Offshore energy expansion coming to Virginia, predicted to power over 600K homes

PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Governor Ralph Northam announced an agreement for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy to establish the first offshore wind turbine blade facility in the United States.

This announcement launches construction on the country’s largest new renewable energy project.

“Virginians want renewable energy, our employers want it, and Virginia is delivering it,” said Governor Ralph S. Northam. “The Commonwealth is joining these leading companies to create the most important clean-energy partnership in the United States.

Siemens Gamesa plans to lease more than 80 acres of the Commonwealth’s Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) and build a facility to produce turbine blades supplying offshore wind projects in North America.

“We at Siemens Gamesa have shown the offshore wind industry the way for over 30 years. Establishing the industry’s first dedicated offshore wind turbine blade facility in the United States proves again that we are leading the offshore revolution,” said Marc Becker, Chief Executive Officer of the Siemens Gamesa Offshore Business Unit.

The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project has a total cost of $200 million, which includes over $80 million in investments for buildings and equipment at the PMT.

Combined with its operations and maintenance activities, the facility will create a total of 310 new jobs, of which roughly 50 will be service jobs to support the project.

“Virginia is leading the way in offshore wind and using blades from this new facility in Hampton Roads on our Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is a major win for the region,” said Robert M. Blue, Dominion Energy Chair, President, and Chief Executive Officer. “It is great to see well-paying, clean energy jobs are on the horizon as an offshore wind supply chain develops here in Virginia.”

Dominion Energy reports that once fully constructed in 2026, the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project will generate enough clean, sustainable energy to power up to over half a million homes at peak and avoid as much as 5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.