Frequently Asked Questions

We will comply with all state and federal environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act and other applicable regulations. We must complete local, state and federal regulatory permitting processes, which will ensure the wind farm will be designed and operated to avoid and minimize potential impacts to the environment. These approvals are required prior to receiving final authorization to proceed with construction from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

We will have PSOs (protected species observers) on survey vessels surrounding construction zones during construction at all times.

We strive to reduce our environmental impact for all our operations and, whenever possible, maximize beneficial reuse of all CVOW materials. Using current technology, the vast majority of wind turbine blades can be recovered, reused or repurposed. One company has even developed a method to break down blades and press them into pellets and fiber boards used for flooring and walls. There is a small percentage of a wind turbine blade that cannot be repurposed; the material is landfill-safe and represents a small fraction of overall U.S. municipal solid waste.

Given the 30-year lifespan of turbine blades and our partnerships in advancing the U.S. wind industry, we anticipate technology will advance over time, enabling us to further advance the sustainability of the offshore wind industry.

No. The offshore wind lease area was identified through an intergovernmental task force created by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in 2009. It was selected only after extensive collaboration between the Commonwealth and stakeholders to avoid existing uses of the area, including ecological habitats, military training areas, commercial marine vessel traffic, dredge disposal sites and other areas of concern.

We are fully committed to meeting the energy needs of our customers in an environmentally responsible manner. Some of the environmental evaluations and activities Dominion Energy has undertaken with the CVOW project include:

• Extensive survey work — more than two dozen studies and surveys — conducted to ensure the protection of ocean life and avian species.
• Continual monitoring to protect sea life — dolphins, sea turtles and whales — during construction and surveying; work is stopped until the area is clear.
• Protective technology to mitigate sound during construction.
• Minimizing impacts to the sea floor and aquatic life through trenchless installation for offshore export cables.

With the project area located 27 to 42 miles offshore, the turbines are outside the typical flight paths of many birds and bats; however, we do know some species fly in the vicinity of the CVOW area. We are utilizing the latest technology to monitor bird and bat activity in the area of our two-turbine pilot project. We are also performing boat-based avian surveys on a periodic basis to determine the density of birds in the CVOW area at different times of the year.

The information gathered from this monitoring helps us learn more about avian and bat populations in the CVOW area, which will allow us to evaluate any potential impacts to bird and bat species for the commercial project.

We also work with state and federal agencies as well as interested groups to develop a specific monitoring strategy to address those impacts.