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Offshore Wind Project Could Spark Significant Change for Virginia's Energy Profile

What’s the future of energy generation in Virginia? Some recent developments could be a turning point.

You might argue that wind energy is the original source of power for the Old Dominion, the force that brought the Susan Constant and the Godspeed and the Discovery across the Atlantic Ocean to Jamestown. Now, Dominion Energy is hoping to build a wind energy demonstration project about 30 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach.

David Botkins is a spokesman for Dominion.

“It’s the first project of its kind in federal waters. It means jobs, tax base, economic development for all of Hampton Roads. If all goes as planned, the wind turbines could begin generating electricity by 2020, enough to power 3,000 homes.”

Christopher West at Conservatives for Clean Energy says this could be a turning point for Virginia.

“We think there’s enough power to power over 500,000 homes to go full-scale off the coast of Virginia. So with offshore wind, we’re just hitting the cusp of a really major revolution, and it’s really exciting that Virginia is embracing it.”

State regulators still have to approve the demonstration project. But they may have a hard time turning it down after the General Assembly passed a law earlier this year declaring the production of offshore wind energy in the public interest.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.

Michael Pope is an author and journalist who lives in Old Town Alexandria.
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