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Va. Beach contractor lands $782M Navy contract
Navy veteran Terry Spitzer has dedicated much of his career to manufacturing equipment to be used by his former U.S. Armed Forces branch. In April, Global Technical Systems (GTS), the Virginia Beach-based company Spitzer and his wife, Yusun, co-founded in 1997, landed a $782 million contract to manufacture equipment for the Navy[...]
Offshore windfall
Two massive wind turbines are scheduled to begin spinning off the coast of Virginia Beach by the end of 2020, providing electricity to 3,000 homes and paving the way for Dominion Energy Inc. to build the nation’s largest offshore wind farm. And even amid the coronavirus outbreak, plans are still proceeding on course, says[...]
Rising above
Sea-level rise is happening faster than ever in Hampton Roads, experts say, up to an inch every four years. And if that doesn’t sound like a big deal, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science said in a February 2020 report that coastal waters could rise by more than a foot and a half by 2050. […]
Offshore wind components headed from Europe
Richmond-based Dominion Energy Inc. and Denmark-based Ørsted A/S announced Tuesday that major components of its $300 million Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot project are being shipped to North America — which is on-schedule, despite the pandemic. Major components for the two, massive 6-megawatt Siemens Gamesa offsh[...]
Governor signs clean energy legislation
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Sunday that he has signed the Virginia Clean Economy Act into law, requiring state electricity providers to become 100% carbon free by 2050. The legislation sets a 2045 carbon-free deadline for Virginia power operations for Dominion Energy Inc. and a 2050 deadline for Appalachian Power. It also requires virtually all […]
State extends ban on utility service disconnects
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the Virginia State Corporation Commission has extended the ban on utilities disconnecting electricity, water, sewer and gas services until June 14. “While we fervently wish otherwise … it appears that the devastating economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are unlikely to abate significantly” by mid-May, when the order was […]
Positive energy
By 2026, as many as 220 massive wind turbines — each taller than the Washington Monument — may be churning away less than 30 miles off the Virginia Beach coast, powering up to 650,000 homes with renewable energy. The $7.8 billion proposed offshore wind farm would be the nation’s largest such project, but it’s just [&hell[...]
Pig-powered
Along with emitting a potent odor, manure produced by the nearly 75 million hogs in the U.S. generates methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. However, Virginia’s largest electric utility and the world’s largest pork producer have teamed up to combat the latter problem by tran[...]
SCC rejects large portion of Dominion’s grid upgrade plan
UPDATED MARCH 27, 10 A.M. The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) on Thursday put the brakes on a major portion of Dominion Energy Inc.’s proposed $7 billion, 10-year plan for electrical grid upgrades, saying it was “due to the projected heavy costs to customers without adequate benefits.” The SCC approved some parts of the plan’s […]
Dominion Energy donates $1M to coronavirus aid, suspends service disconnections
The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation has donated a total of $1 million for coronavirus aid, which will go to the American Red Cross and local organizations in the 18 states where Dominion operates. It has more than 7 million energy customers. The charitable foundation for Richmond-based Dominion Energy has specifically committed $250,000 to the American […]
Lawmakers OK bill to bring solar to low-income communities
RICHMOND, Va. — The General Assembly passed a bill that aims to increase access to renewable energy for lower-income communities. House Bill 573, introduced by Del. Mark Keam, D-Fairfax, amends an existing solar development pilot program that requires utility companies to invest in renewable energy. Keam’s bill adds the [...]
Winds of change
In September, Dominion Energy Inc. unveiled an ambitious, $8 billion project to erect the nation’s largest offshore wind farm off the Virginia Beach coast. If all goes to plan, it will power 650,000 Virginia homes by 2026. This year, Dominion expects to bring its offshore wind pilot project online and start ocean survey work o[...]
