Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind

Michels Trenchless, Inc. completed nine Direct Pipe® and 10 horizontal directional drill (HDD) installations to provide electrical conduits for a 200-turbine wind farm located 24 nautical miles off the coast of Virginia. The Direct Pipe® installations were completed in three consecutive batches of three installations, making it the most Direct Pipe® installations completed on a single project at the same time and location.

The nine Direct Pipe® shore approaches placed 42-inch-diameter steel conduit from shore to predetermined locations on the ocean floor. Once mining was complete, sliplining was used to install approximately 20,000 feet of 36- inch HDPE pipe inside each steel conduit.  The Direct Pipe® installations concluded with the retrieval of the microtunnel boring machine by marine support crews.

Ten HDDs were performed under two environmentally sensitive areas: five under Lake Rudee and five under Lake Christine. Each of the Lake Rudee HDDs spanned 1,935 feet. Four HDDs installed 48-inch HDPE carrier pipe, and one installed 42-inch HDPE carrier pipe to house the HDPE electrical conduits. Each crossing passed about 60 feet below existing grade. Each of the Lake Christine HDDs spanned 1,675 feet. Four HDDs installed 48-inch HDPE carrier pipe, and one installed 42-inch HDPE carrier pipe to house the electrical HDPE conduits. Each crossing passed about 75 feet below the existing grade.

Currently, the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind program is the largest wind project in the United States. It will generate 2,500 to 3,000 MW of renewable energy, enough to power up to 660,000 homes.