: Massive Virginia offshore wind project presses on with… | Canary Media
May 5, 2025
The Trump administration turned the offshore wind industry on its head last month when it slapped a stop-work order on New York’s Empire Wind 1 project. The move launched local protests, and Empire’s developer is considering a lawsuit. But the dream of offshore wind is still alive — for now — in the warm waters off Virginia’s coast.
Dominion Energy resumed turbine installation at sunrise on Thursday last week, after the end of a federally mandated seasonal hiatus to protect migrating whales. The renewed construction marked the start of the second installation phase for a project that company executives said is 55% complete.
Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW), a 2.6-gigawatt project, has already installed 78 foundations for its 176 turbines and is generating 2,000 direct and indirect jobs for the local economy. Dominion has so far spent $6 billion on the monumental effort, which is 12 years in the making. The state-regulated utility in 2013 purchased the lease for the site about 30 miles offshore of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and overcame anti-wind opponents that sought to thwart the project.
Leave a Reply