Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Will Review Proposed Virginia Beach Offshore Wind Energy Facility

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will be conducting a review of a proposed offshore wind energy facility off the coast of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Governor Ralph Northam (VA) and Senator Tim Kaine (VA) are pursing the project in conjunction with the Biden administration’s energy agenda. The Biden administration has set a goal of creating 80,000 jobs through developing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.

Earlier this month, BOEM published a notice of intent to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in the Federal Register. BOEM is accepting public comments on the notice through August 2 and will be conducting three virtual public meetings during this time.

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is the federal entity responsible for offshore energy resources. “Building a domestic offshore wind supply chain is a key step needed to meet this administration’s goal of 30 GW by 2030,” said BOEM Director Amanda Lefton. “If approved, the CVOW-C project will represent another step forward to help the United States leverage existing manufacturing and workforce capabilities to grow a network of domestic suppliers.”

The proposed project includes three offshore stations and one possible location on land in Virginia Beach. Currently, Dominion Energy operates a research offshore wind project located near the proposed project that is providing useful information that will help inform the proposed project as it moves forward.

The Biden administration has been zealously pursuing the advancement of offshore wind energy creation and has recently approved a $2.8 billion “Vineyard Wind” wind farm off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. This project will be the first major wind farm to be built in federal waters and is expected to be fully operational in 2023.

The Department of the Interior also recently announced that it will study the potential for offshore windfarms in the Gulf of Mexico to generate clean energy.