Another wind energy project in jeopardy after Virginia Beach signals they won’t let cables come ashore
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Another wind-energy project appears to be in jeopardy after Virginia Beach leaders informally told developers they don’t have the city’s support to bring their power transmission cables ashore in Sandbridge.
City Manager Patrick Duhaney made the announcement during a City Council informal meeting last Tuesday. He said he and Mayor Bobby Dyer recently met with Connecticut-based Avangrid to let them know City Council’s concerns with the project.
Avangrid plans to install 180 wind turbine generators off the coast of Corolla and has been working for several years with the city to establish a path to connect to the electric grid.
Many of the concerns mirror the ones expressed by residents during a public hearing back in the spring. There are fears the construction would have an impact on property values, tourism, tax revenues, and possibly health effects long-term.
Council members were also concerned that Avangrid hadn’t locked in a buyer for the power.
“The conversation went as well as the council expected it would,” Duhaney said.
However, what isn’t clear is if this stops the project outright, or if Avangrid will find another way to bring their power to market.
In a statement, Craig Gilvarg, a spokesperson for Avangrid, appeared to indicate all hope is not lost for the project known as “Kitty Hawk Wind.”
Officially, Avangrid’s request for an easement hasn’t been voted down by City Council.
“Kitty Hawk Wind represents a historic opportunity for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the City of Virginia Beach, and the Hampton Roads region, with the potential to generate at least 3,500 megawatts, power 1 million homes with clean energy, create thousands of jobs, and help the region attract additional economic investments including local manufacturing. In advancing this transformational clean energy project, Avangrid continues to work closely with local stakeholders in the Virginia Beach community, including residents, businesses, maritime organizations, labor and workforce development officials, and other local leaders. As stated during the City Council meeting this week, no formal vote or decision has been taken by the Council, and Avangrid is committed to our ongoing, collaborative relationship and addressing any and all concerns raised by members of the Council. We remain committed to frequent and robust public engagement throughout the development of this critical project, and will continue to engage with local leaders and stakeholders to bring this substantial, clean, and cost-effective energy to the region.”
Craig Gilvarg, Avangrid Spokesperson
Duhaney revealed he left the meeting with the understanding that Avangrid was still going to try and ease the community concerns.
“They’ve stated that they are going to go back to the drawing board and see what they can do to address some of the concerns that they’ve heard,” Duhaney said. “But I think from right now, we’ve basically more or less communicated to them that we don’t tend to see there is a tremendous amount of support for that project moving forward.”
Avangrid’s proposal calls for six submarine cables to come ashore up to 85 feet below ground adjacent to Sandbridge’s municipal parking lot behind the Sandbridge Market and then travel alongside other city utilities along the future Nimmo Parkway extension and General Booth Boulevard until connecting to the grid at Corporate Landing.
Avangrid executed an option-to-purchase agreement for land at the business park with the Virginia Beach Development Authority back in 2019. They’ve insisted construction at the beach area would only take one “off-season” to complete and all people would see is a manhole cover in the parking lot once the it’s completed.
But the louder voices of the affluent beachfront community, where construction of a new access road is also on the horizon, appear to have been enough to convince council members otherwise.
“I think we just need to say enough is enough for right now … in this fragile community,” Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson said. “There are a lot of rental houses (in Sandbridge), but there are a lot of people who live there full time. It would be very disruptive to their lifestyle.”
However, the decision may also be considered another disruptor in the region’s goal of becoming “the center for clean energy in this country.”
Earlier this month, a facility that promised to bring more than 300 jobs to Portsmouth for wind turbine blade “finishing” was also canned.
“I think we can be supportive of the industry here in Virginia Beach without necessarily advancing this project,” Councilman Joash Schuleman said.
Dominion Energy’s $9.8 billion project to put up to 176 wind turbines about 27 miles off the Virginia Beach coast is still moving forward.
In that case, underwater cables are slated to come ashore at State Military Reservation (formerly Camp Pendleton) and eventually make their way to a Dominion substation near Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Fentress in Chesapeake.
Later that night, City Council did accept more than $20 million from Dominion Energy for the use of city property. Some of the money will go towards tree mitigation, as roughly 40 acres of trees will have to be removed.
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