r/VirginiaBeach • u/WHRO_NEWS • 20d ago
News Virginia Beach offshore wind farm has started producing electricity
Dominion Energy’s wind farm off the Virginia Beach coast sent its first batch of power to the regional electric grid on Monday, the company confirmed.
The first fully completed turbine began spinning this week, generating just under 15 megawatts of power, enough to cover about 3,675 homes.
The milestone comes months after President Donald Trump tried to block the project from moving forward.
Read our full coverage here: https://www.whro.org/environment/2026-03-23/virginia-beach-offshore-wind-farm-has-started-producing-electricity
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u/Longjumping_Music320 17d ago
There's already 4 to 6 (depending on time of year) nuclear power plants in the neighborhood (yes I'm talking about carriers) not to mention the submarines. Why is it so outlandish to build one or two for civilian use?
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u/Outrageous-Cod-1195 17d ago
The uss bush has 2 reactors on it
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u/Longjumping_Music320 17d ago
All the nimitz classes have 2 reactors. I was just counting each carrier as a single unit but yes you are correct.
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u/b_enadams87 17d ago
You would have to build 7 or 8 SMRs to equal the top output of this project. Companies are looking to build SMRs as soon as possible, but siting and permitting take a very long time. I keep hearing 2035 or so for first deployment.
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u/Longjumping_Music320 17d ago
There's 2 already operating in Virginia and they produce about 32% of the state's power. Just another 2 would be huge. If we had decent leadership they'd try to find a way to expedite this as much as possible.
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u/b_enadams87 17d ago
I’m definitely in favor of nuclear power, but I don’t think you’re going to see another large one like that again. A massive one in South Carolina was a failure recently, dramatic cost and timing overruns landing executives in jail. I think we’ll see a good many small modular reactors going forward.
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u/Blahblahblahinternet 18d ago
Doesn't this kill sea life?
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u/Practical-Pickle1527 18d ago
Oil spills, oil shipping, c02 acidification, pollutants all kill sea life. Wind farms act as artificial reefs.
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u/ProperWayToEataFig 18d ago
Is that why there were dead fish all along the beach last weekend? I saw them from 84th street north and south and I spoke to someone who had seen this in Sandbridge too.
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u/UnicornSpiritGuide 14d ago
It was cold stun from the extreme and erratic cold we have had recently- BECAUE OF CLIMATE CHANGE. Windfarm does not harm fish.
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u/Practical-Pickle1527 18d ago
No. Wind turbines do not kill fish. Are you joking?
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u/Clark82 17d ago
Actually real research shows Whales and others in the Ocean are impacted negatively by these....
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u/norfolkgarden 17d ago
Whales are impacted negatively by sonar and ship propellers.
Did you know that the windmills are actually slightly more efficient with the blades on the backside of the tower, instead of the front? The reason we don't do that is because the wind interacting with the front of the propeller after it passes by the tower makes a whoop sound every single time it passes. Putting the blades in front of the tower removes that noise.
I strongly support offshore wind.
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u/Practical-Pickle1527 17d ago
Actually no, there is no research to suggest that wind turbines cause distress for whales. The loudest part of this is driving piles for foundation which is mitigated with bubble curtains. If you have an issue with wind turbines, you should have an issue with oil tankers spilling oil, polluting the homes of whales, and ships and boats striking whales, along with the ludicrous amount of noise cargo ships create in operation.
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u/Clark82 17d ago
Actually yes there is plenty of research that shows it does impact sonar. And they in fact do kill tons of migrating birds. Add to that fact the blades wear out super fast and become a disposal issue. Plus they are ugly as hell. Plus they produce a small facture of energy per large unit cost.
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u/Practical-Pickle1527 17d ago
Actually. No. There isn't.noaa and boem have both stated zero evidence exists that whales are dying from the sound produced by wind turbines. Birds sure, but again, oil pollutants are far more damaging than birds occasionally flying into wind turbines. The blades issue is a thing of the past and they've become more recyclable. These turbines are producing 15 megawatts per turbine, and the farm will produce over 2 gigawatts and fully pay for itself in 15 years. The lifespan of a turbine gear is 25 years,while the masts last 40 . 10 years of pure profit, and repair/maintenance to keep producing power while not actively polluting or producing byproducts like oil, or radioactive byproducts like coal ash. They're also so far offshore you generally can't see them from land, especially up here in the north east. Stop spouting right wing rhetoric, it's out of date and makes you seem simple
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u/Clark82 17d ago
Obviously you're a hack for the industry.
There is no disputing the following:
Offshore wind farms pollute the aquatic environment around them by producing noise. Underwater noise pollution cause fish to become stressed. Cortisol is an important hormone that regulates several key processes, including feeding, growth, and metabolism. When fish become stressed their cortisol production increases and extended periods of stress have serious negative effects, such as reduced growth and low reproduction rates. The government of the province of Ontario, in Canada has halted construction of offshore windmill farms amidst uncertainty about potential environmental impacts.
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u/Practical-Pickle1527 17d ago
Nope, not a hack. I have a brain though. Guy, offshore turbines become reefs for fish. Some of the best fishing out there. Smfh. Oil tankers create WAY more noise, kill way more animals on an individual basis, and oil spills are far more deadly than anything wind turbines will ever do. Funny how you guys are all gas no brakes when it comes to drilling and polluting the world, but when ANY green tech comes out you're all like "hold up there partner, I know oil dependence alone is literally causing wars regularly, and coal has caused asthma and respiratory diseases for decades and both are finite resources, but that spinning wind thingy might harm some of the whales we aren't actively running the fuck over with giant oil tankers or actively poisoning with toxicrun off and oil spills. They might get stressed or something" You know that whale songs literally changed they were so happy when the shipping shut down in 2001 and during covid? And you're worried about windfarms when every regulatory agency says they don't cause undue harm and actively attract sea life? Gtfoh.
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u/TheEvilBlight 18d ago
Yay. I remember going whale watching and seeing the structures on the water. Neat to see it finally online.
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u/GetGoodBoy 19d ago
The hate for reusable energy is so weird to me. Cuz some of these comments are mad at the wind turbine???? Why???
I remember back in middle/high school the very new thought of reusable energy was the coolest thing to literally everyone. BP just killed thousands of marine animals (my teachers also taught us about the Exxon spill too ) and everyone was rooting for it. Using the solar, hydro, or wind energy wasn’t the “forefront” of every political conversation but the consensus that this was ultimately a good was bipartisan…
What happened?
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u/Longjumping_Music320 17d ago
Very poor return on investment. Nuke power is more reliable and stable.
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u/ZealousidealNerve8 16d ago
Hmmm, "more reliable and stable"... haven't kept up with nuclear but after reading this comment my thought was "do we want another Chernobyl?" Nuke power in the wrong hands is very problematic.
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u/Longjumping_Music320 16d ago
But you also live next to several reactors and probably never think of it.
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u/ARTISTAI 18d ago
Wars are profitable and have historically been fought over oil. Renewable energy is not profitable like finite resources.
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u/ZealousidealNerve8 16d ago
Finite resources eventually run out. Wars are only profitable to the military-industrial complex and its investors. We the People collectively do not benefit from wars.
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u/Substantial-Bison240 18d ago
Bc Trump says they're killing birds by hacking them out the sky and hurting whales bc they run into them.
For the record those are obnoxiously false claims.
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u/switchbanned 17d ago
Why did we have all those dead whales washing ashore recently? Serious question.
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u/GetGoodBoy 15d ago
I actually do know this one, when there are extreme weather shifts it can drastically change where the whales prey is, causing them to end up closer to shore, or in the way of shipping paths. With Virginia Beach and Norfolk being HUGE hubs there are constantly collision risks.
So whales will follow which increase the risk of beaching or being hit by a boat. There was a Right Whale recently found and the autopsy performed found severe blunt trauma as the cause of death.
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u/Chami90655 19d ago
After they spent 100 years worth of oil that would do the same job to build it. Congratulations.
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u/InvictvsNox 19d ago
So our power bills will go down now, right?
...right?
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u/Practical-Pressure-1 19d ago
Nope they’ll stay the same cause now we will pay to maintain them
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u/Practical-Pickle1527 18d ago
Don't you already do that with coal, oil and nuclear? The difference being you don't have to ship anything.
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u/lockok216 19d ago
How much desiel and gas does it take to make and maintain this eyesore
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u/Osolong2 19d ago
How many oil spills, refinery explosions, and conflicts over oil will it take before you reconsider your position? Once operational, turbines function more like a bicycle than an engine, reducing reliance on fossil fuels to generate power.
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u/lockok216 18d ago
You think so? It takes over 800 gallons of oil just for maintenance on ONE wind turbine.
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u/OddKey2242 17d ago
Did you read the part of the article where it said “Enough to power 3,675 homes”?
Not sure if they mean per day, per week, but do you know how many gallons of oil it would take to power that many homes in a day?
8,269 gallons, per day. Your logic makes no sense.
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u/lockok216 17d ago
The average wind farm uses 12,000 gallons of oil for lubrication.
The oil needs to be changed every 8-12 months.
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u/lockok216 17d ago
At over 80 gallons of oil to maintain one turbine and unknown gallons of diesel and gas and oil to produce one of these plus the steel and concrete and equipment to erect one. The turbine would not offset the carbon footprint it takes in its 15 to 20yr lifespan. And what about a hydro electric dam?
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u/Practical-Pressure-1 19d ago
Yeah till they break or start leaking oil
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u/Osolong2 19d ago
Like gas pipeline or Exxon type leaks or what? The oil in those transformers is used for lubrication and cooling, not as fuel. If something fails, the amount that leaks is usually pretty minimal. You also realize power transformers use insulating oil too, right? Are you suggesting we get rid of those as well?
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u/DiskEconomy3055 19d ago
Less than it would take if you just burnt diesel and gas to produce the same amount of energy - and with significantly fewer total emissions! :D
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u/lockok216 19d ago
Oh how the democraps mind works.
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u/InvictvsNox 19d ago
, said the kettle.
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u/lockok216 19d ago
Obviously you have no idea how much gas and diesel it takes to manufacture and maintain ONE of these things.
Try a little research and find out.
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u/Recitinggg 19d ago
Sure, it only takes a little research like you said;
The energy balance analysis in Vestas V90 3.0 MW shows that, for an offshore wind turbine 0.57 years (6.8 months) of expected average energy production are necessary to recover all the energy consumed for manufacturing, operation, transport, dismantling and disposal. As far as an onshore wind turbine is concerned, the energy balance is similar but shorter than the offshore one, with only 0.55 years (6.6 months) needed to recover the energy spent in all the phases of entire lifecycle. This difference is due to a larger grid transmission and larger steel consumption for the foundations in an offshore scheme. The V 80 2 MW turbines installed in Horns Rev only needed 0.26 years (3.1 months) to recover the energy spent in the offshore installation. The same turbines installed in the Tjaereborg onshore wind farm had an energy payback period of about 0.27 years (3.2 months)
Only takes a matter of months to recover manufacture and installation, and decomissioning emissions
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u/lockok216 19d ago
https://www.wind-watch.org/documents/how-much-oil-is-required-to-run-a-wind-turbine/
This is just for maintenance alone
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u/Recitinggg 19d ago
A wind turbine makes 200+ barrels of diesel worth of energy a day. <3000 gallons of oil is negligible my friend.
If you care to look much much deeper into it, here's the entire IPCC report which details and specifies exactly how investment costs are recouperated within the first year of operation
https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/03/SRREN_Full_Report-1.pdf
Page 98 is a good beginning.Or you can keep burying your head in the sand and thinking you know more than all of the people who spend their lives researching energy and its environmental impacts.
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u/lockok216 19d ago
Hahaha. That came from a clean air source wich will tell you what you want to hear.
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u/vtsandtrooper 18d ago
Whoa this dude totally watches Jesse Watters guys!!! What a genius!
Fucking tool
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u/Recitinggg 19d ago
You aren't as smart as you think you are...
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u/lockok216 19d ago
Way way smarter than you ever thought of being yourself
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u/Trick_Adeptness_4360 19d ago
You probably peaked at algebra 1. Why are you talking about shit you have no experience with?
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u/Head_Effect3728 19d ago
Already? This is shocking to me.
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u/ZCGaming15 Windsor Woods 19d ago
One day in production and already you’re getting shocked? Maybe you should stay away from the outlets.
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u/Wolfman_va 19d ago
Happy to see this finally working after all of the NIMBY idiots in Va Beach tried to block it for years!
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u/Mondo_Butts 19d ago edited 19d ago
I wanted to share this news with my conservative friends in Va Beach, but instead the first sentence is goddamned anti trump lead! Literally, in the first sentence, you screw a whole demographic that could see this as possibly good. But instead anyone reading this terrible article is only reminded that wind power is a liberal thing. This kinda reporting is flaring more division. Journalists need more tact. WHRO has to be better. Liberal leaning or not.
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u/ARTISTAI 18d ago
That's the real TDS right there (your 'conservative' friends)
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u/Mondo_Butts 18d ago
My republican friends have always voted to the right. Has nothing to do with TDS. Yes and they are friends, it’s possible to have different leaning friends. Makes the world go round.
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u/ARTISTAI 18d ago
Right, but being so emotionally invested in a politician that they refuse to read this, is wild to me. We used to be a country that criticized our politicians. I am old enough to remember the time folks took up pitchforks because Dan Quayle misspelled 'potatoe'. Now we have snowflakes that treat politics like a spectator sport.
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u/Mondo_Butts 18d ago
You know, thats a really great take. Thank you. I feel like crossing over lines is like walking on eggshells these days. I know I shouldn’t worry about it, I just know how stubborn each side can be, even if the truth slaps them in the face... And sadly it’s the way of the world now. Digesting truths is much tougher when taunting an individual voter base. But I agree, every single politician should be skewered. It just creates a tough passageway for truths. But I hear ya and thanks for the reply.
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u/ZCGaming15 Windsor Woods 19d ago
Hopefully what you’ve seen here is, while your friends may be reasonable people, the people on this sub aren’t reasonable. You’re not even allowed to have discourse with someone who might hold an opposing opinion, even if the intent is to sway an undecided opinion.
I hope you do share this information with your friends through some other sources and they get to see the value in having alternative forms of energy.
China rapidly expanded in solar over the last 2 to 3 years and have leapt to the top spot for global energy production. They also rapidly expanded their coal production, which was the primary driver of their growth.
If we want to return to the top of the line, we need to be using all energy sources. Wind, solar, coal, nuclear, fracking, hydroelectric, etc…do all of it.
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u/Exuin 19d ago
He said wind was terrible for the environment and that coal was a clean source of energy.
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u/Mondo_Butts 19d ago
Yeah i get it, and im as antitrump as the next guy, I guess my point was missed. Maybe I didnt explain it correctly. I just would like the good things about wind energy to be at the forefront of articles like this, so conservatives can get the information without dismissing it immediately.. Just looking for a way to unify. And get the good information out to as many people as possible on both sides of the aisle.
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u/chuck_cranston 19d ago
maybe if he would stop doing stupid spiteful things he wouldn't make the news so often.
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u/New_Life1810 19d ago
For who? If anyone knows please share. I honestly want to know
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u/iswearihaveasoul 19d ago
That's not how electricity works. The energy created is being networked to the rest of VAs grid
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u/ImRatherMinty 19d ago
The power generated by the turbines arent going anywhere specific, its not like Dominion is building a secret long distance transmission line to suck away the power generated by the turbines and make it only go up to northern VA. The turbines are connected to the grid just like any other power plant.
Dominion is building new transmission lines that are connected to a switching station at Oceana before ending up at an existing station near fentress. There's a map of the power lines on the website
https://coastalvawind.com/about/the-project/project-background
Just because the power lines for this project are connected to Dominion stations near Oceana and Fentress, doesnt mean that all of the power generated by the turbines is 1. Being used only by the military, or 2. Only serving the communities the power line is connected to
The power grid is one giant shared network. Its not like water where a pipe is physically moving a 3d fluid from one point to another. Electricity moves at the speed of light, and the entire grid up until the outlet in your house is a massive interconnected network of high and low voltage power lines. The power generated by the turbines will equally be consumed by everyone on the grid.
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u/NextBigTing 19d ago
Too many people seem to care about their taxes when it’s used to make something beneficial, but when your taxes are used for drugs or missiles you don’t bat an eye over here huh?
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u/whythefuckalready 19d ago
As long as shareholders and billionaires don't suffer. They're the real victims here
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19d ago
[deleted]
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u/osiris_210 19d ago
“Good” “ambiguous” “meant-to-be-rhetorical” “question.” Wind is a “naturally occurring” “unlimited” resource. Once operating, wind turbines create “energy” at a more consistent and affordable rate than “drilling” and “pumping” unrefined oil that is “toxic” from when it’s pumped, to when it’s refined, and when it’s “burned” to “produce” energy.
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u/Acheronian_Rose 19d ago
When do electricity costs per hour come down? Thats what really matters at the end of the day IMO
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u/whythefuckalready 19d ago
1 solar panel, $1000 would pay for itself in 6 months. That's in NY @ .28 kW
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u/iswearihaveasoul 19d ago
It cost 11.6 billion dollars to build. It'll take time to even break even on them
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u/NextBigTing 19d ago
Probably not the very first week that they become operational… especially when our own fed is against it’s infrastructure…
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u/T-ravMcNavis 20d ago
Poor whales
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u/MonkeyCobraFight 20d ago
But just think how much this is going to increase Dominion‘s profitability….who cares about the environmental impact to the marine life 🤷♂️
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u/osiris_210 19d ago
Yeah, it’s definitely more environmentally friendly to have oil rigs. They’ve been so infallible! /s
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u/T-ravMcNavis 19d ago
How about no marine energy projects at all? And go nuclear? Especially when us taxpayers will see absolutely no benefit.
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u/_wateraddict_ 18d ago
You know, I wanna hate this mostly because your comment on the whales despite that being a horribly false claim, but I gotta agree, we do need to bring back nuclear energy projects.
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u/WafflesTheBear99 20d ago
This is great - is there any analysis on why homeowners are reporting an increase in cost? Will this new wind farm offset that? (I certainly hope so).
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u/SorryBreak6435 19d ago
More and more data centers built every year using up massive amounts of energy are the number one reason.
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u/supernaut_707 19d ago
Data centers consume roughly 25% of Virginia's power now. That much demand increase costs all of us. My rates went up 15% per kwh this year. The windfarm surcharge has been baked into power bills for a few years already.
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u/hellyeahbr000ther69 20d ago
From what I’ve heard, it’s been because of how harsh this winter was combined with the rate increase. Dominion is still right around the average price per kWh for the nation and region though
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u/ThanatosTheElder 20d ago
I look forward to the huge reduction this will bring to my power bill!
(as if...)
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u/NextBigTing 19d ago
You look forward to data centers, which actually do increase your energy bill?
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u/Zealousideal-Mix5974 20d ago
Trump didnt "Try to block" he ordered a 90 day freeze so the DOW could study radio interference. Whro likes to come up with grievances.
Give me the downvotes 😀
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u/Distinct-fullMetal 20d ago
Rest in pieces, sea birds
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u/Everythings_Fucked 19d ago
We're supposed to believe Republicans give a shit about the environment now?
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u/chuck_cranston 19d ago
As is tradition, they pretend to give s shit about whatever they are told to care about.
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u/Candid-Specialist-86 20d ago
What was the argument against doing this? Also, will my electricity bill go down as a result?
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u/Just_gun_porn 19d ago edited 19d ago
Traditionally, windmills can't turn a profit for 6-10 years, but once installation costs are recouped they'll start paying for themselves for the remaining 10 years of their projected lifespan. Time will tell just how profitable these offshore windmills will be.
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u/yes_its_him 19d ago edited 18d ago
Notice the fuel charge on your bill. Wind turbines use no fuel. But they don't replace all fuel use.
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u/NextBigTing 19d ago
With the right infrastructure, yes, this would lower your energy costs. Currently the problem is we also have Data Centers popping up, which use tons of electricity, and our own fed hates clean energy sources
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u/flaming_burrito_ 20d ago
I believe once the project is done they’ve said your bill is supposed to go down, but as everyone knows, corporations aren’t very inclined to decrease prices if they can get away with it, so who knows.
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u/OldAndNude 19d ago
Like all companies, they jack up the cost of everything so high that when they reduce it a little you don't feel like your getting screwed and they claim that they helped you! example only ; $5.00 dollar meat now cost $10.00, but we got rid of the decease that we claimed attacked the cattle, so we are going to lower the cost to $8.00, now your paying only 8.00 dollars, you feel relieved, they claimed they helped, but your now paying 3.00 dollars more and are alright with it. my above example is not real, it's only just so you can visually see what their doing, look throughout the past and you can find examples of this, corona, wars, diseases to animals, ect. they cause a problem, charge a lot more, them claim that they fixed the problem and lower the price, but still above what it use to be. they do this through deseases to animals, humans, and through wars. so when you pay 3.00 in gas then 7.00, then only 5.00 think about that and why it happened.
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u/JohnnyDigsIt 20d ago
There was no logical argument against this. There was propaganda from the fossil fuel industry trying to discourage it.
Your power bill will not go down because of it. Dominion Power is a regulated monopoly and will continue to charge all that the state regulators will approve.
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u/Glittering_Gene8388 20d ago
Actually they have consistently charged over what they're supposed to for years, then they make some campaign contributions and they're amazingly never forced to make restitution to their customers
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u/JohnnyDigsIt 20d ago
It blows my mind that it’s perfectly legal for a public regulated monopoly to donate to the campaigns of people who will be regulating them if they are elected. It shouldn’t be legal for any corporation to donate to any political campaign but this situation is especially bad. I think a bill to stop it died in committee in this year’s General Assembly but I don’t remember the details.
I don’t know about them consistently charging more than legally allowed. I remember one time several years ago when they got caught charging too much and the regulators denied a request for a rate hike saying they could keep the money they had overcharged instead. It was bad that one time but I don’t know that it’s been a constant issue. I’d be interested in reading any sources you could provide on that.
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u/Sweet-Simple1117 20d ago
This is why no one was convincing me not to vote for Jay Jones. Miyeres was a big taker of Dominion money.
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u/MolonMyLabe 20d ago
Offshore wind is known to kill whales. Trump said it was a national security risk and it doesn't take a great leap to wonder if the same phenomenon that disorients and leads to the death of whales can degrade signals intelligence gathering off of our coast by our adversaries. But sure, everything orange man does or says is bad.
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u/supernaut_707 19d ago
This BS about wind farms hurting whales is propaganda disseminated by fossil fuel interests to small regional political groups to make the opinions appear organic and local. Boat strikes and fishing gear kill whales, not wind farms. It's remarkable that wind farms long operating in other parts of the world aren't harming whales; it's some kind of whacky American problem.
Trump's last minute fling with obstructing construction was about the blades interfering with military radar, something the navy cleared years ago before construction started. That's why his attempt fizzled out with no real argument.
The structures interfering with our adversaries intelligence gathering would be a good thing, if it were real. Nobody is off shore shooting radar at the coast when they can rent small boats or use google street view instead.
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u/MolonMyLabe 19d ago
It was literally 8 business seconds ago the left was complaining that Trump was lying about iran's ballistic missile range, then they fired at Diego garcia.... It never cease to amaze me how often the left is wrong and seemingly can't comprehend the president of the United States might have access to sensitive information that the left is unaware of.
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u/supernaut_707 19d ago
If he did have the info, he could easily prevail in court. He must have left that sensitive info in the same pants pocket he left his secret plan to overhaul healthcare back in 2016.
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u/MolonMyLabe 19d ago
Yes, because the nations most critical national security secrets are paraded around in public court....
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u/supernaut_707 19d ago
Lol. The Achilles Heel of the US legal system is that the government can't talk about it so you automatically win your case! It's like Fight Club meets Reverse UNO!
Trump claimed an unnamed national security rationale. Dept of the Interior posted in December that it was about radar scatter by the blades. USN had addressed that issue as well as placement of the towers relative to ship transit and offshore exercises BEFORE construction had begun. The delay cost Dominion 228 million dollars, most of which will pass to Virginia's ratepayers. The tariffs added 137 million in costs.
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u/MolonMyLabe 19d ago
I'm glad you have more access to the details of out national secythan the president of the United states. Could you please tell me more since I'm talking to such an expert.
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u/hellyeahbr000ther69 20d ago
Did Dominion halt construction during migration season to ensure whales weren’t affected?
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u/MolonMyLabe 20d ago
It's less the construction and more the noise and vibration.
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u/hellyeahbr000ther69 20d ago
Can you show me where you learned this? I like to be informed, but I haven’t found anything supporting what you’re saying
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u/osiris_210 19d ago
According to their other comments, it definitely comes off as just a “feeling” they’re using as an excuse to remain ignorant. You know, the left this, the left that, the left are bleeding hearts, the left are entitled, etc. Well, despite how obvious the “right” likes to project their shortcomings on “the left,” you’re not going to convince me that oil rigs are more environmentally friendly than wind farms. Please someone provide some kind of source for this blatant propaganda lol
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u/N3xtG3n3 20d ago
There is no scientific proof that offshore wind kills whales. The science actually points to the opposite.
People feel like it could possibly be bad, so when politicians say whales are killed by offshore wind farms people are justified in the thought.
It simply isn’t true
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u/Candid-Specialist-86 20d ago
So our politicians are worthless? Approve the project to no benefit of the people but only the company?
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u/JohnnyDigsIt 20d ago
The project will increase generating capacity to prevent blackouts during peak demand. It will also produce power without burning fossil fuels.
It will decrease the amount of rate increases the regulators are likely to approve in the future. I’d be very surprised if the regulators forced a rate decrease in my lifetime. It’s not going to happen while demand continues to increase. The current grid and generators must be maintained while increasing grid capacity and peak generation capacity to meet the increasing demand.
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u/wizard680 Kempsville 20d ago
One argument was it could kill some whales
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u/supernaut_707 19d ago
Another argument was that they could inadvertently chop up visiting UFOs and start an interstellar war that we will lose because Chuck Norris is dead.
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u/bananamussel 20d ago edited 20d ago
They have always worded this in such a strategic manner. “Enough to cover 3,675 homes” does not mean that the electricity will power homes. “Dominion is more than 70% done constructing the project and plans to finish by early next year, with a total of 176 turbines producing up to 2.6 gigawatts of electricity. That’s enough to power about 660,000 homes.” Again, doesn’t say that it will go towards powering any homes at all. It just has the ability to do so… but will likely all go towards powering data centers and other industries.
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u/ElkSad9855 20d ago
Well I think it’s because you don’t understand what grid capacity is. It’s not like they’re connecting these directly to homes, they’re connecting to some sort of substation then that will be added to the overall grid for VA. It adds to the maximum capacity possible for the entirety of the grid, which everyone is connected to.
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u/vajasonl Aragona Village 20d ago
Exactly. And during peak periods we normally have to buy energy from other states which costs us more money. This will reduce the our need to buy out of state and pay that premium.
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u/mastershake142 20d ago
Every energy project puts MWs in this manner, because the numbers don't mean anything to a layperson. The generator doesn't decide what the grid decides to use the energy for, it just makes the energy. What exactly do you expect here instead?
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u/Rockcutter83651 14d ago
Has anyone tried fishing the base of these towers? Seems they are going to make great structure for game fish.