🕒 Last updated on September 10, 2025
The battle over offshore wind energy has grown louder in recent months. The federal government has moved to halt or delay several large wind projects along the East Coast.
A Growing Clash Over Offshore Wind Power
These projects, worth billions of dollars, were set to provide electricity to millions of homes. Construction has already been stopped on sites in Rhode Island and New York, while projects off Maryland and Massachusetts face uncertain futures.
At the heart of this fight is a political divide. Offshore wind is being supported by many Democratic-led states as a means of supplying the growing need for energy. They also see it as an investment in cleaner power. The federal administration, however, has argued against these projects, calling wind turbines costly and harmful.
In the middle of all this stands one surprising supporter of offshore wind. A Republican governor, normally considered an ally of the administration, has been quietly fighting to protect a project in his state. His actions reveal a sharp split inside his own party.
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Virginia’s Billion-Dollar Energy Project
Just off the coast of Virginia, construction is underway on one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world. Known as Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, the project carries a price tag of $10.8 billion. When completed, it will feature 176 giant turbines rising from the sea. Together, they are expected to generate about 2.6 gigawatts of power. That is enough to supply electricity to roughly 660,000 homes.
The project is already about 60 percent finished. It is being built by Dominion Energy, one of the biggest utilities in the state. The company has argued that offshore wind is not only good for the environment but also for household budgets. They say wind energy can cut fuel costs and provide a steady power supply that balances the use of natural gas.
The need for new power in Virginia is urgent. Electricity use in the state is growing at its fastest pace since World War II. The main reason is the explosion of data centers. Northern Virginia is now home to one of the largest clusters of data centers in the world. These massive buildings run day and night to power cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Dominion Energy has warned that electricity use in the state could double in the next 15 years.
Without new power sources, electricity prices in the region could rise sharply. The company has already proposed increases in monthly bills, with costs expected to go up by $21 per household by 2027. For many families, that is a serious concern.
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Political Risks and Divided Opinions
The governor of Virginia has become the unlikely defender of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. He has voiced strong support for it, even making calls to federal officials to keep the construction moving. His office has also expressed concern about the executive order that paused new permits for wind farms on federal waters.
His stance is notable because most of his party leaders have sided with the federal administration’s push against offshore wind. Yet, in Virginia, the situation is different. The state faces enormous electricity needs, and offshore wind has been promoted as part of the solution.
Several political figures from both parties in Virginia have publicly backed the project. Local representatives in Congress have also spoken up in favor of offshore wind, noting the jobs and investments it brings. One facility in Chesapeake, worth $681 million, is being built to manufacture undersea cables for wind farms. The governor has praised these efforts, calling them proof of Virginia’s growing role in energy innovation.
The Coastal Virginia project has also created about 1,000 jobs tied to construction and related industries. At a recent event, the governor celebrated the arrival of steel monopiles, huge pipes that anchor turbines to the seabed. He compared their size to naval ships and described the project as a landmark moment for the state’s economy.
Still, the project faces challenges. A lawsuit brought by conservative nonprofit groups has accused the federal government of ignoring the project’s effects on endangered whales. A judge has given the administration a deadline this month to state whether it will revoke the project’s permits. Dominion Energy, meanwhile, continues to insist that the wind farm is essential for meeting Virginia’s future energy needs.
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As construction moves forward, the Virginia project stands apart from others halted by the administration. It has become a symbol of both political division and economic urgency. For now, it remains the one major offshore wind project on the East Coast that still has powerful backing from a Republican leader.