Siemens Gamesa to supply 176 wind turbines to Dominion Energy for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project (CVOW)

Siemens Gamesa has agreed to supply 176 wind turbines to Dominion Energy for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project (CVOW).

The 2.6 GW project is the country's largest offshore wind farm currently under construction. CVOW will generate enough energy to power 660,000 homes when it is completed in 2026.

The wind turbine blades would be built at Siemens Gamesa's recently announced blade finishing facility at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal, which Dominion is leasing. The location represents a USD 200 million investment that will assist CVOW by creating 300 employment.

Siemens Gamesa's SG 14-222 DD, one of the world's largest offshore wind turbines in operation, will be used by Dominion. Each turbine is more than 800 feet tall, with blades reaching 354 feet (more than the length of a football field) and a rotor diameter of 728 feet, and has a capacity of up to 14.7 MW.

The turbine pieces will be pre-assembled at a nearby Dominion facility before being transported onto the company's boat once they arrive. The parts will subsequently be shipped to Virginia Beach for installation.

A 10-year service agreement for turbine maintenance was also reached between Dominion Energy and Siemens Gamesa. All of the agreements are subject to government approval and other procedures.

Since its announcement, Renewable Energy World has been following the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project. We reported in November that the project's anticipated cost had risen to $10 billion.

At the time, Dominion Energy CEO Bob Blue told investors that the project's expected Levelized cost of energy was $87 per megawatt-hour. Although this was within the $80-90 million budgeted for the project, it nonetheless resulted in a $2 billion increase in total costs.

He believes that extra tax credits, which are being examined as part of the Biden administration's now-uncertain Build Back Better plan, could help to reduce the project's costs.

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