RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced a deal with Dominion Energy on Wednesday for offshore, renewable energy development for the state.
The Port of Virginia is going to lease 72 acres for Dominion Energy to use for producing wind turbines. These turbines will be installed 27 miles off of the coast of Virginia Beach, according to the release.
“This location at the Port of Virginia is second to none,” said chair, president, and CEO of Dominion Energy Robert M. Blue. “It has deep water access, no overhead restrictions, a strong, experienced maritime workforce and sufficient space for these large wind infrastructure components. It is perfectly situated to serve the Virginia offshore wind project and grow the domestic supply chain needed to complete other offshore wind projects in the United States.”
The wind turbines will allow for the production of more than 2,600 megawatts of clean energy, which is enough to power up to 660,000 homes.
Right now, Dominion Energy has a two-turbine project that is operating off the Virginia Beach coast, and in July, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued a notice of intent for the expansion, which will go through review and preparation, according to the release.
The agreement is one of several steps taken in line with the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which was signed by Gov. Northam in April 2020 and aims to produce 5,200 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2034 and 100% carbon-free energy production by 2045.
“This announcement is yet another milestone toward making Virginia the national leader in offshore wind power,” said Gov. Northam. “The Commonwealth and Dominion Energy are standing together to promote clean energy, reduce carbon emissions, create jobs, and build a new American industry on the East Coast of the United States.”
Nationally, the growth of the offshore wind industry has been encouraged by the Biden Administration, which set a goal for the country to reach 30 gigawatts of capacity by 2030.