VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — On Tuesday, Dominion Energy addressed Croatan residents concerns about the wind turbine project.
Frustrations mostly surround loud noises and vibrations.
Dominion Energy is continuing its work to build 176 wind turbines off the Virginia Beach coast.
Watch previous coverage:
They say the $9 billion wind project will provide more reliable, sustainable energy for over 600,000 homes. But neighbors in the path of the construction say the noise and vibrations are driving them crazy.
One resident said this has been a nightmare for her.
"It’s interfering with our lives everyday—2 a.m. the other morning, I was awoken by the room shaking," said Julie Brown, Croatan Virginia Beach resident. "It wasn’t the noise, it was the shaking. You think is there an earthquake. I go over and look out the window and can see the lights and they’re working on it."
The noise comes from construction work to bring the power from those 176 wind turbines onshore.
Watch more on the wind turbine project:
In a town hall, Dominion Energy said they are no longer using work vehicles with loud beeping sounds. They also say they're taking further steps to turn down the volume.
"We are working on solutions to blanket or buffer the sound," a Dominion Energy official said.
But Brown says it hasn't made much of a difference.
"The wind blanket right now is a joke," Brown said. "There’s a wind blanket. It’s literally like a piece of paper hanging."
That's not the only concern. Back in March, Dominion Energy said that they would pay the city $290,000 because the wind turbines will be visible from shore.
Watch: Dominion Energy to pay almost $1 million for 'visual impacts' of offshore wind farm
Something Dominion officials originally said wouldn't happen.
"Dominion is trying to mitigate this disruption," Virginia Beach Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson said. "I called Dominion and said, '24/7, are you kidding? That’s too much for anybody to take.'"
Dominion Energy said the majority of the construction in the Croatan neighborhood should be complete later this year.
