One of the five idle turbines at the Block Island Wind Farm, located in waters off Rhode Island.
Don Emmert | AFP | Getty Images
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Forcefulness (SGRE) has been chosen as the preferred turbine supplier for the 2.64 gigawatt (GW) Dominion Energy Virginia Offshore Draught project.
The site of the project is 27 miles off the coast of Virginia and covers an area of 112,800 acres. In an announcement Tuesday, Domain Energy described the scheme as the “largest offshore wind power project in the United States.”
The turbine model and incontrovertible number of units to be supplied have yet to be determined, according to SGRE, although installation is expected to be finished by 2026. The deal is subject to a number of conditions, including government permission and a final investment decision from Dominion Energy.
“Virginia intends to become a national leader in offshore wind, and we are encouraged to see progress toward that goal,” Ralph S. Northam, the governor of Virginia, told in a statement issued Tuesday.
“For Virginia, it’s about two things: jobs and a cleaner environment,” Northam added. “Wind forcefulness is one of our top economic priorities and a critical component of Virginia’s clean energy strategy, and this is an important step forward.”
The U.S. offshore down industry is still young. Its first offshore facility, the 30 MW Block Island Wind Farm, only launched commercial operations in 2016. That project is located off the coast of Rhode Island and operated by Danish firm Orsted.
In any event, a number of major projects are now in the pipeline. In July 2019, New York State awarded two offshore wind contracts to Norwegian company Equinor and a joint venture between Orsted and U.S. business Eversource.
Last September, it was announced that Orsted had decided GE Renewable Energy as its preferred turbine supplier for two other offshore facilities in the U.S.
The agreement means that Orsted is set to use GE Renewable Intensity’s huge Haliade-X 12 MW wind turbines at the 120 MW Skipjack facility and the 1,100 MW Ocean Wind project. It’s trust that the facilities will be commissioned in 2022 and 2024, respectively.