Dominion Energy Invests in Wind Power
There’s one investor-owned electric utility serving customers in North Carolina that is demonstrating confidence in developing wind energy. Unfortunately, it’s not Duke Energy, the monopoly electricity supplier for most North Carolinians. Instead, it’s Dominion Energy, which supplies electricity to about 120,000 customers in several counties of northeastern North Carolina.
Dominion is already in the process of building the first offshore wind farm off the coast of Virginia. Two pilot wind towers are in operation, and the remainder of the 176-turbine project is under construction. When completed, it will generate 2.6 gigawatts (2,600 megawatts) of electricity, enough to power approximately 660,000 homes.
On top of this project, a subsidiary of Dominion has recently contracted with Avangrid to acquire the lease and wind development rights to the Kitty Hawk North leasing tract off North Carolina’s Outer Banks. That tract is projected to supply another 800 megawatts of electricity, enough to power another 200,000 homes and businesses.
Dominion Doubles Down, Duke Slows Down
Dominion’s aggressive pursuit of clean wind energy stands in contrast to Duke Energy’s investments. In its controversial carbon plan now under debate before the NC Utilities Commission (NCUC), Duke is delaying renewable energy and downplaying the potential of offshore wind. Meanwhile, Duke is fast-tracking a massive new expensive, polluting methane gas infrastructure (pipelines, power plants, etc.) in North Carolina while proposing to throw more billions of dollars into the development of untested and expensive “small modular” nuclear reactors.
Clean energy advocates, consumer groups, and the NC Justice Department under Attorney General Josh Stein are all demanding that Duke do better for North Carolina. The NCUC should listen to these advocates and require Duke to fundamentally reshape its plans to pursue clean solar, wind, and battery storage first.
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