Dominion Energy's Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) commercial project reached a regulatory milestone when the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the availability of the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 2.6GW project planned off the Virginia Beach coast.
The draft environmental analysis will publish in the Federal Register on December 16, 2022, opening a 60-day public comment period that ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on February 14, 2023. Feedback on the draft EIS will inform BOEM's preparations for the final EIS. Dominion Energy initially filed its Construction and Operations Plan with BOEM in December 2020, kicking off the environmental review.
The draft EIS reflects the extensive studies, evaluations and design to maximise CVOW's environmental benefits and minimise potential impacts. This includes actions taken offshore to construct the wind turbine generators to minimise impacts to marine life, such as North Atlantic Right Whales, and actions taken onshore to design a transmission route that avoids impacts to natural resources to the maximum extent possible.
Dominion Energy is proposing to construct 176 14.7MW Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy wind turbines and three offshore substations in a 112,800-acre commercial lease area located 27 miles off the Virginia Beach coast. Offshore construction is scheduled to begin in 2024 and conclude in late 2026.
