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Going greener
The Port of Virginia is preparing for a greener future that includes less reliance on fossil fuels. It’s doing this by expanding its access to cleaner energy such as solar power; replacing older, diesel-fueled equipment with hybrid and all-electric alternatives; and supporting the region’s burgeoning offshore wind industry. In his April 2022 State of the […]
Data center park headed for Surry County
A Middleburg developer plans to build at least 30 data centers on a 641-acre plot next to the Surry Nuclear Power Station in Surry County, with the possibility of a hydrogen and nuclear-powered green energy production facility in the future, the county announced Wednesday. John Andrews, CEO of Middleburg-based Green Energy Partners LLC of Virginia, […]
Tech researchers aim to transform power grid
Across the American landscape about 3,000 more wind turbines have popped up every year since 2005, and more than 2.7 million homes in the U.S. now sport solar panels. The power grid also is transforming, but the system is still better suited to centralized coal-fired plants, not widely dispersed sources of renewable energy. A four-person […]
Hitachi Energy plans $37M expansion in Halifax County
Hitachi Energy Ltd. will invest $37 million to expand its operation in Halifax County, creating 165 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. The technology company will add 26,000 square feet to its existing facility in the county to make space for a new production line of large transformers to support the utility and renewable energy […]
Fluence announces next CEO, president
Julian Nebreda will become Arlington-based energy storage and digital applications company Fluence Energy Inc.’s president and CEO on Sept. 1. Nebrada succeeds Manuel Pérez Dubuc, who will step down on Aug. 31. Nebreda has been a Fluence board member since September 2021 and was most recently executive vice president and president of U.S. & Global […]
SCC approves Dominion’s $9.8B offshore wind farm
The State Corporation Commission has approved Dominion Energy Inc.’s application for the proposed $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project (CVOW), which calls for the construction of 176 wind turbines 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. The Richmond-based Fortune 500 utility has already erected two pilot turbines for its 2.6-gigawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore […]
Lambert’s Point Docks in Norfolk to become $100M maritime center
In a deal predicted to bring more than 500 jobs and over $100 million in capital investment, the Lambert’s Point Docks property in Norfolk will become a maritime operations and logistics center to support local offshore wind, defense and transportation industries. The land, owned by Norfolk Southern Railway Co., has been leased by Virginia Beach-based […]
Fluence to acquire renewable energy SaaS company
Arlington-based energy storage and digital application company Fluence Energy Inc. announced Monday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Nispera AG. Nispera is a Zurich-based artificial intelligence and machine learning-enabled software-as-a-service company that targets the renewable energy sector. It helps clients monitor, analyze, forecast and improve renewable energy assets’ p[...]
Power plays
Virginia’s largest electric utilities are deploying an array of technologies as they decarbonize, digitalize and decentralize their power grids to meet the state’s and their own clean energy goals. Richmond-based Dominion Energy Inc. and Charleston, West Virginia-headquartered Appalachian Power are expanding their solar, wind and battery storage portfolios while advancing a massive pow[...]
SW community colleges to create wind manufacturing workforce
The presidents of four community colleges in Southwest Virginia signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday to establish a wind manufacturing workforce development partnership. “Today’s MOU signing is meaningful because it demonstrates our resident and abiding interest in collaborating. Our four community college presidents are setting an example of how to find ways to work together[...]
Looking back
In November 2021, Gov. Ralph Northam sat down for an interview with Virginia Business, looking back at his eventful four-year term. This is a transcript of the full interview, part of which was used in the January 2022 cover story, “A dramatic shift.” The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Virginia Business: What […]
Dominion orders 176 turbines from Siemens Gamesa
Dominion Energy Inc. has ordered 176 offshore wind turbines from Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A. for its 2.6-gigawatt, $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, the utility announced Monday. The Richmond-based Fortune 500 utility declined to release financial details of the contract. The SG 14-222 DD turbines — at more than 800 feet tall, the […]
