Virginia lost millions in federal grants last year for its offshore 12-MW wind demonstration project when the U.S. Energy Dept. said the work was not sufficiently advanced. State officials hope a deal reached earlier this month with Danish offshore wind developer DONG Energy to build the two 6-MW turbines 27 miles off Virginia Beach will now propel the state into the developing Atlantic coast wind-power mix.
Under the partnership between DONG and Dominion Energy, Virginia’s largest utility, the turbines are expected to operate by 2020 and lead to developing 2,000 MW on 112,000 acres of ocean leased by Dominion from DOE.