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 CVOW project established a shoreside Marine Coordination Center (MCC) to monitor and coordinate all offshore activity related to project construction and operations. The MCC is manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Monopile Installation

M/V Orion completed the installation of the first monopile foundation on May 22.

For ongoing installation, M/V Orion will load monopiles at Portsmouth Marine Terminal and then transit to the site for installation. The M/V Atlantic Oceantic and M/V Go Patriot will also provide support.

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 until the transition piece is permanently affixed to the structure and the final lighting is installed, which could be as long as six months.

Monopile foundations extend 15 – 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 Local Notice to Mariners.

Rock Placement Around Foundations

Near the end of June, scour protection installation activities may begin around the monopile foundations.

A specialized rock placement vessel—either the M/V Flint Stone or the M/V Yellow Stone—will lay rock (scour protection) around the base of the monopiles, out to a diameter of approximately 70-90 feet, based on specific site conditions.

Further details, such as the start of rock placement, will be published in the USCG Local Notice to Mariners as plans are finalized.

USCG Safety Zones In Effect

The U.S. Coast Guard has established 179 temporary 500-meter safety zones around the construction of 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 for the duration of construction. The buoys will be deployed from the M/V Go Freedom.

These devices will be gathering data such as meteorological conditions, acoustic measurements and sound field verifications. These buoys will be migrating throughout the lease area and export corridor during construction.

Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC) 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 offshore. Efforts in the northern section of the Lease area are to follow.

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)

USCG Safety Zones

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a temporary safety zone for navigable waters 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 in Virginia Beach. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port, Sector Virginia or a designated representative

Operations will also be conducted in other areas outside of the boundary.

Direct Pipe® Punchout Construction

Installations for Direct Pipe® conduit installations 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.

There are several scheduled arrivals of components to Portsmouth Marine Terminal (PMT) in June, including eight monopiles via the M/V Sun Shine.

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, in which case a 500-meter standoff distance is requested.

For questions about access, the F/V Atlantic Bounty is the on-site project safety vessel and can provide direction. Mariners are reminded not to touch or tie off to monopiles and to remain vigilant for other vessels in the area.

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]