Virginia energy company planning major offshore wind farm project

A Virginia-based energy company is proposing a major offshore wind farm off the coast of Virginia Beach that it said would be the largest offshore wind project in the United States. 

In a statement, Dominion Energy said the project would produce enough energy to power 650,000 homes during peak wind.

{mosads}It must first be approved by regional transmission organization PJM, which coordinates the electrical grid of 13 states and Washington, D.C., according to the statement. 

If approved, the project would be located in the 112,800 acres Dominion is leasing from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which is 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. 

“Offshore wind is an excellent renewable energy source and this filing with PJM shows how serious we are about bringing commercial-scale offshore wind to Virginia, giving our customers what they have asked for – more renewable energy,” said Mark Mitchell, Dominion’s vice president of generation construction, in the statement. 

“Governor Ralph Northam has made it clear Virginia is committed to leading the way in offshore wind. We are rising to this challenge with this 2,600-megawatt commercial offshore wind development,” he added. 

The company aims to move ahead in three phases, with the first phase concluding by 2024 and later phases slated for 2025 and 2026.