About

Environmental Stewardship

Dominion Energy is committed to fulfilling our promise to deliver what our customers want and what the planet needs — energy that is reliable, safe and sustainable.

Our Commitment

Our team of biologists and environmental scientists are fully committed to ensuring we are meeting the energy needs of our customers in an environmentally responsible manner. Protecting natural and cultural resources is our duty, not only as a business but as members of these communities. We live here too. We are going above and beyond to protect the land, sea and species that share our environment.

The waters off the Atlantic Coast are full of a diverse range of marine life. We took extensive precautions to protect these sensitive ocean creatures while constructing the pilot project. All the knowledge we gained during the pilot project is now being used to inform the commercial project. This commitment to the environment extends across our entire footprint, informing everything we do — from cutting emissions to reducing water use to protecting wildlife.

Building Responsibly

One measure we implemented while installing the foundations of the pilot turbines was to use a bubble curtain. This technique uses multiple air compressors to form two walls of air bubbles, which acts as a noise barrier, reducing sound waves created by pile driving the foundations into the ocean floor and protecting marine animals.

During the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) permitting process for the commercial project, a thorough review was conducted to ensure we are using the best sound mitigation technology or combination of technologies as well as having extensive monitoring in place to continue to provide protections for marine mammals.

The CVOW project team also includes nine certified Protected Species Observers who are on duty during critical operations. These observers watch continuously from the project vessels for marine mammals and sea turtles and will stop operations if species are within exclusion zones. Everyone working aboard our ships has environmental training, including how to identify certain marine species. The project team also monitors underwater sounds in real-time.

The Double Big Bubble Curtain used for environmental sound protection during construction is shown in the water
  • Seagull icon

    Prior to constructing the pilot turbines, more than two dozen studies and surveys were conducted to ensure protection of ocean life and avian species

  • Turtle icon

    Throughout construction of the pilot turbines, continual monitoring was undertaken to ensure sea life — dolphins, sea turtles and whales — did not enter the construction zones during installation; if spotted by observers, construction was stopped until the area was clear

  • Whale icon

    Every precaution is being taken to ensure the safety of the North Atlantic right whale

  • Recycle icon

    Plans to reuse, recycle or responsibly dispose of offshore and onshore project components; special care given to artificial reefs during decommissioning

  • Sound waves icon

    Protective technology mitigated sound generated during construction

  • Fish icon

    Minimizing impacts to sea floor and aquatic life through horizontal drilling for onshore cables

Flock of egrets flying

Avian Mitigation

Our team paid special attention to protecting avian species at every step of the process. Practices such as time-of-year restrictions, installing anti-perching devices and acoustic monitoring help protect birds, bats, sea turtles and other marine life.

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 monitoring strategies to address concerns.

Keep Exploring

Wind Energy

See Wind Energy

How it Works

See How it Works