Posted on May 27, 2026
By Ray Brennan
California is moving ahead with offshore wind development even as the Trump administration tries to slow the industry across the country. State officials and industry groups say California’s enormous wind resource could help power millions of homes, create jobs, and strengthen the grid for decades to come.
A National Renewable Energy Laboratory study says California has roughly 200 gigawatts of offshore wind that is technically recoverable, as reported by CleanTechnica. Not all of that total is likely to be developed, but it was still enough for the California Energy Commission to set targets of 5 gigawatts for 2030 and 25 gigawatts for 2045.
California’s coastline presents challenges. Much of the coast drops off quickly into deep water, so the state is expected to rely heavily on floating offshore wind turbines rather than the fixed-bottom systems used in shallower waters.
The push is happening despite resistance from the federal government. President Donald Trump paused new offshore wind leasing and tried to halt some projects that were already permitted. Courts later ruled that he lacked legal grounds to reopen reviews for projects that already had leases and permits.
More clean electricity can mean a more reliable grid, less pollution, and potentially more protection from rising energy costs over time. Offshore wind could also help fill in the gaps when solar power isn’t doing all the heavy lifting. Because it can generate electricity at different times than solar, it may become especially valuable as energy demand continues to rise.
Offshore Wind California has said that a mature offshore wind sector in the state could create tens of thousands of jobs, meet more than 15% of California’s current electricity needs, and generate enough power for at least 7 million homes by 2050.
California stakeholders are already moving forward with the planning and infrastructure needed to make that happen. Offshore Wind California recently cited investments in ports and transmission, along with supply-chain expansion and worker training for floating wind deployment.
One of the biggest recent steps was approval of an initial $228 million from the $475 million voters authorized through Proposition 4 for port infrastructure tied to floating wind. The California Energy Commission awarded a $42.75 million grant for operational upgrades at the ports of Humboldt, Long Beach, Oakland, Richmond, and San Luis. Developers had already secured California’s current offshore wind leases at a 2022 federal lease sale that brought in $757 million in bids for an initial 7 to 10 gigawatts of projects.
California is also building international partnerships with offshore wind leaders such as Norway, Scotland, Denmark, Japan, the United Kingdom, and China.
“Achieving 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030 will position the state to meet and even exceed its 25 GW goal by 2045,” Adam Stern, Executive Director at Offshore Wind California, said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom added that offshore wind “can play an important role in meeting our state’s growing need for clean energy.”
