Page 12: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 2019)

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INSIGHTS: OFFSHORE WIND

Tom Ewing

Tom Ewing is a freelance writer specializing in energy and environmental topics. He has been a regular contributor to MarineLink publications for the past two years. He has extensive experience working on legislative and public policy issues, both at the state and federal levels.

Virginia Targets Offshore Wind

Strong Foundation in Place for Collaboration, Future Success irginia of? cials have estab- lished a well-planned, exten- sive strategy to build out an

Voffshore wind industry, in- cluding wind towers for electricity gener- ation and the supply chain to support that extensive infrastructure and operations.

The State’s big picture is ambitious: de- veloping 2,000 MW of offshore wind by 2028.

As currently envisioned, VA’s offshore wind development will likely start this year with two 8-megawatt wind turbines 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach.

This is a Dominion Energy pilot under- taken in partnership with the Danish wind company Orsted. The project is called “Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind;” it has been somewhat on-again/off-again be- cause of cost recovery issues for DE.

In 2018, however, the regulatory picture changed big-time when VA’s legislature passed a critical energy bill called the “Grid Transformation and Security Act.”

This bill reset emerging renewable energy projects as being “in the public interest” an important change in status allowing a utility to recover at least some costs, say for a research or experimental project, through ratepayers’ electric bills.

© dell/AdobeStock

Another critical building block that

VIRGINIA’S BIG PICTURE AMBITION IS 2,000 MW OF OFFSHORE WIND emerged in late 2018 was the establish- ment of an energy related business direc-

BY 2028. AS CURRENTLY ENVISIONED, VA’S OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOP- tory called the “Virginia Offshore Wind

MENT WILL LIKELY START THIS YEAR WITH TWO 8-MEGAWATT WIND

Supply Chain Resource Network Direc- tory.” Its purpose is to connect “offshore

TURBINES 27 MILES OFF THE COAST OF VIRGINIA BEACH. wind developers, wind turbine suppliers 12 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • MARCH 2019

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