Offshore wind turbines with the sunset in the background.

Virginia offshore wind build stays on schedule amid tariffs and politics

Dominion Energy says its 2.6-gigawatt offshore wind farm off Virginia Beach is 60% built and on pace to begin generating electricity in early 2026, despite higher costs and presidential pushback.

Benjamin Storrow reports for E&E News.

In short:

Dominion Energy has finished laying export and inter-array cables and installed 134 of 176 monopile foundations for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.
The American-flagged installation vessel Charybdis will sail from Texas this month, allowing turbines to be lifted directly from Portsmouth and streamlining Jones Act compliance.
Steel tariffs and other trade measures have lifted projected costs to $11.3 billion, yet the utility still targets first power early next year and full completion in 2026.

Key quote:

“This project remains consistent with the goal of securing American energy dominance and is part of our comprehensive, all-of-the-above strategy to affordably meet growing energy needs.”

— Robert Blue, CEO of Dominion Energy

Why this matters:

Offshore wind is poised to become a major pillar of the power grid as utilities rush to satisfy data-center growth and state clean-energy mandates, but the technology still rides political crosscurrents. Each project requires multibillion-dollar bets, specialized ships, and long supply chains, leaving developers vulnerable to tariff swings, Jones Act logistics, and permitting delays. Virginia’s farm offers a critical test of whether the United States can scale turbines fast enough to displace fossil fuels without sending ratepayers’ bills soaring. The outcome will ripple beyond electricity costs: Wind farms that flourish close to population centers cut sulfur and nitrogen pollution from coastal power plants, which is linked to asthma, heart disease, and premature death.

www.eenews.net

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