The 2.64 GW Dominion Energy Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project planned to be set up off the coast of Virginia Beach will deploy Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy’s latest SG 14-222 DD wind turbines. The wind turbines have 108-meter-long blades and a rotor diameter of 222 meters. According to Siemens Gamesa, one turbine is able to power roughly 18,000 average European households annually, while its capacity can be boosted from 14 MW to 15 MW if needed.
A prototype of the turbine is set to be ready by 2021, and it is expected to be commercially available in 2024. A 300 MW offshore wind project in Taiwan is also slated to use the same wind turbines. The agreement between Siemens Gamesa and Dominion Energy is subject to a number of conditions, such as governmental permitting, a final investment decision from the US firm, and other necessary approvals.
If all goes to plan the turbine installations are slated to be completed by 2026, although the total number that will be used is still to be determined. The commercial project builds on a 12 MW pilot scheme which will make use of two turbines from Siemens Gamesa and is set to come online by the end of 2020. The US offshore wind sector is still at a nascent stage of development and has some way to go before it catches up with other parts of the world.
