Why Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is quietly raising the bar

Reviewed: ad hoc news B2B & Pro desk. Edited and checked on 2026-06-20, 08:40. Details in the imprint.

With the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, Dominion Energy wants to anchor a forest of turbines in the Atlantic that customers will mostly just notice as a steadier, cleaner power bill. Out at sea, however, 176 giant machines quietly redraw the utility’s profile.

What the project looks like

The full Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, often shortened to CVOW, is planned about 27 to 40 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach in federal waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Each turbine tower rises well over 200 meters above the sea surface, blades sweeping slow circles against the horizon.

Dominion Energy plans 176 turbines with a total capacity of around 2.6 gigawatts, enough to supply electricity for roughly 660,000 average homes when fully operational. The scale puts CVOW among the largest proposed offshore wind farms in the United States.

Capacity, timeline, and cost

According to Dominion Energy’s project documentation, the company targets completion of CVOW by the end of 2026, with construction already under way after key regulatory approvals from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Onshore transmission upgrades in Virginia are built in parallel.

The utility expects total project costs of about 9.8 billion US dollars, including the turbines, undersea cables, offshore substations, and grid connections. That price tag reflects not only hardware, but also specialized installation vessels and long regulatory lead times for US offshore wind.

How it feeds customers

Electricity from Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind will land via submarine cables at a coastal interconnection point near Virginia Beach, then move through upgraded high-voltage lines into Dominion’s existing grid. For customers, the flow shows up as a slice of their standard mix, not a separate green tariff.

Dominion says the wind farm should help displace several million tons of carbon dioxide over its lifetime compared with fossil generation, supporting Virginia’s clean-energy policy goals. The predictable wind conditions offshore complement solar output, which tends to peak at different times of day and season.

Risks and criticism

The project has not sailed without headwinds. Some consumer advocates and industrial customers have raised concerns over cost recovery and potential bill impacts, challenging parts of the regulatory approval process. There have also been debates about construction impacts on marine life and fisheries.

Dominion has committed to environmental monitoring and mitigation measures, including seasonal limits and acoustic controls during pile driving for turbine foundations. The company also coordinates with the US Coast Guard and maritime stakeholders to keep shipping lanes safe around the turbine array.

Where Dominion Energy stands on the market

Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind marks a strategic shift for Dominion Energy toward larger-scale offshore renewables and long-lived regulated assets. It sits alongside the company’s growing portfolio of solar, energy storage, and gas infrastructure as part of a broader transition plan.

Shares of Dominion Energy (US25746U1097) trade in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange in US dollars.

This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information without guarantee; prices and availability may change at short notice. No investment advice, no buy or sell recommendation. Stock-market transactions involve risks up to total loss.