No Dominion Energy representative was in attendance at the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority meeting earlier this week – even as the utility hopes state regulators sign off on a massive merger.
The panel, which was established in 2010, works to foster development of the industry through research and makes recommendations to help projects reach fruition.
Dominion and NextEra Energy announced a merger in May, which will be subject to “detailed scrutiny” from state regulators in Virginia and North Carolina before being finalized.
What that means for rising energy costs in the Commonwealth remains to be seen, though Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project began providing power to the grid in March after a number of similar projects were halted by the Trump administration.
CVOW is expected to be completed in 2027 and provide enough energy for 660,000 homes.
Vince Maiden, the director of the State Energy Office, said the merger’s got “a long way to go” while discussing the renewable energy landscape in the Commonwealth.
“I don't think there's any illusion that we're able to build new projects right now with the current situation with the federal administration,” he said during the recent meeting. “But there are things that we can do to position [ourselves] moving forward and capitalize on future opportunities.”
He mentioned the offshore wind workforce bill Governor Abigail Spanberger signed earlier this year, as well as the state connecting with higher education and manufacturing stakeholders to further the industry.
As a candidate for governor, Spanberger included wind in her energy plan — and former Governor Glenn Youngkin included it in his “all of the above” perspective. Renewable power generation has increased across the country for the past 20 years, and while Virginia’s wind output is currently minimal, a federal assessment indicated the state has “significant offshore wind energy potential.”