The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) says it will consider Dominion Virginia Power's request for an extension during its annual project assessment later this summer, following the utility's decision to place the project on hold.
Citing cost concerns, Dominion said that it was putting its Virginia Offshore Wind Technology Advancement Project on hold for one year.
In addition to state impacts, the delay bumps up against the DOE's timetable, as the federal agency established its own project milestones when it selected Dominion as one of three recipients to receive up to $47 million in funding.
‘When the [DOE] developed the Offshore Wind Advanced Technology Demonstration Project Funding Opportunity in 2012, the department understood that the requirement that selected projects be installed and operating in U.S. water by the end of 2017 would be challenging,’ according to a DOE spokesperson. ‘We are committed to working with Dominion in an open and transparent manner to determine next steps.’
