Dominion says offshore wind 81% complete

Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is 81% complete and anticipated for completion at the end of 2027 – six months beyond the company’s earlier time frame and at least $228 million over cost estimate, thanks to tariffs and network upgrade costs assigned by PJM Interconnection grid operations.

In a second-quarter earnings call July 31, Dominion president Bob Blue said tariffs on steel and aluminum added to the $11.6 billion, 2.6 gigawatt array.

Blue cited weather, moving equipment onsite and longer installation times for the planned 176 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW turbines among factors in the revised schedule.

“I’m confident in the updated timeline. But let me take a step back," Blue said on the call. "The strategic value of CVOW hasn’t changed. It remains one of the fastest ways to bring a lot of power to our customers and remains one of the most affordable sources of energy for customers.”

The 31 turbines installed to date have capacity similar to some of Dominion’s fossil fuel generation plants on shore, Blue noted.

All turbine nacelles and most towers and turbine blades have been completed in fabrication, according to Dominion, with the last towers ready in October.

The project’s third and final offshore substation is scheduled to be in service by the end of 2026

Fabrication is also nearing completion, with all nacelles, about 99% of towers and 85% of blades produced. The remaining towers are expected to be completed in the coming days, followed by the final blades in October, according to Dominion Energy.

The company says turbines have been installed at a pace of about two days per generator over the last 26 installations.

The first and second offshore substations have completed commissioning, while the third and final offshore substation is expected to reach that stage by the end of 2026. At that point half of the total CVOW investment will be in service.