ROUNDUP: Next Steps for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project
Offshore wind turbines. Image credit: Sierra Club.
The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project took a huge leap forward on its path to completion. As the biggest single project ever undertaken by Dominion Energy, a utility monopoly, the State Corporation Commission (SCC) has approved the utility’s cost recovery application.
The SCC ruling also addressed the Virginia Conservation Network’s comments to ensure the responsible development of the project. Development must set a precedent for cost-effective renewable energy projects, establish a commitment to consumer protection, and advance an equitable and inclusive workforce and economic opportunities as quickly as responsible development allows (which is required by law in Va. Code § 56-585.1:11 D).
The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is a massive source of clean, renewable energy that will take us leaps and bounds forward in the fight against climate change. Offshore wind energy will replace 2.7 gigawatts of fossil fuel energy – meaning less carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, reduced need for fossil fuel development like pipelines, and fewer fossil fuels leaking into our drinking water. Offshore wind is a great opportunity for Virginia’s transition to clean, renewable energy.
Upcoming Deadlines for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project
With the SCC’s ruling, the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project is getting close to the end of its federal permitting process, managed by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which must be completed before construction can begin. There are also additional permits from state agencies that the project will likely need to obtain.
Next, BOEM will release a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on December 16th, followed by a public comment period. Feedback on that draft will be taken into consideration, and a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is expected on May 1st, 2023. A Record of Decision (ROD) will be issued 30 days after the FEIS, and Dominion will then have all of the federal permitting needed to move forward with the project.
Response from the Conservation Community
See statements below from Virginia Conservation Network Partners regarding the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project. Please check back as we continue to receive partner statements.
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Victoria Higgins, Virginia Director
“With this ruling, Virginia is poised to take its place as a climate leader by ushering in more offshore wind than anywhere else in the country. On top of its central role in allowing us to meet our 100% clean energy goals, the Virginia Coastal Offshore Wind project will generate thousands of jobs across the state and bring in millions in tax revenue. I applaud the State Corporation Commission for including robust consumer protections and look forward to the project being completed in a least-cost, timely manner. Virginia’s clean energy future is on the horizon.”
Southern Environmental Law Center
Will Cleveland, Senior Attorney
“We applaud the SCC for greenlighting new offshore wind power in Virginia. As the largest offshore wind project in the country, this project is a critical piece of our clean energy transition because it complements solar by generating power at night when the sun isn’t shining. Wind also means cost savings for Dominion customers. In the past year alone, Dominion’s over-reliance on coal and ‘natural gas’ has caused its fuel costs to skyrocket, with Dominion recently asking the Commission for permission to charge its customers more than a billion dollars in unexpected costs. Since market forecasts show no sign of fuel price relief anytime soon, we need zero-fuel resources like offshore wind more than ever. We further applaud the Commission for approving this project with strong ratepayer protections to ensure Dominion delivers the turbines on time and on-budget and further operates the project at the high levels we’ve been promised.”
Clean Virginia
Brennan Gilmore, Executive Director
“The State Corporation Commission’s inclusion of key reporting requirements, that Clean Virginia and other stakeholders requested, is a welcome addition that will allow for more effective monitoring of the project. In addition, the inclusion of a performance guarantee will more fairly distribute the risk of the project between ratepayers and shareholders. However, we note that the Commission did not approve an independent monitor that would have provided an additional, much-needed layer of transparency.”
“As we move forward, Virginia must study all options available to procure the second phase of offshore wind established in the Virginia Clean Economy Act. Utility ownership is not the only, and likely not the most affordable, option for offshore wind development in Virginia.”