Dominion Energy has ordered 176 wind turbines from Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project. The 2.6 GW project is the largest offshore wind farm currently under construction in the US. It is expected to generate enough energy to power 660,000 homes when it is completed in 2026.
The wind turbine blades would be built at Siemens Gamesa’s blade finishing facility at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal, which Dominion is leasing. The location represents a $200 million investment that will assist employment for over 300 people. In addition, Dominion also intends to deploy Siemens Gamesa’s SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbines. Each turbine is more than 800 feet tall, with blades reaching 354 feet (more than the length of a football field) and a rotor diameter of 728 feet, and has a capacity of up to 14.7 MW.
In November 2021, Dominion Energy Virginia proposed new solar projects as the company moves forward to provide customers with more clean energy. The nine solar facilities would have a cumulative capacity of around 500 MW enough to power around 125,000 homes at peak output. The proposal comes just months after the enactment of the Virginia Clean Economy Act and builds on what is already the third-largest solar portfolio among utility holding companies in the US.
REGlobal’s Views: The United States is expected to witness more such large contracts for offshore wind turbines in the near future as the country has a massive pipeline of offshore wind projects.
