Orsted Signs with Siemens Gamesa for Dominion's Offshore Wind Project

Dominion Energy’s planned 12 MW offshore wind farm gained momentum this week as its main contractor inked a deal for new turbines, the companies reported Friday.

Ørsted signed up Siemens Gamesa to supply turbines for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project that Dominion has planned since 2011. The wind farm 27 miles off the Virginia coast would the first such project in the U.S. mid-Atlantic.

Dominion hopes the two-turbine demonstration project that will strive lower costs and higher resiliency against hurricanes. It is part of Dominion’s $2 billion grid transformation plan that includes renewables expansion, smart metering and energy efficiency programs.

Danish firm Ørsted will construct the wind farm using two units of Siemens Gamesa’s 6-MW SWT-6.0-154 turbines. The blades will be produced at Siemens Gamesa’s manufacturing facility in Aalborg, Denmark, and the nacelle assemblies will begin in Cuxhaven, Germany.

Deliveries are expected to begin by mid-2020. Dominion still needs regulatory approval for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.

"When we announced our initiative with Ørsted last year, we knew great things were on the horizon," said Mark Mitchell, vice president of generation construction for Dominion Energy, in a statement. "Today’s announcement welcoming Siemens Gamesa to the team is further evidence that Virginia is poised to be a leader in the offshore wind industry. It also demonstrates that our customers can be sure that Dominion is committed to a sustainable future.”

Ørsted and Spanish firm Siemens Gamesa have partnered on wind projects since at least 2013. Together they have contracted, manufactured and installed approximately 2,700 MW of offshore wind globally.

"We are delighted to be moving forward on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind initiative," said Thomas Brostrøm, President of Ørsted North America, in a statement. "Siemens Gamesa’s record of exceptional technology, combined with our prior successful partnership experience around the world, will demonstrate how Virginia residents and businesses can experience the benefits of clean, reliable, cost competitive offshore wind energy.”