Project Background Information

CVOW is a 2.6-gigawatt offshore wind energy project that will consist of 176 wind turbines located 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, three offshore substations, undersea cables and new onshore transmission infrastructure to deliver emissions-free wind power to homes and businesses.

CVOW Marine Coordination Center

The MCC monitors and coordinates all offshore activity related to project construction and operations – 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

Phone: 757-366-7000
Cell: 757-731-8307
Email: [email protected]

Monopile Installation

The area marked in green indicates the general area of completed monopile installations.

The area outlined in red indicates the focus over the next four to six weeks.

Monopile installation will follow a general clockwise pattern around the lease area. Specific installation locations are published weekly in the USCG LNM.

Temporary Marine Lighting on Monopile Foundations

Once monopiles are installed in the seabed, temporary quick-flashing yellow marine navigation lights will be installed and operated from sunset to sunrise.

Monopile foundations extend 15 to 20 feet above the sea, and extreme caution should be exercised when operating in the area.

For up-to-date status of foundation and lighting installations, please reference the current USCG LNM.

Rock Placement Around Foundations

Scour protection installation activities are planned to begin around the monopile foundations in July.

The M/V Flintsone will lay rock (scour protection) around the base of the monopiles, out to a diameter of approximately 70 to 90 feet.

Mariners should be aware that these vessels are limited in their maneuverability when conducting scour installation activities.

Further details will be published in the USCG LNM.

USCG Safety Zones In Effect

The U.S. Coast Guard has established 179 temporary 500-meter safety zones around the construction of the 176 wind turbine generators and three offshore substations in Federal waters on the Outer Continental Shelf. 

Each will be enforced individually for a period lasting approximately 48 hours as construction progresses from one structure to the next.

Buoy Installations

Scientific measurement buoys will be deployed in the lease area on an ongoing basis from the M/V Go Freedom.

These devices will be gathering data such as meteorological conditions, acoustic measurements and sound field verifications. 

Click below to see the schedule and specific areas.

Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC) and Debris Relocation

M/V HOS Mystique and HOS Bayou will continue MEC relocation activities, as well as debris relocation, in and around the export cable corridor and the northern section of the Lease area.

The M/V Northstar Navigator will be conducting light debris relocation work throughout the offshore export cable corridor. The use of remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) and the associated cabling necessitates an exclusion area, requested to be ~¼-mile (500m).

The USCG has established a temporary safety zone within a 1,000-yard radius of MEC Project Vessels.

Operations are planned to relocate MEC in the Atlantic Ocean, within 12 miles of the shores of the State Military Reservation, as well as in other areas outside of the boundary by vessels flying the bravo signaling flag.

Direct Pipe Punchout Construction

Installations for Direct Pipe conduit are planned to continue through July with a scheduled completion in August 2024. Installations of the TJBs will continue throughout the remainder of 2024 and into early 2025.

The red area indicates the USCG Safety Zone in effect during the nearshore construction efforts when construction vessels are present. Mariners are requested to provide a 500-yard stand-off distance from these activities.

HDPE Conduit Tows

The 36-inch HDPE conduit being installed will be fabricated onshore, launched from Fairwinds Landing (Lambert’s Point) in Norfolk and towed in 1800-foot lengths approximately 30 NM to the offshore worksite.

The towing evolutions will utilize the auxiliary channel of the Thimble Shoals Channel to avoid any impact to deep draft vessel traffic.

Forecasted dates of HDPE conduit tows are currently July 12, July 19 and July 25. USCG Broadcast Notice to Mariners will be transmitted prior to towing operations.

There are several scheduled arrivals of components to Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) in July

M/V Orion will transit outbound from PMT to the lease area with up to six monopiles at a time for installation activities.

Dominion Energy is working with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), the Virginia Marine Resource Commission (VMRC) and commercial fishermen to study Black Sea Bass and Channeled Whelk in and near the project area.

The use of new acoustic release device technology avoids the need for vertical lines and marker buoys in the water.

Access to the lease area for recreational activities is unrestricted unless construction activities are active.

For questions about access, the F/V Atlantic Bounty is the on-site project safety vessel and can provide direction via VHF Marine 16, or mariners may reach out to the Marine Coordination Center.

The latest list of vessels supporting the project in MEC relocation and disposition, transportation and installation, and surveys can be found here.

Ron Larsen

Fisheries Liaison Officer
Sea Risk Solutions

(570) 242-5023

[email protected]

Michael Lewis

CVOW Marine Affairs Manager
Dominion Energy

(757) 236-8222

[email protected]