Posted on June 8, 2021
EUREKA, Calif. — The California Assembly voted on Thursday to pass AB 525, legislation that would direct state agencies to plan for the development of utility-scale offshore wind energy.
Last week’s vote came on the heels of an agreement between California and the federal government to open up state coastal waters to offshore wind development on Tuesday May 25.
On May 25, as part of the California Comeback Plan, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed $20 million in funding to support the state’s offshore wind capacity, including:
- $11 million to support the Port of Humboldt to apply for federal funding for upgrades that will enable it to support offshore wind deployment.
- $6.5 million supporting staff at the California Coastal Commission and California Department of Fish and Wildlife for accelerated environmental review and front-loaded environmental analysis where feasible. $2.1 million for environmental studies on offshore wind impacts.
- $1.5 million for an engineering and design-build study for a North Coast offshore wind project, to maximize its value in providing regional decarbonization and resilience.
- $700,000 for outreach to ports, tribes, labor, coastal communities and more.
According to a press release from Newsom’s office, initial areas identified for offshore wind development could bring up to 4.6 gigawatts of clean energy to the grid over the next decade, enough to power 1.6 million homes.
“Investing in offshore wind will create thousands of career-track jobs in manufacturing and construction in communities that currently lack these opportunities,” said Operating Engineers Humboldt County District Representative Jeff Hunerlach. “California’s vote today is a key step to delivering these job opportunities, and comes at an important moment as our state builds back from this economic downturn. Now, it’s time for the state of California to move full-speed ahead toward development.”
As part of the agreement, state officials said the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management plans to offer a lease sale as early as 2022 within a 399-square-mile area of the Central Coast northwest of Morro Bay and a separate area on the North Coast. The areas were identified cooperatively by the Departments of the Interior and Defense and the State of California.
“Developing offshore wind to produce clean, renewable energy could be a game changer to achieving California’s clean energy goals and addressing climate change – all while bolstering the economy and creating new jobs,” Newsom said. “This historic announcement, which could provide clean power for up to 1.6 million homes over the next decade, represents the innovative approach we need for a clean energy economy that protects the coasts, fisheries, marine life and Tribal and cultural resources we value so much as Californians.”
According to Newsom, under the terms of the agreement, efforts will focus on the use of floating offshore wind platforms with over 95 percent of the proposed lease sale area located 20 to 30 miles off the California Coast. In addition, California is committed to moving forward with offshore wind development in a manner that protects fisheries resources, marine life and tribal and cultural resources, while providing significant regional and statewide economic benefits.
BOEM, in partnership with California, will hold an Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force meeting on June 24 to discuss the identified areas off the north and central coasts as potential wind energy areas. Following the task force meeting, state officials said the areas can be finalized and undergo environmental analysis.
