Offshore Wind’s $1.8B Impact on Virginia

They say Virginia is for lovers. Now, it’s for wind lovers.

Since the state’s vanguard turbines — the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) Pilot project — went up in 2020, Virginia has announced itself as the epicenter for offshore wind in the Central Atlantic and beyond.

In the four years since, offshore wind has propelled Virginia into a new economic era. The Oceantic Network’s OSW Market Dashboard, the leading resource for tracking industry trends, has identified nearly $1.8 billion in direct investments and over 220 major supply chain contracts awarded within the state since 2020, all because of offshore wind. These investments, from both public and private sectors, will revitalize ports, spur the development of local manufacturing facilities, drive advancements in research, and help build the skilled workforce that will support the industry in the years ahead. More than 1,500 jobs are expected to be created across a range of fields, from construction workers and longshoremen to wind turbine technicians and survey specialists.

This activity was punctuated in July of this year when Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) announced plans for LS Greenlink to bring its new $680 million HVDC submarine cable manufacturing facility to Chesapeake, one of the cities in Hampton Roads, the tidewater region that also encompasses Virginia Beach and Norfolk. The facility is expected to employ more than 300 people when operational. A $13.2 million state grant to improve infrastructure in the City of Chesapeake to better accommodate the facility and a $2.5 million grant to help Virginia manufacturers diversify their offshore wind portfolios also underscored the announcement.

But beyond the numbers and the politics lies a deeper story. Growing in Virginia is the foundation of an industry poised to sustain the state for decades to come. And the state is making clear it’s poised to support the wider industry in return. Better still, the primary driver of investment and job growth in Virginia is homegrown. No story of offshore wind in Virginia is complete without Dominion Energy, the state’s utility provider. Here’s a closer look at that work, as well as other local companies and institutions scaling up the offshore wind workforce in Old Dominion.

Dominion: Powering Today and Tomorrow

Dominion Energy has positioned itself as the powerhouse behind Virginia’s offshore wind revolution, leading the charge in both investment and job creation. Of the nearly $700 million Dominion has so far spent in the United States on CVOW-C, more than 75% ($526 million) has stayed in Virginia. Nowhere is this more evident than at Norfolk’s Portsmouth Marine Terminal. Once a bustling container terminal, Portsmouth Marine Terminal faced closure as declining container volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Port of Virginia to consolidate operations to its other facilities. However, the terminal was given a new lease on life with a remarkable $250 million transformation to become the largest offshore wind marshalling and assembly port in the Central Atlantic and the homeport of the Charybdis, the United States’ only Wind Turbine Installation Vessel and the flagship of the U.S. offshore wind merchant marine.

And supporting over 500 jobs in the process.

But the real marvel of the Portsmouth Marine Terminal lies in its ability to manage the immense loads demanded by the offshore wind industry. Each monopile weighs more than 1,500 tons — equivalent to six Boeing 747s — which meant the Terminal needed to be reinforced with tens of thousands of cubic feet of locally-sourced concrete. Today, the Portsmouth Marine Terminal supports more than 60 jobs, many of them union tradesmen, and stands as both an economic engine and a testament to Virginia's unwavering commitment to the future of renewable energy. Already, those workers have brought in and shipped out 70 of 176 monopiles, including one featuring Governor Youngkin’s proud signature.

Across the Elizabeth River, Dominion’s investments extend to Fairwinds Landing, another key port supporting the armada of vessels tasked with installing the 2.6-gigawatt CVOW-Commercial project. These vessels represent only the prelude of Fairwinds’ future. Dominion has set its sights on turning part of this legendary dockyard into a hub for operations and maintenance — a facility poised to serve the industry for the next half-century as two more potential projects, CVOW-South (~800 MW) and an estimated 2.1 gigawatts to 4.0 gigawatts of offshore wind energy generation in its newly-won lease area, progress down the pipeline.

As Dominion’s next projects begin to take shape, Fairwinds Landing is gearing up for decades of economic growth and job creation. Thousands of skilled workers will be called to work aboard mighty vessels, inside turbines, and in the heart of the command center, first to build and then to maintain the infrastructure that will power Virginia. With this continued expansion, Dominion is not just reshaping the state’s energy future; it’s defining Virginia’s economic landscape for generations to come.

Fugro: Innovation at Work

In 2023, global geo-data specialist Fugro expanded its Norfolk office, adding 15 high-skill jobs to the region, nearly doubling the office’s previous headcount. While this number may seem modest when compared to the larger infrastructure initiatives like those of Dominion, these positions are at the forefront of technological innovation, encompassing both office-based roles and offshore assignments. Herein lies the kindling of a burgeoning tech hub in the region and the bolstered auxiliary to support it.

Serving as the company’s center of expertise for offshore wind in the Americas, Fugro’s Norfolk office has spearheaded several multi-year campaigns along the Eastern Seaboard. Their work enhances not only our understanding of the environment and ecosystems just beyond the coast but also the efficiency and safety of offshore wind development.

The jobs created by Fugro are more than just high-skill — they offer long-term stability, both directly through employment and indirectly through the regional economy. And demand for these roles is on the rise. In 2023, renewable energy projects comprised 35% of Fugro’s global portfolio, a sharp increase from 21% in 2020 and just 7% in 2017. Offshore wind accounts for the majority of this growth, and Fugro expects the trend to continue, with their vessels Fugro Brasilis and Fugro Explorer already familiar sights up and down the East Coast.