Siemens Gamesa Selected for Largest US Offshore Wind Project

Siemens Gamesa has been named as the preferred turbine supplier for the 2.64 GW Dominion Energy Virginia Offshore Wind project in the US.

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has been named as the preferred turbine supplier for the massive 2,640-MW Dominion Energy Virginia Offshore Wind project in the US. This is the largest offshore wind power project in the US market to date.

A long-term service and maintenance agreement are included for the site located off the coast of Virginia. The agreement furthermore foresees utilising turbines from Siemens Gamesa’s Direct Drive offshore wind turbine platform. The final number of units and the turbine model remain to be determined. All installations are expected to complete by 2026. The agreement is subject to certain conditions including Dominion Energy’s final investment decision, governmental permitting, and other required approvals.

“Signing this preferred supplier agreement with Dominion Energy attests to the enormously exciting growth taking place in the U.S. offshore wind industry and across the globe. We’re thrilled to have been chosen to support them in their commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and to once again do our part in combatting climate change on a global level,” said Markus Tacke, Siemens Gamesa CEO.

The agreement comes on the heels of the firm’s recent commitment to the ‘Business Ambition for 1.5C – Our Only Future’ pledge, contributing towards the fight for a zero-emissions future.

Once operational, the project is expected to provide enough clean energy to power 650,000 homes at rated wind speed, avoiding 3.7 million tons per year of carbon emissions compared to fossil fuel-based power generation. This is another milestone agreement for the United States as it aims to add 25 GW of renewable energy by 2030, enough to provide clean, renewable energy to approximately 12 million average homes, or 10 percent of total US households.

“Internationally, every Siemens Gamesa Direct Drive offshore wind turbine we install increases the impact made by the renewable energy industry in avoiding CO2 emissions from power generation. Locally, we help our customers provide cost-efficient clean energy as well as additional economic benefits,” said Andreas Nauen, CEO of the Siemens Gamesa Offshore Business Unit.

The agreement for the project also provides for certain early works to support project development, including turbine layouts which will be used in the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) submittal to the United States Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in late 2020.