Virginia’s coastal offshore wind farm receives federal approval

The Interior Department on Tuesday approved a plan to install up to 176 giant wind turbines off the coast of Virginia, paving the way for what would be the nation’s largest offshore wind farm to date.

the Offshore wind project in Virginia, to be built by Dominion Energy, is the fifth commercial-scale offshore wind project approved by the Biden administration. If completed, the 2.6 gigawatt wind farm will produce enough electricity to power more than 900,000 homes, without causing any of the carbon dioxide emissions that heat the planet.

The project is expected to provide approximately 900 job opportunities each year during the construction phase and support an estimated 1,100 annual job opportunities once it is operational. “More progress and economic opportunity are on the horizon as we use every tool available to bring the benefits of offshore wind to American workers and communities across the country,” said Ali Al-Zaidi, White House National Climate Advisor.

The decision comes at a dangerous time for the offshore wind industry. To combat climate change, the Biden administration wants to install 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power in the United States by 2030. But that plan has run into serious problems recently, as developers grapple with rising costs, rising interest rates, supply chain delays and climate change. Explosions from the local opposition.

While dozens of offshore wind farms are planned along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, not all of them are guaranteed to be built. In Massachusetts, the company behind the Commonwealth Wind Project She terminated her contracts With government utilities this year, citing unexpected inflation, it said it plans to re-bid at higher prices. In New York, developers of four proposed offshore wind farms recently asked the state for more money before moving forward. New York denied that request and it is unclear whether the projects will move forward.

Analysts at BloombergNEF now expect that only 16.4 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity will be completed by 2030, roughly half of the Biden administration’s goal.

However, even amid the turmoil, some projects are progressing slowly. Off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, construction is underway at Vineyard Wind, where 62 wind turbines are expected to be installed this year. And in New Jersey, where the Ocean Wind project is facing protests from residents of the Jersey Shore developer It recently posted a $100 million bond To ensure the wind farm is completed by 2025.

And in Virginia, Dominion Energy recently It welcomed the arrival of eight massive steel columns from Germany In preparation for the $9.8 billion onshore wind project, which will be located approximately 27 miles offshore of Virginia. Construction is expected to be completed by 2026.

“Delivering the first pilings is further evidence that our coastal Virginia wind project continues to move forward on time and on budget to provide increasingly reliable, affordable and clean energy to our customers,” Dominion CEO Robert Blue said in a statement. Final statement.

Biden administration Environmental audit It found that an offshore wind project in Virginia would help reduce local air pollution, but also has the potential to disrupt local fishing areas, wetlands and whale migration routes. As part of the approval process, Dominion agreed to move several turbines away from known fish havens, and to compensate local fisheries for any losses they may incur.

Elsewhere, similar concerns have slowed offshore wind plans. Hunting groups and landowners Several lawsuits were filed to halt the Vineyard Wind project in Massachusetts, arguing that the federal government had not properly considered the consequences a wind farm might have on fisheries or endangered North American right whales. (One of these lawsuits is funded by a Texas-based nonprofit that promotes fossil fuels.)

Elizabeth Klein, director of the Office of Ocean Energy Management, which oversees reviews of offshore wind, said her agency consulted with state and local leaders, tribes, ocean users, industry groups and other federal agencies as part of its decision to give the go-ahead. Virginia Project.

“We look forward to continuing to work together to responsibly develop this clean energy source and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come,” she added. Klein said.