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.
Read more: Trump scraps federal roadmap for offshore wind expansion
