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Summer 2023

Project Updates

Avangrid is pleased to share Kitty Hawk Wind project updates on multiple fronts.

Public Briefing

In May, the Virginia Beach City Council held a Public Briefing Session for the Kitty Hawk Wind project. The Avangrid team provided a presentation on the project, and the Council accepted public comment. We appreciate the support and feedback provided by residents, and we continue to provide Council with written responses to questions about the project raised during the briefing.

The Virginia Beach City Council will schedule a formal public hearing (date TBD) and vote on Avangrid’s request for approval of a deed of easement at Sandbridge Municipal Parking Lot south of the Market. The Municipal Parking Lot has been identified as the optimal landfall location according to our ongoing due diligence, design assessment, and constraints evaluation including the Department of Defense in particular.

For those who were unable to attend this Public Briefing, the presentation is available on our website by visiting the "Project Overview" page. To learn more, we invite you to explore the Kitty Hawk Wind Virtual Self-Guided Tour.

Learn More

New Fisheries Liaison

We’re pleased to introduce Kitty Hawk Wind’s new Fisheries Liaison Lela Schlenker. Lela’s vast fisheries science experience includes study of catch & release fishing impacts on white marlin in Virginia Beach and research at Coastal Studies Institute on impacts of climate change and fisheries management on NC commercial fisheries.

Meet the Kitty Hawk Wind Team

In the Community

Fishing Tournaments

Kitty Hawk Wind kicked off the summer fishing tournament season as a proud sponsor of the 65th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament in Morehead City. We enjoyed meeting anglers and attendees from a record fleet of 271 participating boats, and Sushi claimed 1^st place with a 484.5lb blue marlin.

Our team also joined the fun at the 19th Annual Virginia Beach Tuna Tournament out of Southside Marina at Rudee Inlet as a proud sponsor. Congratulations to Juniper, which reeled in the top spot with an impressive 227.0lb big eye.

Kitty Hawk Wind is also proud sponsor of these August tournaments:

40th Annual Pirates Cove Billfish Tournament

20th Annual Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament

VAACC Tournament

Photo Jul 20, 8 08 52 AM Kitty Hawk Wind was thrilled to help build momentum for the future Virginia African American Cultural Center as a proud sponsor of their 2nd Annual Golf Tournament in July. The event raised over $25,000 to support the future cultural center, which will advance education about the history of African American culture and experience in Virginia and the region.

Spring Community Open Houses

Thank you to community members we were able to engage with at our Kitty Hawk Wind Community Open Houses in North Carolina. Input was well received from the Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Morehead City, Havelock, and Corolla areas as we shared project plans.

We look forward to building a clean energy future together, and we remain committed to working with the community to make our shared vision a reality!

Stakeholder Outreach

The Kitty Hawk Wind team continued stakeholder outreach at numerous meetings and events such as Virginia Maritime Association’s Offshore Wind Committee, Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority (VOWDA), and North Carolina Taskforce for Offshore Wind Economic Resource Strategies (NC TOWERS). Additional stakeholder highlights include:

Clean the Bay Day

Photo Jun 08, 10 44 43 AM As a partner of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, we were proud to sponsor the 2023 Clean the Bay Day, with a cleanup around Little Neck Creek and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art together with Hampton Roads Alliance, Fugro, Seajacks, and Capes Shipping to keep these inland areas of the Chesapeake Bay watershed healthy for all to enjoy.

Visit with Environmental Groups

Atma Khalsa, Avangrid Offshore Wind's Director of Environmental Affairs, and Kitty Hawk Wind team members visited local environmental groups to discuss offshore wind and each organization’s mission. Thank you to Lynnhaven River Now, The Nature Conservancy, and Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Brock Environmental Center, home of the Virginia Beach City Public Schools Environmental Studies Program, for the insightful visits.

RESOURCE

Learn how Hampton Roads is positioning itself to become a supply chain hub for offshore wind by visiting the Hampton Roads Alliance's OSW resources page: Learn More

Offshore Wind News

Virginian-Pilot Editorial on OSW Opportunity for Hampton Roads

"Hampton Roads has a great opportunity to take advantage of its position and become a leading East Coast hub for offshore wind energy.” Read More

US Maritime Industry Invests in Offshore Wind

President Biden attended a steel cutting ceremony for the construction of a new subsea rock installation vessel, marking one US dredging company’s entry into the offshore wind supply chain. Read More

3,500 Ton Offshore Substation Installed for Vineyard Wind

Avangrid’s joint-venture project, Vineyard Wind I, reached another major milestone with the installation of the nation’s first offshore substation for a commercial scale offshore wind project. Installation of the first monopiles and transition pieces began in June. Read More

Fun Facts

Did you know? Kitty Hawk Wind will use horizontal directional drilling (HDD) technology to install cables in the municipal parking lot without disturbing the beach & dunes. This common trenchless technique does not disturb the ground surface, the beach will remain open to patrons, and will not impact current or future beach renourishment. Once installation is complete, there will be no above ground infrastructure in the parking lot.

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