Demonstrating that the offshore wind industry is gaining significant momentum in the United States, Siemens Gamesa and Ørsted announced the signing of a subcontract to supply wind turbines for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project founded by Dominion Energy. Ørsted and Dominion Energy entered into a strategic partnership in 2017 to provide Virginia customers with a clean, renewable source of energy. This will be the first offshore wind project to be built in federal waters, marking a significant achievement for the offshore wind industry in the United States, and it will be the first U.S. project for all companies. Ørsted will construct the wind project using two units of Siemens Gamesa’s 6-MW SWT-6.0-154 wind turbines, totaling 12 MW of potential generated power.
“We are delighted to be moving forward on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind initiative,” said Thomas Brostrøm, President of Ørsted North America. “Siemens Gamesa’s record of exceptional technology, combined with our prior successful partnership experience around the world, will demonstrate how Virginia residents and businesses can experience the benefits of clean, reliable, cost competitive offshore wind energy.”
Siemens Gamesa and Ørsted have a longstanding partnership. In 2013, Ørsted developed the first pilot project for Siemens Gamesa’s 6-MW platform, Gunfleet Sands III, located off the coast of the United Kingdom. Siemens Gamesa and Ørsted have contracted, manufactured, installed and commissioned a total volume of approximately 2,700 MW of offshore wind power capacity across the globe.
“We are extremely proud to provide our turbines to Ørsted and Dominion Energy offshore wind project, and it marks a major milestone in our company’s history”, said Joergen Scheel, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Vice President, Offshore, North America. “We have always believed in the future of offshore wind power in the United States, and with so much wind potential off the Virginia coast, we are excited to finally add our state-of-the-art turbine technology to the country’s energy mix”. (Source: Siemens Gamesa)