VOW Coalition

Over 60 speakers examine immediate deployment of wind energy off Virginia’s coast.

Virginia Beach will host the Virginia Offshore Wind Conference on Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, 1000 19th Street, blocks from the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

The conference features over 60 panelists in 14 panel discussions. Each panel is tasked with a roll-up-your-sleeves-discussion of current and future issues, barriers and solutions involved with developing and financing the Commonwealth’s offshore wind resources. This “working” conference will provide opportunities for industry leaders, stakeholders and policy-makers to meet face-to-face and together craft action plans to deploy wind energy off Virginia’s coast.

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Headlining as keynote speaker at the conference luncheon is Ned Farquhar, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Mr. Farquhar is a renewable energy and natural resource policy expert and former senior advisor on energy and the environment to New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. He oversees management of public lands and resources, including production of federal energy and mineral resources, both onshore and on the outer continental shelf.

A reception following the conference is sponsored by the law firm of McGuireWoods.

Notable conference panelists include:

• Walter Cruickshank, the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Resources (BOEMRE)
• Maureen Matsen, Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources and the Governor’s Senior Advisor on Energy
• Several top-level representatives from Dominion Virginia Power
• Chris Hart, Offshore Wind Manager with the U.S. Department of Energy
• Robert Mitchell, CEO of Atlantic Wind Connection, the Google-back offshore grid developer
• David Belote, Director of DoD’s Energy Siting Clearinghouse, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense

TeraWatt sponsors of the Virginia Offshore Wind Conference include Dominion, City of Virginia Beach, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Virginia Business Journal, Sierra Club and McGuireWoods.

Host partners include Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium, Virginia Offshore Wind Coalition, JMU Virginia Center for Wind Energy, Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce and Principle Advantage.

A full list of panelists, panel topics and conference sponsors is below and available on the conference website at vawind2011.com.

The conference opens at 8:00am on Wednesday, June 22, 2011. Visit vawind2011.com for registration information. Press credentials can be gained by emailing  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .