Virginia

Virginia bill to let non-utilities supply offshore wind energy pushed back to 2025 – Virginia Mercury

Published

2 years ago

February 1, 2024

Virginia bill to let non-utilities supply offshore wind energy pushed back to 2025 – Virginia Mercury

A bill that would have opened the door for someone other than Dominion Energy to supply Virginia with the remaining amount of offshore wind energy it needs to comply with the Virginia Clean Economy Act won’t be considered until 2025 after senators voted to carry it over to the next session.

The legislation from Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, was backed by multiple major renewable energy companies and would have required the Virginia Department of Energy to conduct a competitive bidding process for non-utility developers to provide that needed amount of electricity.

“I’m worried that we’re not going to meet our goals on alternative energy,” Deeds said in a Jan. 29 meeting of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, which he chairs.

As industry struggles, federal, state offshore wind goals could get tougher to meet

But Deeds chose not to put the bill up for debate, instead saying it could be sent to the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation for consideration.

“I’m pretty good at counting votes, and I just didn’t have the votes to get the bill out of committee,” Deeds told the Mercury. “I am hopeful the CEUR can look at the bill and produce something we can get passed.”

Dominion, however, has said the proposal is a bad idea because buying power from a third-party offshore wind developer could be more expensive than producing the power itself through a utility-owned wind farm like the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project that is under construction.

“Virginia is leading the nation in offshore wind because our regulatory model is working,” said Aaron Ruby, a spokesman for Dominion. “We’re building the largest project in the country, it’s one of the least expensive, and it’s on time and on budget.”

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What the bill would do

Under the Virginia Clean Economy Act, a law passed in 2020 that requires the state’s electric grid to decarbonize by 2050, Dominion must propose the construction or purchase of offshore wind facilities capable of producing up to 5.2 gigawatts of electricity by the end of 2035. The utility is currently constructing the 2.6-gigawatt CVOW project to deliver the first tranche of that requirement.

Deeds’ bill would have altered that plan by letting Dominion fulfill its requirements by purchasing energy from a third party that develops offshore wind off Virginia’s coast. It would also have ordered the state Department of Energy to hold a competitive bidding process to secure the remaining 2.6 gigawatts of wind energy Dominion needs to meet its larger target.

That process would occur within three months of the federal government issuing a lease in the Central Atlantic. Dominion would be allowed to enter a bid to supply energy if it acquires another offshore wind lease and constructs its own facility.

The state Department of Energy would select the winning bid within two years of issuing the request for proposals based on construction costs, economic and environmental impacts, and inflation predictions. The State Corporation Commission, Dominion’s regulators, would then approve the winning bid and take over regulatory oversight of the electricity being delivered to Virginia for the project.

“We left that safeguard in place,” said Ken Kimmell, vice president of offshore wind development for renewable energy developer Avangrid, which is developing a wind project off the coast of North Carolina and is one of the backers of Deeds’ bill.

Limited leases

Non-utility wind developers have argued the bill is necessary because limited wind lease areas could prevent Dominion from being able to build new offshore wind projects.

The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management oversees the creation of lease areas where offshore wind can be developed. This July, BOEM finalized the boundaries of three new wind areas in the Mid-Atlantic region: one near the coast of Delaware Bay, another off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland and a third adjacent to Dominion’s CVOW off Virginia Beach. In December, however, the bureau excluded the Maryland site from its proposed list of leases to auction off, saying its development would require “significant costs and mitigation.”

While BOEM said the Maryland area could be part of a potential second lease sale that could occur as early as 2025, the removal of the site from immediate consideration has driven up developer interest in the area off Virginia Beach.

Evan Vaughan, executive director of MAREC Action, a coalition of renewable energy developers backing the bill, said the auction for the area adjacent to CVOW is going to be “hotly contested.” Allowing other companies to compete to supply Virginia with energy from that site, he argued, could help drive down ratepayer costs as developers vie to make their bids more attractive to the state.

“It’s a cost containment mechanism that ultimately will help ensure that Virginia ratepayers get the best deal for offshore wind,” Vaughan said, although he acknowledged that companies would also stand to benefit from the legislation.

Furthermore, he argued, because wind developers can sell electricity in Maryland, the winner of the lease off Virginia Beach could choose to sell the electricity it generates to that state.

“In that case, Dominion literally has no way to meet the VCEA, period, unless they find a way to contract with one of those companies out of their own volition, which up til this point, they haven’t done,” Vaughan said.

A system that’s working?

Dominion in turn has argued there’s no need to fix things that aren’t broken.

“Let’s stick with the model that’s working for future projects,” Ruby said. “It’s the best way to build offshore wind affordably for our customers.”

While the $9.8 billion CVOW is moving forward, he said, other offshore wind projects along the East Coast are facing stiff headwinds, with projected cost increases or cancellations. Meanwhile, Ruby noted the utility recently adjusted CVOW’s levelized cost of electricity — the estimated cost of building and operating an energy facility over its lifetime — from $80 to $90 per megawatt-hour to $77 per megawatt-hour. This August, analysts at BloombergNEF calculated that the levelized cost of electricity for U.S. offshore wind projects had risen almost 50% between 2021 and 2023, to over $114 per megawatt-hour.

“The PPA model is clearly not working,” said Ruby, referring to the power purchase agreements that govern the sale of electricity from non-utilities to energy suppliers. “Many of the PPA projects are either delayed, cancelled, or significantly more expensive than CVOW.”

Dominion also said it’s too early to be worried about not getting the lease and aired concerns that giving oversight of the bid process to the Department of Energy would erode the SCC’s powers, an issue numerous lawmakers, environmental groups and ratepayer advocates have said is detrimental for ratepayers.

Next steps

Deeds never made a formal motion to send his legislation to the CEUR, but he told the Mercury he’s hopeful that the body can look at the bill and produce something “we can get passed.”

Both Vaughan and Kimmell said they are looking forward to continued conversation on the proposal.

“I do think that the Virginia legislative session is short, so there isn’t always time to really get into the detailed consideration of something that’s important like this,” said Kimmell.

Deeds’ proposed process is similar to one laid out in a legislative amendment sought by Gov. Glenn Youngkin last year, although Youngkin’s plan called for Dominion to select the winning bid in consultation with a group including representatives of the Department of Energy. The amendment was overruled by the General Assembly.

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Virginia

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from Virginia Tech’s 95-89 Loss to Wake Forest

Published

7 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from Virginia Tech’s 95-89 Loss to Wake Forest

Virginia Tech’s ACC Tournament run ended in heartbreaking fashion Tuesday night in Charlotte, as the Hokies fell to Wake Forest 95-89 in overtime. It was a game full of swings. Virginia Tech erased deficits, battled back repeatedly and forced overtime, but couldn’t make enough plays in the extra period.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the game.

The Good: Rebounding dominance and a resilient fight

Virginia Tech did plenty of things well in this game, especially on the boards.

The Hokies outrebounded Wake Forest 45-28, including 21 offensive rebounds, which created 20 second-chance points and repeatedly extended possessions. That advantage helped Virginia Tech stay within striking distance even when the offense stalled.

Head coach Mike Young pointed to the rebounding margin as one of the more frustrating parts of the loss.

“You outrebound somebody 45 to 26 or whatever that is,” Young said. “You’re supposed to win the game. Unfortunately, we did not.”

Several Hokies contributed to that effort. Forward Tobi Lawal led the team with nine rebounds. Centers Christian Gurdak and Antonio Dorn combined for 15 rebounds, with Dorn seeing extended minutes after Amani Hansberry was sidelined with an injury he suffered against Virginia.

Virginia Tech showed its usual resilience. The Hokies erased multiple deficits throughout the game and were able to force overtime in a game where Wake Forest led for almost 36 minutes.

Young praised the fight his team showed throughout the night.

“It’s been a characteristic of this team throughout,” said Young. “They’ve got a lot to them, and great kids to coach.”

The Bad: A quiet night for Neoklis Avdalas

Virginia Tech needed contributions across the lineup in a tight postseason game, but Neoklis Avdalas struggled to make an impact.

Avdalas finished with five points, shooting 2-for-8 from the field. The Hokies’ assist leader was unable to record an assist against the Demon Deacons. He played 31 minutes before spending the final 7:37 of the second half and all of overtime on the bench.

Young confirmed the decision was performance-based.

“I just thought [Jaden Schutt and Jailen Bedford] were playing better than Neo, so that is how it went,” said Young.

Schutt played his most minutes in a game (29) since late January. He shot 3-for-7 from three and made all six of his free throws, ending the night with 15 points.

This game stands in stark contrast to Avdalas’ previous showing against Wake Forest. In that game from Feb. 21, Avdalas scored 17 points, shooting 6-for-14 from the field. He also recorded eight assists and three rebounds that game.

The Ugly: Turnovers early and execution in overtime

THe biggest issue for Virginia Tech came in two stretches: the early turnovers and in overtime.

The Hokies committed 10 turnovers in the first half, allowing Wake Forest to control the pace despite Virginia Tech’s 25-11 first-half rebounding advantage. Off those 10 first-half turnovers, Wake Forest scored 11 points.

“We had some terrible, terrible turnovers,” said Young.

Although Virginia Tech cleaned that up in the second half, only committing three turnovers for the remainder of the game, the early miscues forced the Hokies to play from behind most of the night.

After battling abck all night, overtime is where the Hokies ran out of answers.

Wake Forest quickly seized momentum in the extra period. Guard Myles Colvin gave the Demon Deacons a five-point advantage less than a minute into overtime, making a floater and a three.

The Hokies struggled to generate offense in overtime while Wake Forest capitalized repeatedly at the free-throw line. When Virginia Tech was forced to foul down late, Wake Forest did not allow any chance of a comeback, making all nine of its free throws in overtime.

“They were hitting shots,” Ben Hammond said. “Their point guard had the game of his life today.”

In the end, Wake Forest made the plays Virginia Tech could not.

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Virginia lawmakers criticize anti-redistricting mailer with Jim Crow-era images – WTOP News

Published

19 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Virginia lawmakers criticize anti-redistricting mailer with Jim Crow-era images – WTOP News

The flyers encourage people to vote against the redistricting effort and feature pictures of the Ku Klux Klan and from the Civil Rights Movement.

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones condemned flyers with Jim Crow-era images discouraging voters from supporting redistricting in the state.

The mailers, which Jones told WTOP he first learned about last weekend, featured pictures of the Ku Klux Klan and from the Civil Rights Movement. One such mailer said, “Our ancestors fought to represent us. Now Richmond politicians are trying to take our districts away.”

The flyers encourage people to vote against the redistricting effort.

A group, Justice for Democracy, has been sending out mailers and texts with some clear dog whistles, using varying disclaimers in Virginia (“Democracy and Justice PAC” and “Justice for Democracy PAC”).
Its treasurer is listed as Christopher Woodfin and its address is the same … pic.twitter.com/JvetyKGnbw
— Matt Royer (@royermattw) March 7, 2026

Early voting is underway, as Democrats in the state push for changes to congressional districts that are expected to give them more of an advantage in Congress. They said it’s in response to President Donald Trump encouraging redistricting in Republican-led states such as Texas. Republicans, though, have been critical.

In an interview with WTOP, Jones, Virginia’s first Black attorney general, said the mailers are disturbing, shocking, offensive and deceptive.

“It’s very clear a MAGA-linked group that opposes the referendum is sending these mailers to Black voters, and they’re misusing very, very hurtful imagery from the Civil Rights Movement, even invoking Jim Crow, to weaponize one of the darkest chapters in our history, to scare people into voting no and help Republicans maintain a rigged map for 2026 so they can keep control of Congress,” Jones said.

In a statement, the NAACP Virginia State Conference said the flyers falsely compare redistricting to Jim Crow.

“While the NAACP is nonpartisan, we are deeply engaged in political advocacy to safeguard our communities,” said Rev. Cozy Bailey, president of NAACP Virginia.

The purpose of the mailers, Jones said, is to “suppress the vote. It’s to make sure that people don’t go make their voices heard during this election.”

The flyers said they’re paid for by a group called Democracy and Justice PAC. Former Virginia Del. A.C. Cordoza, a Republican, is listed as the chairman, according to Virginia Board of Elections documents.

“I couldn’t see why they say it’s insulting,” Cordoza told WTOP. “I’m a Black man. I don’t want my Black vote to be taken away.”

The proposed new map, Cordoza said, “ripped apart majority-minority districts in order to increase the number of white representatives from Northern Virginia.”

Cordoza said he didn’t know how many homes the mailers had been sent to or how much the PAC spent on them.

“I want people to do their research and see exactly what’s happening,” Cordoza said. “We, as Virginians, voted for a bipartisan redistricting commission for a reason.”

Jones, though, said he sits “across the dinner table from people who have had their right to vote denied because of the color of their skin. It’s 2026. I would hope that we’d be past tactics like this, but clearly we aren’t.”

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Gov. Spanberger leads Virginia public safety readiness briefing

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Gov. Spanberger leads Virginia public safety readiness briefing

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger met with public safety leaders from across the commonwealth Monday as part of a “unified readiness” coordination effort.

The governor met with police and fire chiefs, sheriffs, emergency managers and private sector members — including Dominion Energy — to discuss Virginia’s commitment to public safety, intelligence sharing and interagency collaboration.

“As global tensions continue to evolve, I want to be very clear: there are no known threats specific to Virginia at this time,” Spanberger said. “Today’s briefing was about making sure that information can be shared quickly and we remain at the ready.”

The meeting relates to Spanberger’s Executive Order 12, which she says reaffirms Virginia’s commitment to public safety, community trust, and readiness.

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