Stonepeak, a leading alternative investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets, today announced that it has reached an agreement with Dominion Energy to acquire a 50% interest in its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project through the formation of an offshore wind partnership.
The project is expected to be the largest offshore wind farm in the U.S. and one of the largest offshore wind farms globally upon completion.
CVOW is a 2.6 GW offshore wind project 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, Virginia capable of serving the power needs of 660,000 homes.
Dominion Energy began developing CVOW in 2013 and is scheduled to begin offshore construction this spring. Construction is expected to be completed by year-end 2026. When fully constructed, each year CVOW will avoid carbon emissions equivalent to removing 1 million cars from the road, and will play an important role in supporting energy security and reliability, and lowering fuel costs by diversifying Dominion Energy customers’ energy supply.
Under the terms of the agreement, at closing Dominion Energy expects to receive proceeds of approximately $3bn, representing 50% of the CVOW construction costs incurred through closing less $145m (the initial withholding), Dominion said in a separate press release.
If the final construction costs of CVOW are $9.8bn or less, excluding financing costs, Dominion Energy will receive $100 million of the initial withholding. Such amount is subject to downward adjustment with Dominion Energy receiving no withheld amounts if the total costs, excluding financing costs, of CVOW exceed $11.3 billion. The transaction is expected to improve the company’s estimated 2024 consolidated FFO-to-debt by approximately 1.0% and reduce the company’s overall financing needs during construction.
Following closing, Dominion Energy and Stonepeak will each contribute 50% of the remaining capital necessary to fund construction of CVOW, provided the total project cost, excluding financing costs, is less than $11.3 billion (mandatory capital contributions). This represents 50/50 cost-sharing up to 15%, or nearly $1.5 billion, higher than the project’s current project budget ($9.8 billion) and up to 20%, or nearly $2.0 billion, higher than the project’s current pre-contingency budget ($9.45 billion).
“Having previously partnered with Dominion Energy, we look forward to extending our relationship through CVOW, which is a fitting addition to our global renewables strategy given its potential to provide meaningful renewable capacity to the U.S., advanced stage of development, and downside-protected fundamentals,” said Rob Kupchak, Senior Managing Director at Stonepeak. “Dominion Energy’s impressive track record building and operating large-scale infrastructure projects paired with Stonepeak’s experience successfully constructing offshore wind assets gives us confidence in CVOW’s path forward, and we are excited to partner with Dominion in delivering this critical renewable energy generation resource to its customers.”
Dominion Energy will continue to oversee CVOW’s day-to-day operations and construction at close, supported by Stonepeak’s expertise in investing in and delivering large and complex renewables and energy infrastructure projects including offshore wind. The transaction is subject to customary and regulatory approvals and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
Vinson & Elkins LLP served as legal advisor to Stonepeak. Mizuho Securities USA, through its affiliate Greenhill & Co., and Santander US Capital Markets LLC served as co-financial advisors.
McGuireWoods LLP and Morgan Lewis served as legal advisors to Dominion. Citi and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC acted as sellside co-financial advisors for the transaction.
