The California State Lands Commission and the ports of Long Beach and Humboldt announced an agreement to advance floating offshore wind energy development off the California coast, through a comprehensive framework founded on coordination and collaboration to facilitate critical port infrastructure upgrades needed to support offshore wind, according to the port of Long Beach's release.
Offshore wind energy is poised to transform the way California generates energy. It will help the state meet its goal of transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy by 2045, with up to 25 gigawatts of that energy coming from offshore wind.
Staging and integration sites – waterfront areas where floating turbines are assembled – are critical for offshore wind energy development off the California coast. The ports of Long Beach and Humboldt are actively developing terminals to assemble wind turbines on floating platforms that would be towed to installation areas 20-30 miles offshore of Humboldt County and Morro Bay.
The ports have been identified in the California Energy Commission’s Offshore Wind Strategic Plan as key sites necessary for the successful deployment of floating offshore wind in California. The State Lands Commission has worked with both ports this past year to structure a visionary partnership that will help bring these projects to fruition while uplifting California Native American tribes and historically underserved communities, protecting the environment, and engaging local communities.
“This agreement, combined with the climate bond recently approved by California voters and the state’s commitment to procure up to 7.6 gigawatts of energy from offshore wind by 2035, gives the industry and California ports the confidence to invest in Long Beach’s Pier Wind and other complementary projects and create thousands of good-paying jobs,”- said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero.
The Commission and ports will also collaborate to align staging and integration site development with broader offshore wind considerations, such as transmission, power purchasing, workforce development, manufacturing, and other supply chain developments, science and technology innovations, and sea space leasing.
The Port of Long Beach handles trade valued at $200 billion annually. During the next 10 years, the Port is planning $2.3 billion in capital improvements aimed at enhancing capacity, competitiveness and sustainability.
The State Lands Commission is the California Environmental Quality Act lead agency for offshore wind energy projects and is responsible for enforcing tideland trust principles. The Commission manages over 4 million acres of public land in California.
The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District oversees the development of the harbors and ports within the District and protects their natural resources. It is a countywide agency with permit jurisdiction over all tide, submerged and other lands granted to the District, including all of Humboldt Bay.