Virginia Offshore Wind project : Dominion Energy selects Siemens Gamesa as preferred turbine supplier

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has been selected by Dominion Energy as the preferred turbine supplier for the 2.64GW Virginia Offshore Wind project, which is set to become the largest offshore wind farm in the US.

The offshore wind project, to be located 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, is expected to produce enough electricity to power 650,000 Virginia homes upon its commissioning. It is estimated to offset 3.7 million tons per year of carbon emissions.

Siemens Gamesa, which also has a long-term service and maintenance agreement, will be supplying turbines from its  Direct Drive offshore wind turbine platform. The final number of units and turbine model is yet to be decided.

Based on a final investment decision from Dominion Energy, governmental permitting, and other necessary approvals, the installations are expected to be wrapped up by 2026.

Commenting on the potential contract for the Virginia Offshore Wind project, Markus Tacke – Siemens Gamesa CEO, said: “Signing this preferred supplier agreement with Dominion Energy attests to the enormously exciting growth taking place in the U.S. offshore wind industry and across the globe. We’re thrilled to have been chosen to support them in their commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to once again do our part in combating climate change on a global level.”

Siemens Gamesa selected as preferred turbine supplier for Dominion Energy’s Virginia Offshore Wind project

Siemens Gamesa said that the agreement for the Virginia Offshore Wind project also provides for certain early works to be carried out to support project development. These include turbine layouts which will be used in the construction and operations plan (COP) which will be submitted to the United States Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in late 2020.

Andreas Nauen – CEO of the Siemens Gamesa Offshore Business Unit said: “Internationally, every Siemens Gamesa Direct Drive offshore wind turbine we install increases the impact made by the renewable energy industry in avoiding CO2 emissions from power generation. Locally, we help our customers provide cost-efficient clean energy as well as additional economic benefits.”

The Virginia Offshore Wind project will be leveraging on the knowledge and expertise gained from Dominion Energy’s recent 12MW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project, which is the first offshore wind project to come up in the US.