Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project off the Virginia Beach coast is one of five major offshore wind projects around the U.S. whose leases were “paused” today by the U.S. Interior Department, citing unspecified national security concerns.
The Interior Department said national security risks were identified in recent classified defense reports.
The Dominion project is the largest of its kind in the U.S., and construction is underway off the Virginia Beach coast. According to Dominion, the federal government ordered a 90-day suspension of work.
“Stopping CVOW for any length of time will threaten grid reliability for some of the nation’s most important war fighting, AI and civilian assets,” Dominion said in a statement. “It will also lead to energy inflation and threaten thousands of jobs.”
“Virginia’s grid needs addition of electrons, not subtraction,” Dominion added. “We stand ready to do what is necessary to get these vital electrons flowing as quickly as possible.”
The pause is meant to give the Trump administration, which has criticized wind projects, “time to work with leaseholders and state partners to assess the possibility of mitigating the national security risks posed by these projects,” according to the statement issued by Interior.
“Today’s action addresses emerging national security risks, including the rapid evolution of the relevant adversary technologies, and the vulnerabilities created by large-scale offshore wind projects with proximity near our east coast population centers,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement.
The other projects are Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts, Revolution Wind at Rhode Island and Connecticut and the Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind projects in New York, according to the Associated Press.
U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott released a statement saying the Trump administration hadn’t provided information “that supports this sudden and sweeping move to halt all offshore wind development, including a project off the coast of Virginia that is already almost complete and operational.”
The statement said the project has been through years of “rigorous review.”
U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans said in a statement that she is “deeply disappointed” by the news.
“Halting CVOW at this stage is disastrous for our energy security, our local economy and our national security as it relates to military readiness,” Kiggans' statement said. “I am anxiously awaiting answers from the administration regarding this directive.”
A spokesperson for Gov. Glenn Youngkin did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger said in a statement she would work with industry and elected leaders to make sure the project is completed.
“Halting this project not only risks higher rates for consumers but leaves Virginia vulnerable to grid disruptions and national security risks,” Spanberger’s statement said.
Dominion’s CVOW project is supposed to include 176 wind turbines and power about 660,000 homes. The company originally planned to finish construction late next year.