PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Dominion Energy’s big offshore wind project is moving into its next phase.
The massive equipment called "monopiles" that will hold the wind turbines in place in the Atlantic Ocean has arrived.
The monopile at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal is now home to eight of them.
Manufactured in Germany and shipped to Portsmouth, they’ll be the foundation for wind turbines off the coast of Virginia Beach; A key piece of Dominion Energy’s efforts to bring offshore wind to the commonwealth.
To celebrate the occasion, the Port of Virginia held a special ceremony Friday with Dominion CEO Bob Blue introducing leadership from the city of Portsmouth. Also, Gov. Glenn Youngkin and his administration, as well as representatives from Washington were in attendance.
Massive equipment to hold Atlantic Ocean wind turbines arrive in Portsmouth
“The first offshore part is installing these monopiles and to get the first delivery of them, on time and on budget is critical for this company, our customers, for the state,” said Bob Blue, President & CEO, Dominion Energy
Blue says these monopiles are just the first batch.
They’ll ship out to sea in the spring. It’s taken years to get to this point.
“This exciting chapter in the future of our energy and maritime industries is being written right here,” said Gov. Youngkin.
After speaking, Gov. Youngkin was among those to sign the first monopile.
According to Dominion, the offshore wind project is scheduled to finish in 2026, with the ability to power more than 600,000 homes, and will support more than a thousand jobs.
