About 250 people attended an Offshore Wind Town Hall on Monday at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach, hosted by the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. The event discussed the development and promise of offshore wind, and its associated industries, in Virginia.
The event consisted of a panel of government, environmental and business experts that each presented, spoke on and answered questions about how to move forward with Virginia offshore wind development. Moderated by Adam Forrer, the Atlantic Region Manager for the Southeastern Wind Coalition, panelists included Eileen Woll, Offshore Energy Program Director for the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, Hayes Framme, Government Relations Communications Manager for Ørsted Energy, Will Payne, Chief Deputy of the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and Jim Spore, the President and CEO of ReInvent Hampton Roads.
“The wind resource off the Atlantic coast is four times greater than our entire electric power demand today,” Eileen Woll, Offshore Energy Program Director with the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, said. “Developing this clean energy resource would allow Virginia and the U.S. to quickly meet carbon reduction goals while creating thousands of new jobs and business opportunities.”
A lively discussion with the moderator following the presentations further vetted questions involving next steps for Virginia’s offshore wind development, including potential economic incentives used to attract industry businesses and the policy landscape shaping offshore wind in Virginia.
“Due to our unique port, maritime and shipbuilding industries and workforce, Hampton Roads is best situated to become the Eastern Seaboard center for the Offshore Wind industry,” Jim Spore, the President and CEO of ReInvent Hampton Roads, said. “This new industry cluster can help to further diversify and significantly strengthen our Regional economy.”
The town hall discussion came at a pivotal time as a number of initiatives, plans and projects move forward. Offshore wind will be a focus of Governor Northam’s Energy Plan, due October 1.
“Dominion needs to focus on the future and sustainable domestic US energy generation as is found with offshore wind development,” Sam Welch, a Chesapeake resident, said following the meeting. “Clearly, the Hampton Roads corporate, education and military community can strongly profit by partnering with leading global corporations like Ørsted, but only if Dominion makes a priority of aggressively developing its commercial lease area for offshore wind.”
Other developments on offshore wind are on the horizon. Dominion Energy is anticipated to file for approval with state regulators for its previously announced two test turbine project within the next few weeks. And due in fall of 2018, the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy will release a strategic plan to position the Commonwealth as a prime location for the offshore wind supply chain and service industry.
The town hall event will be followed by another town hall taking place Monday, July 30 at the McGrew Conference Center at Hampton University.
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Chris Graham
