Germany's EEW sends first batch of eight monopiles for largest US offshore wind farm
The 2.6GW project being developed by Dominion will deploy 176 foundations off the Virginia coast
German steel fabricator EEW sent its first batch of eight extra-large monopile offshore wind foundations en route to Dominion Energy’s 2.6GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) array, the US’ largest, under development 27 miles (43 km) off the coast of Virginia Beach.
These are the first of 176 monopile foundations that EEW will provide for the project out of its Rostock, Germany factory.
The foundations, each 83 metres long, weighing 1,538 tonnes and with a diameter up to 9.5 metres, will arrive at the project’s marshalling port at Portsmouth Marine Terminal in Portsmouth, Virginia in early October.
The project recently received its environmental nod from offshore energy regulator Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), clearing the way for full approval and at-sea installation.
Skirted inflation
The utility signed its monopile contract with EEW in 2021. That same year it signed up contractors DEME and Prysmian to a record-setting $1.9bn deal that will see the European duo install EEW’s monopiles as well as power transmission infrastructure for the giant array slated to be online in 2026 and will supply electricity to 660,000 homes in the Commonwealth once to full power.