Virginia Wind Project May Raise Energy Bills
A court decision has cleared the way for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project, even after a former administration tried to halt it over security concerns.
Approval Context
The plan was approved by the state regulator in 2022 under a law that forces Dominion Energy to become carbon‑free within 25 years.
The same law mandates building wind farms inside Virginia rather than buying power from other states.Cost Concerns
The regulator warned that the project could add over $50 to a typical household’s bill, and up to $170 in some years.
Construction alone is expected to hit $10 billion, with total costs more than double that.
These expenses will eventually be passed on to customers through higher rates, despite federal tax credits.Dominion’s Position
Dominion Energy claims owning CVOW will lower costs by cutting the amount of expensive renewable power it must buy from outside.
However, state law already requires the utility to purchase “green” energy and shut down cheaper fossil fuel plants.
If the wind farm fails, customers will also suffer higher supply‑risk costs because Dominion owns the project directly.
Risk and Reliability
Offshore wind is already more than twice as expensive per megawatt‑hour as onshore wind and 3.4 times more than natural gas, even before tax credits.
Virginia’s coastal winds are weak, so turbines would produce less than half of their rated capacity on average.
Wind power is intermittent, peaking in spring and fall when demand is low, and dropping during hot summer afternoons when demand is high.
To keep the grid stable, backup power—usually gas‑fired plants—is needed around the clock.
Running those backups costs extra money, and turbines must be throttled up and down like a car idling in traffic, reducing efficiency.
In many cases, it is cheaper and more reliable to keep natural gas plants running continuously; they also last longer than wind turbines.Political Criticism
A former president once called large‑scale renewable projects a “scam of the century,” citing European examples where high wind and solar costs hurt economies.
He pointed to Germany, which pays more than twice the U.S. price per kilowatt‑hour and still relies on batteries that can only store energy for about 20 minutes.Outcome
Even if the legal battle over CVOW ends, stopping it will not lower Virginia’s energy bills because the regulator has already built those costs into the rate structure.
The only “green” benefit comes from federal tax credits that ultimately come out of taxpayers’ pockets.
