It’s Wednesday in the City, just three more days til the weekend.

Today’s Weather: Sunny, dry, high of 70, and… red flag fire warning?

We’ve got just one longer story today as well as your events for the next few days:

🪁⚙️What's the Deal with Offshore Wind? 🪁⚙️

📆 Events for the Next Three Days 📆 

What's the Deal with Offshore Wind?

A short boat ride from Norfolk will take you to the site of two towering wind turbines in the Atlantic Ocean, and soon to be the site of a major construction project. The two existing turbines sit at the edge of a 112,800 acre area of ocean that will likely be home to 170+ turbines. That’s an area approximately 85,151 football fields in size. That massive stretch of ocean is touted by proponents to bring on the future of clean energy and a wave of new jobs. 

How’s it work exactly?
Strong ocean winds spin turbine blades and generate power, which is sent to an offshore substation. Cables then run that power to shore at State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach connects to a switching station, then runs that power to Fentress Substation in Chesapeake before it finally connects to “the grid.”

The deliverables:
At peak output the 2.6 gigawatt project should power around 660,000 Dominion Energy customers. Once in full operation, the wind farm is projected to “support”  1,100 jobs (i.e. direct and indirect employment). The final tab is estimated to be $9.8 billion. 

Why does Norfolk matter?
We're not just getting cleaner energy, Norfolk is positioned to become a major hub for the offshore wind industry. While the actual wind turbines sit offshore, a lot of action will happen on land. Huge amounts of parts need to be manufactured, ships and specialized equipment need home ports, repair centers, administrative centers, and more will be based somewhere in the 757. 

Fairwinds Landing
111 acres of what was once Lambert’s Point Rail Terminals are being transformed into Fairwinds Landing in a $100 project. With direct rail access, 6,000 linear feet of berthing space at 32+ feet deep, and located directly across from the Port of Virginia’s future “laydown yard” it’s in a perfect location to take advantage of the moment. 

Fairwinds Landing will host the Monitoring and Coordination Center (MCC), which will support offshore wind projects with 30,000 square feet of operations and maintenance space and a 17,000 square foot warehouse. It’s slated to provide more than 200 construction and engineering jobs while being built and will ultimately be the home base for Dominion Energy’s offshore wind project. 

Downtown Norfolk 
There’s hope that the corporate offices for all of the involved companies will land in close proximity to each other. The Hampton Roads Alliance is acting as a catalyst for that to happen by opening the “Virginia Offshore Wind Landing,” which is essentially a coworking, event, and meeting space for a number of involved companies. As the projects develop, these companies will likely need more space, and hopefully stay downtown. The clustering is an intentional strategy to build an industry hub that benefits co-located companies with all sorts of positive externalities, similar to Silicon Valley and software startups, or Hollywood and the movie industry. 

What’s to come of all this?
Well the offshore wind industry in the region could be much larger than just offshore Virginia. The federal government has a massive wind energy goal and more than a dozen offshore sites are in some stages of planning. So there’s huge potential for Norfolk to be at the forefront of a major new East Coast industry. 

Yet, the Dominion Project isn’t quite a sure thing yet. Congress is considering legislation that could inject more competition into the picture. Some VB residents are already upset about the project. The Biden Administration is being sued by a conservative group seeking to stop renewable energy projects, with allegations that endangered right whales would be in harm's way. Non-Dominion Projects have faced their own headwinds with cost overruns and cancellations.  

Here’s to hoping the wind is at our backs! 

📆 Events for the Next Three Days 📆 

WEDNESDAY:
Klassic Doughnut Popup at Cova Brewing. 7:00 am. Rip it. 
Align: Small Business Series at NSU Innovation Center. 10:00 am. Rip it. 
Women's Wellness Collective at YWCA S. Hampton Roads. 10:00 am. Rip it. 
Adult Chess Meetup at Slover Library. 5:00 pm. Rip it. 
Cherry Blossom Festival at Four Eleven York. 5:00 pm. Rip it. 
Super Casual Bike Ride departing Slow & Steady Bikes. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Boardgame Night at Atlantis Games & Comics. 6:00pm. Rip it.
D&D Game Night at Atlantis Games & Comics. 6:00pm. Rip it.
Intro to Pottery with Evan at 757 Makerspace. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Norfolk Run Club Wednesday Meetup at Smartmouth. 6:20 pm. Rip it. 
Trivia Night at Smartmouth. 6:30 pm. Rip it.
Bowling League of HR Party at Afterglow Brewing. 6:30 pm. Rip it. 
Planetarium Show at Michael and Kimthanh Lê Planetarium. 7:00pm. Rip it.
Trivia Night at MJ’s Tavern. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Trivia Night at Torch Bistro. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Trivia Night at Hank’s Filling Station. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Trivia Night at Stockpot. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
HL Wilson III performs live at Grain. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Unf*ck Your Perspective: Experiencing Neurodiversity at Eleanor's Bookstore. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Bhav Brigade Yoga at Norfolk Karate Academy. 7:15 pm. Rip it.
Ken Ludwig's The Three Musketeers at Wells Theater. 7:30 pm. Rip it. 
Secret Wave Night at Only You Lounge. 8:00 pm. Rip it. 

THURSDAY:
Native Landscaping Volunteer Training at Ryan Resilience Lab. 10:00 am. Rip it.
TipoPils Day at The Birch. 4:30 pm. Rip it. 
Writers Happy Hour at Luna Maya. 5:00 pm. Rip it.
Spoken Word Poetry Workshop at The Slover. 5:00 pm. Rip it. 
52nd Annual Student Art & Design Exhibition Reception at TCC V.A.D. Center. 5:00 pm. Rip it. 
Flood Strategy Open House at Jordan-Newby Library. 5:30 pm. Rip it. 
Nauticus After Dark: Brackets & Brews at Nauticus. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Thrilling Thursday Evening Ride w/ East Coast Bicycles. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Open Mic Night at Cova Brewing. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Sober Storytelling with Freelife at Assembly. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Ocean View Run Club Group Run/Walk at Longboards East Beach. 6:00 pm. Rip it. 
Trivia Night at Elation. 6:30 pm. Rip it. 
Cypher Night at House Of Consciousness. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Harold Night: Improv Comedy at Push Comedy Theater. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Reaver Beavers - All Female Improv Show at Reaver Beach. 7:00 pm. Rip it.
Chloe Youtsey performs live at Brother’s. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Trivia Night at Bold Mariner. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Trivia Night at Pixel’s. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Trivia Night at Baxter’s. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Tassels on Tap Burlesque Variety Show at Smartmouth Beer. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
The Contactees, Betty Grey, Love Roses, And Yeet Cleavage at Riffhouse Pub. 7:00 pm. Rip it. 
Amanda and Roo performs live at Grace O’Malley’s. 7:30 pm. Rip it. 
Ken Ludwig's The Three Musketeers at Wells Theater. 7:30 pm. Rip it. 
Glass After Dark at Chrysler Museum Glass Studio. 8:00 pm. Rip it.
Girls Night Out w/ DJ Melody at Blue Moon Taphouse. 8:00 pm. Rip it.
DJ SupLadies spins live at Only You Lounge. 8:00 pm. Rip it. 
Performers Playground Stage Workshop at The Venue on 35th. 9:00 pm. Rip it.

FRIDAY:
Norfolk Run Club Friday Meetup at Yorgo's Bageldashery . 6:00 am. Rip it
Trail Beautification Days at Elizabeth River Trail. 9:00 am. Rip it
Storybook Tea Party at Norfolk Botanical Garden.10:00 am. Rip it
The Great American Cleanup Kickoff at Lafayette Park 10:00 am. Rip it
Storybook Tea Party at Norfolk Botanical Garden.10:00 am. Rip it
Woven Basket Workshop at VA Goods. 1:00 pm. Rip it
Instrumental Recital Approval Hearings at Diehn Center for the Performing Arts. 3:30 pm. Rip it
Hard Candy - An Introspective Journey of an American Woman at Offsite Gallery, MacArthur Center. 5:00 pm. Rip it
Nature Homage Opening Reception at D'Art Center. 5:30 pm. Rip it
Irish Dinner Night at The Stockpot Norfolk. 5:30 pm. Rip it 
Friday Night Live at COVA Brewing Company. 6:00 pm. Rip it
Friday Night Magic: Commander at Atlantis Games & Comics. 6:00 pm. Rip it 
Talisman Making at Aries Apothecary. 6:00 pm. Rip it
Brothers Atlantic Acoustic Duo perform live at Afterglow. 6:00 pm. Rip it.
Fixity performs live at Elation Brewing. 6:30 pm. Rip it
Concert by Candlelight: Adele Tribute at Granby Theater. 6:30 pm. Rip it.
Carlton Baker performs live at Brothers. 7:00 pm. Rip it
Open Mic Night at The Muse Writers Center. 7:00 pm. Rip it
Commonwealth Comedy Free Improv at Vessel Craft Coffee. 7:30 pm. Rip it.
Lovro Peretic in Concert at Robin Hixon Center. 7:30 pm. Rip it
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in Concert at Chrysler Hall. 7:30 pm. Rip it
Ken Ludwig's The Three Musketeers at Wells Theatre. 7:30 pm. Rip it
Friday Night Magic: Draft at Atlantis Games & Comics. 7:30 pm. Rip it
3 on 3 Improv Tournament - Sweet 16 Eastern Region at Push Comedy Theater. 8:00 pm. Rip it
Chicken & Biscuits at Little Theatre of Norfolk. 8:00 pm. Rip it
Mickey Slicks and Rylo spin live at Only You Lounge. 8:00 pm. Rip it. 
Amanda and Roo plays at Grace O'Malley's Irish Pub & Restaurant. 8:30 pm. Rip it
Léon: The Professional at Naro Expanded Cinema. 9:00 pm. Rip it
Snackbar Jones performs live at Mona Lisa Restaurant. 9:00 pm. Rip it.

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