The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind from Dominion Energy Inc. - 176 turbines aim for 2.6 GW by 2028

Reviewed: ad hoc news B2B & Pro desk. Edited and checked on 2026-06-28, 01:04. Details in the imprint.

Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind from Dominion Energy Inc. starts as a dot on the horizon, a faint row of maintenance vessels and jack-up rigs in the morning haze off Virginia Beach. Stand on the sand, feel the damp wind on your face, and this giant power plant feels strangely quiet.

What Dominion is building

The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) commercial project is Dominion Energy's multi-billion-dollar bet on offshore wind in the US Mid-Atlantic. The utility plans to install about 176 turbines roughly 27 miles off the coast in federal waters.

Dominion expects the project to reach roughly 2.6 gigawatts of total capacity once fully built, enough electricity for roughly 660,000 typical homes based on the company's internal estimates. The site sits near the existing two-turbine pilot that has been feeding power into the grid since 2020.

Timeline, spending and scale

For CEO Robert Blue, CVOW is a defining project in Dominion's current capital plan. The company expects the offshore wind farm to enter service by the end of 2028 after several years of staged offshore construction and transmission work.

Regulators in Virginia have approved a cost recovery framework, and Dominion has cited a total project budget in the low tens of billions of US dollars, grouped within its broader 2024-2028 capital program. The company highlights long construction lead times and specialized vessels as central planning risks.

How the power comes ashore

The turbines will sit in water depths of roughly 27 to 30 meters on monopile foundations, linked by undersea cables to an offshore substation and then to landfall in Virginia Beach. Once onshore, new high-voltage lines will push the power into Dominion's grid.

Engineers working on the project describe the offshore substation as a compact steel island packed with transformers and switchgear, humming quietly above the waves while seabirds circle the lattice structure on calmer days.

What users and regulators get

For customers, CVOW is meant to deliver a predictable, fuel-free source of electricity that supports Virginia's clean energy goals, including a target for carbon-free power by mid-century. The project is also designed to diversify supply away from natural gas and coal.

The Virginia State Corporation Commission has set performance conditions, including a customer bill protection mechanism if realized capacity factors fall well below expectations. That structure matters because offshore wind output depends heavily on wind patterns and turbine availability over decades.

Jobs, supply chain and local impact

Dominion has outlined plans for several hundred long-term operations and maintenance jobs tied to the wind farm, clustered around a purpose-built port facility in Hampton Roads. Construction activity temporarily adds thousands of contract roles across marine, electrical and civil trades.

Local officials point to the new offshore wind staging port as a visible anchor for a budding regional supply chain, with blade finishing, tower handling and cable logistics operations bringing heavy steel and composite components through the harbor.

Technical choices and turbine size

Dominion has not locked in final turbine models for every position but has indicated a move toward large, 15-megawatt-class machines from established European suppliers. Fewer, larger turbines simplify maintenance but demand powerful installation vessels and precise seabed engineering.

Each machine will stand well over 250 meters from sea surface to blade tip at maximum reach, which means the rotors would dwarf almost any building in downtown Norfolk if they could be moved ashore intact.

Risks, politics and investor view

Analysts still flag execution risk for CVOW, from potential cost overruns on foundations and cables to weather-related delays. US offshore wind has already seen cancellations in the Northeast, making Dominion's regulated model and cost recovery rules a central investor focus.

Environmental groups support the zero-emission generation but watch closely for impacts on marine mammals, fisheries and migratory birds, leading to detailed monitoring requirements in federal permits. Offshore construction windows must often adjust around seasonal wildlife constraints.

Where this leaves the shares

For long-term investors, CVOW is one of the projects that shifts Dominion's profile further toward regulated electric and clean energy infrastructure in the US Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Dominion Energy shares (ISIN US25746U1097) trade primarily on the New York Stock Exchange in US dollars.

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