DEME has completed the installation of the first of three offshore substations for the 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project, located 43 kilometers off the coast of Virginia Beach, USA, according to the company's release.
The installation involved a 3,907-metric tonne lift, placing the topside onto a jacket previously installed by DEME.
The first substation arrived at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal in January 2024, following the installation of four pin piles for one offshore substation jacket last year during the initial campaign.
DEME’s DP3 installation vessel Orion will now proceed with installing transition pieces (TPs) before starting the second campaign of monopile installation.
In 2021, a consortium of Semco Maritime and CS Wind Offshore, formerly Bladt Industries, secured a contract to supply three 880 MW substations for the project, developed by Dominion Energy. DEME’s Balance of Plant (BoP) contract covers the transport and installation of 176 monopile transition piece foundations, three offshore substations, scour protection, and the supply and installation of export and inter-array submarine cable systems, as well as overseeing the complete offshore installation of foundations, substations, infield cables, and part of the export cables.
The CVOW project, the largest offshore wind farm under construction in the US, will feature 176 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW turbines, generating enough renewable energy to power up to 660,000 homes, according to Dominion Energy. In February 2025, Dominion Energy reported that the wind farm is approximately 50 per cent complete and on track for completion by the end of 2026.
DEME, a Belgian company headquartered in Zwijndrecht, specializes in dredging, marine engineering, and offshore energy projects, with a global presence in over 90 countries and a strong focus on sustainable solutions.
Dominion Energy, based in Richmond, Virginia, is a major U.S. utility company serving over 7 million customers.
Siemens Gamesa, headquartered in Zamudio, Spain, is a leading wind turbine manufacturer, supplying its 14 MW turbines for the CVOW project as part of its broader portfolio in renewable energy solutions.