Dominion Energy's Richmond flight pattern hints at CVOW progress

Dominion Energy's Gulfstream N607D departed Richmond International Airport on the evening of May 18, 2026, but its track shows only a short loop — reaching just 175 feet — before returning to the same runway. The flight, effectively a local test or repositioning move, lands the same week Dominion Energy reported first-quarter 2026 earnings and provided a detailed update on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project, per [utilitydive.com](https://www.utilitydive.com/news/dominion-upbeat-on-offshore-wind-as-cost-estimate-eases-sales-rise/819218/). CEO Bob Blue told analysts the 2.6-GW farm is 75% complete, with nine turbines installed and an average installation time of about two days per turbine on the last four units.

Dominion Energy's recent flight activity shows heavy use of the Richmond base, with departures to Columbia, South Carolina and Knoxville, Tennessee over the past week — likely for operational reviews of its regulated utilities in the Carolinas. The May 18 local flight may have been a simple airframe check or crew training, but it comes at a moment when the company is navigating a $11.4 billion offshore wind budget, rising fuel costs up 67% year over year, and a new Virginia law mandating 20 GW of energy storage by 2045 [stockobserver.com](https://www.thestockobserver.com/2026/05/04/dominion-energy-q1-earnings-call-highlights.html).

For Dominion Energy, the pattern is clear: even a short hop from Richmond reflects the pulse of a utility balancing massive offshore construction, data-center-driven load growth, and regulatory requests for new gas-fired generation in Cumberland County [richmond.com](https://richmond.com/news/state-regional/business/article_a98b5a3e-319b-4d28-a2fe-d08c2484e358.html). If the Gulfstream's transponder is any guide, the CEO's itinerary tracks the company's priorities — and this week, the focus was squarely on CVOW's turbines and the earnings call.