Dominion Energy and Vineyard Wind Reach Milestones as Work Resumes
Within days of resuming work at Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project and Avangrid’s Vineyard Wind 1, both projects have marked key milestones. The projects argued they were at critical stages of construction in court and received preliminary injunctions to prevent the Trump administration from enforcing a stop-work order.
Dominion Energy provided a detailed update on the status of its project, reporting it has reached 71 percent completion and, critically, the first wind turbine generation was installed in January. The company’s massive wind turbine installation vessel, Charybdis (the only U.S.-flagged WTIV vessel), also began loading in December after a lengthy commissioning process and is deployed for the installations.
The presentation outlines that the project remains on track to generate its first power this quarter. Although after the delays due to the stop-work order from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, they have rescheduled completion to early 2027.
The company reports that 54 towers, 30 nacelles, and 26 blade sets are all on site at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal, which is being used for staging. Also, the third offshore substation has arrived at the terminal.
The month-long delay while it was fighting the stop-work order, however, was costly to the project. Dominion Energy sets the costs related to the BOEM action at $228 million. In addition, it says the Trump tariffs are estimated to add $580 million to the cost of the project. It now sets the total capital budget at $11.5 billion for the project, reporting that $9.3 billion was already invested as of the end of 2025. Dominion Energy has partnered with Stonepeak as an investor in the project, which is also sharing the costs.
Dominion Energy continues to assert that the offshore wind project “represents the fastest and most economical way to deliver nearly 3 GW to Virginia’s grid." In its filings, it emphasized the region’s critical need for power, noting it is home to key military installations, naval shipbuilding, and the U.S.’s growing AI and cyber capabilities.
Charybdis has begun the installations (Dominion Energy)
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The New England-based Vineyard Wind 1 project also resumed work this week. Local media reports on Wednesday, the 62nd and final turbine tower was sent out from the staging point in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The media story said that there were 10 blade sets, 30 blades total, still at the staging site as the construction nears completion. The installation vessel working on the project is scheduled to depart by the end of March.
Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind and Vineyard Wind 1 were two of the four projects that received preliminary injunctions against the stop-work order. Equinor’s Empire Wind and Ørsted’s Revolution Wind were also permitted to resume work, while the court today scheduled a hearing on February 2 for another Ørsted project, Sunrise Wind, which is the last of the projects seeking an injunction.