Utility to build small offshore wind farm near Virginia

Dominion Energy announced Monday it will build a small wind power project off the coast of Virginia.

The plan — a two-turbine project from Dominion and European firm DONG Energy — aims to produce six-megawatts of power, or enough for about 3,000 homes. It would be only the second offshore wind farm deployed in the United States, after the Block Island development off the coast of Maine.

The project comes after a series of delays and cost overruns, and Dominion lost a federal grant for the project in 2016 due to higher than expected costs.

{mosads}“While we have faced many technological challenges and even more doubters as we advanced this project, we have been steadfast in our commitment to our customers and the communities we serve,” Dominion CEO Thomas Farrell said in a statement Monday.

Dominion is developing its wind project 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, Va. The company said in a release that the project would “provide critical operational, weather and environmental experience needed for large-scale development” on other, more expansive offshore sites Dominion has leased for wind power.

Full deployment on its leased acreage could generate up to 2,000 megawatts of power, the company said.

The Block Island Wind Farm, the nation’s first offshore wind installment, came online in December, producing 30 megawatts of power.