DEME Offshore US LLC , the world’s leading offshore wind farm contractor, announced that it has secured a +$1.1 Billion Balance of Plant (BoP) contract for the construction of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project in a Consortium with Prysmian.  The contract, with a total value amounting to +$1.9 Billion, has been awarded by Dominion Energy Virginia, a subsidiary of Dominion Energy Inc., to a consortium made up of DEME Group and Prysmian.

The agreement is the largest offshore wind installation contract ever awarded in the U.S. Upon expected completion in 2026, the CVOW will be the largest wind farm in the U.S., and one of the largest in the world.

The CVOW project will play a crucial role in helping the Commonwealth of Virginia meet its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2045. The project is located at approximately 27 miles (43 km) off the coast of Virginia Beach, VA, US.  The 2.6 GW offshore wind farm will be capable of supplying clean energy to as many as 660,000 households, while reducing carbon emissions by over 2 million tons per year.

DEME Offshore’s CVOW BoP contract includes the transport and installation of 176 monopile transition piece foundations, three offshore substations, scour protection and the supply and installation of export and inter-array submarine cable systems.DEME Offshore will oversee the complete offshore installation works for the foundations, substations, infield cables, as well as part of the export cables. For the fulfilment of the project, DEME Offshore entered in a consortium with Prysmian, the world leader in underwater energy cable systems.

“DEME Offshore brings valuable industry knowledge and years of experience to our Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project,” says Joshua Bennett, Dominion Energy vice president of offshore wind. “We look forward to working with DEME Offshore to advance offshore wind off the coast of Virginia as we lead the Commonwealth’s clean-energy transition.”

Luc Vandenbulcke, CEO, DEME Group comments: “We are extremely proud to be playing such a significant role in this dynamic and growing U.S. market and seeing our efforts bring clean energy to American households. Following the award of the Vineyard offshore wind project installation works for foundations, substation and wind turbines and South Fork cable installation works, this partnership with Dominion Energy is an endorsement of our expertise and track record in enabling the energy transition process in the U.S. This contract further reaffirms DEME’s position as the pre-eminent contractor in the offshore wind installation industry both in the U.S. and globally.”  

“We are grateful for Dominion Energy for the opportunity to launch this consortium. By working closely with our partners at Prysmian Powerlink, we will jointly support the project during the design and preparation phase with our joint expertise, and ultimately deliver on the promise of offshore wind power to the benefit of Virginia residents, businesses, and families,” said Jan Klaassen, Director, DEME Offshore US LLC.

Sid Florey, President, DEME Offshore US, commented: “This significant contract will allow us to further build out our US footprint, working with key partners and the local supply chain to grow jobs. We are pleased to continue supporting the growth of the U.S. offshore wind industry and demonstrating DEME’s commitment to this growing market.”

DEME Group has spent many years building up its presence in the U.S. market and established DEME Offshore US LLC in Boston in 2019. Today’s CVOW announcement is a fast follow on from earlier contract awards for Vineyard Wind 1 off the coast of Massachusetts, the first utility-scale offshore wind project in the U.S., and the South Fork offshore wind farm off the coast of Long Island.  Upon expected completion in 2023, these projects will generate clean, renewable, affordable energy for over 400,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts and over 70,000 homes on Long Island, while reducing carbon emissions by 1.6 million tons per year and 300,000 tons per year, respectively.