Showing posts with label Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Show all posts

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Statement of Governor Bob McDonnell on New Virginia Offshore Wind Research Lease

English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in .
English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Determination Clears Way to Offer “First of its Kind” Lease to Virginia
Lease Proposes to Demonstrate Two 6 Megawatt Wind Turbine Generators in the Atlantic Ocean 24 miles off Hampton Roads; Dominion Virginia Power will Lead Project

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement following news that the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has made a Determination of No Competitive Interest (DNCI) that will allow the federal bureau to offer Virginia a first of its kind offshore wind research lease. The lease area located about 24 nautical miles off of the Hampton Roads coastline on the Outer Continental Shelf will host a demonstration of two utility-scale wind turbine generators. This news follows Virginia’s selection as the location of only the second commercial offshore wind lease auction and sale. In September, Dominion Virginia Power successfully bid for that lease:http://www.governor.virginia.gov/news/viewRelease.cfm?id=1971.

Speaking about today’s new offshore wind research lease, Governor McDonnell remarked, “I applaud the Department of the Interior and BOEM Director Tommy P. Beaudreau and his team at BOEM for taking another important step to advance this vital research and demonstration initiative. Today’s development follows the BOEM September lease auction for commercial scale wind energy development in the much larger wind energy area in federal waters adjacent to the research lease and keeps Virginia at the forefront of an all-of-the-above energy development strategy. Dominion Virginia Power, the state’s largest utility, won the commercial lease auction and also leads the turbine demonstration project, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

“Virginia’s port and maritime assets and the gradual slope of the Outer Continental Shelf and consistent offshore wind speeds make this a natural geographic location to demonstrate the feasibility and eventually to develop offshore wind resources at a commercial scale. We have a robust commercial ship building industry and other assets that make Hampton Roads and the Commonwealth an attractive candidate to become the center of construction and logistical support to develop the Mid-Atlantic’s coastal energy resources.

“Virginia did not get to this position of leadership  and great potential by accident. I would also like to acknowledge years of ground laying and ongoing work by many stakeholders.  BOEM, the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority, the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium, Dominion Virginia Power, the maritime industry, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense, Virginia’s Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and many others have worked together to define the appropriate locations for research and commercial scale offshore wind development.  Key to the identification of these locations has been the protection of sensitive ecological habitat and avoiding or minimizing conflicts with existing uses of the ocean space offshore Virginia, such as military training areas, marine vessel traffic, a dredge disposal site, and areas of concern specified by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility.

“The experience gained under the research lease will help to lower costs and reduce any possible risks from future large scale commercial development. Leveraging other funds, lowering costs and risks and accelerating the sensible and responsible development of our offshore wind energy resource have been the motivations behind all investments of state funds for offshore wind during our administration, including a recently concluded regional ocean geological survey and additional studies and data collection projects now being planned to invest $1 million of FY2014 state funds.” 

The Department of the Interior release is available here:http://www.boem.gov/Press12062013/.

More about the Virginia Offshore Wind Technology Advancement Project (VOWTAP)
Dominion Virginia Power and its team is one of seven projects nationally selected by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2012 to receive $4 million each in federal matching funds to undertake initial engineering, design, and permitting for an offshore wind technology demonstration facility. VOWTAP proposes designing, developing, and demonstrating a grid-connected, 12-megawatt offshore wind facility consisting of two 6-megawatt Alstom Haliade turbines mounted on innovative foundations. The project will advance offshore wind technology and gain valuable experience in offshore wind installation and operations, with the goal to reduce the cost and risk of future commercial scale offshore wind projects. In May 2014, DOE will select three projects to receive additional federal funding up to about $47 million in total and proceed with completion of the Front End Engineering and Design. Ultimately, DOE has a target for these projects to be operational by the end of 2017.

The VOWTAP team includes:
·         Dominion Virginia Power – Project lead, owner and operator
·         U.S. Department of Energy – Funding partner
·         Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy – Funding partner and offshore research lease holder
·         National Renewable Energy Laboratory – Federally Funded Research and Development Center
·         Virginia Tech  - Representing the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium
·         Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries
·         Alstom –  Wind turbine manufacturer
·          KBR – Owner’s engineer
·         Tetra Tech – Environmental consultant
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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Statement of Governor Bob McDonnell on Second in Nation Offshore Wind Lease Sale Off Virginia

Governor of Virginia Bob McDonnell speaking at...
Governor of Virginia Bob McDonnell speaking at CPAC. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Auctioned over 112,000 Acres Off the Coast of the Commonwealth
Area Anticipated To Produce Enough Electricity To Power 700,000 Homes

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement this afternoon following news that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed its live auction to lease an area off the coast of Virginia as the site of the nation’s second offshore wind energy lease sale. The winner of the lease sale is Dominion Virginia Power who bid $1.6 million for the lease.  Today, the Department of the Interior auctioned 112,800 acres offshore of the Commonwealth in a competitive lease sale as one single lease that is anticipated to support 2000 megawatts of wind generation and enough electricity to power 700,000 homes.  The lease area, composed of 19 full Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) blocks and 13 sub-blocks and located 23.5 nautical miles from the Virginia Beach coastline, was selected after intensive work with the Commonwealth and stakeholders to avoid existing uses of the OCS offshore Virginia, including sensitive ecological habitat and shoals along the coast north of the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, military training areas, marine vessel traffic, a dredge disposal site, and areas of concern specified by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center’s Wallops Flight Facility.

“I want to congratulate Dominion Virginia Power on winning the lease for 112,800 acres of federal land off the coast of Virginia for offshore wind development.  Dominion is one of the largest energy producers in the country and a great corporate partner in Virginia.  I applaud the Department of the Interior and Secretary Sally Jewell for holding the second competitive lease sale for offshore wind on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.  This again puts Virginia at the forefront of an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy development and security strategy to meet the needs of a growing America.  I want to thank Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and her team at BOEM for moving this project forward as part of a comprehensive approach toward meeting our nation’s energy needs and creating more good jobs.”

“Earlier in our Administration we were pleased to accept the invitation of then-Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to join the Department’s Offshore Wind Consortium, and we worked with the Secretary on the ‘Smart from the Start’ program.   Together with the General Assembly, we created the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority (VOWDA) to oversee the data gathering, research and planning that must be done to support offshore wind development off of Virginia's coast. As part of that effort we are currently working toward final approval of two offshore wind research leases.  

“Virginia’s coast is ideal for wind development. The gradual slope of the Outer Continental Shelf and consistent offshore wind speeds make this a natural geographic location for the commercial utilization of offshore wind resources. At the same time, Virginia enjoys a robust commercial ship building industry poised to become the center of construction for the component parts needed to build the specialized ships, turbines and towers necessary for these upcoming leases, and potentially for additional future wind leases on the east coast.  This will result in millions of dollars in industrial activity and the creation of many new high-skilled jobs in our state.

“Today is another great step forward in ensuring Virginia is the ‘Energy Capital of the East Coast’ and in the development of offshore wind off the coast of the Commonwealth.  We must utilize all of our energy resources, from wind to oil to gas to coal to nuclear, to create good jobs for our people and provide greater energy security for our country.”

The Department of the Interior release is available here.

The McDonnell Administration has taken numerous steps to position the Commonwealth as a national leader in offshore wind energy including:

·         Proposing successful legislation to create the new Clean Energy Manufacturing Incentive Grant (CEMIG) program to focus existing resources for energy development incentives on targeted nuclear, wind, solar and biomass alternative energy projects. The legislation expanded Virginia's economic incentive programs for those companies willing to locate and innovate right here in the Commonwealth and will help make Virginia a hub for clean and renewable energy production.
·         Proposing successful legislation to create a Green Job Creation Tax Credit, an annual $500 tax credit for every green job created with a salary of $50,000 or more, for five years and up to 350 jobs.
·         Joining and supporting the work of former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's offshore wind consortium to reform the permitting process and develop leasing and permitting timelines that would support financing and actual project development; led to the Secretary’s “Smart from the Start” program.
·         Adopting a "first of its kind" in the nation Permit By Rule to streamline permitting of small (< 100 MW) land-based and offshore (state waters) renewable energy projects by addressing all issues of species and habitat, water quality and other state regulatory issues in a single permitting process agreed upon by all interested agencies and other stakeholders.
·         Creating the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority (VOWDA) which oversees the data gathering, research and planning that must be done to support offshore wind development off of Virginia's coast and track issues as they arise, and makes recommendations for promoting Virginia offshore wind development.
·         Conducting several studies to quantify Virginia's offshore resource, and the transmission resources needed and available to support development of that offshore resource.
·         Partnering with the BOEM to conduct a regional ocean geological survey, which will provide data about the ocean floor that will be made available to developers.
·         Filing applications with BOEM for research leases of federal waters so that Virginia can gather data and support new technology development and testing to lead to offshore wind development.
·         Requesting and receiving $500,000 from the General Assembly to support offshore wind development projects, allowing the Commonwealth to continue its efforts to develop data and additional information concerning the resource available in Virginia’s Wind Energy Area, and to make that data available to reduce the costs of development and assist developers in the federal leasing process.
·         Leveraging $300,000 of the appropriation noted above to obtain equal matching funds from the BOEM to engage a geological/geotechnical contractor to conduct surveys of the ocean floor to help determine what sorts of turbine foundations to use in the construction of a commercial wind generation project off the coast of Virginia. 
·         Supporting a team led by Dominion Virginia Power in receiving a $4 million competitive grant from the US Department of Energy for research and technology development related to offshore wind turbine foundations.  Additional partners include the National Renewable Energy Lab, Alstom, Huntington Ingalls-Newport News Shipyard and others.  The project will make use of one of Virginia’s research leases.
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