Biden Administration Looks to Northern California’s Offshore to Site More Wind Energy Projects – Natural Gas Intelligence

Californias coast may be the site of the West Coasts first installment of offshore wind infrastructure following an announcement by the Biden administration this week.

The administration said the Department of Interior (DOI), Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Department of Defense (DOD) have agreed to lease 399 square miles off the northern coast of California for Wind Energy Area (WEA) development.

The state may be in need of more energy resources in a few years as Gov. Gavin Newsom has called a ban on new hydraulic fracturing permits by January 2024. The states offshore waters are said to be prospective for up to 4.6 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind.

DOI, working with DOD and the state, has identified the Morro Bay 399 Area as one site that could support 3 GW of offshore wind on 399 square miles northwest of the bay. DOI is also investigating Northern Californias Humboldt Call Area as a possible wind farm location.

Following environmental analyses and government-to-government tribal consultations, the areas may be merged in a proposed sale notice for one lease sale auction, projected for mid-2022.

[Climate Check: Tune into NGIs Hub & Flow podcast about President Bidens climate commitments and how that might affect the U.S. natural gas industry.]

Not only would the California WEA additions advance efforts toward the administrations 30 GW goal, but according to DOI Secretary Deb Haaland, they have the potential to create tens of thousands of good paying union jobs.

In late March, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm announced a national goal to get 30 GW of offshore wind online by 2030. The ambitious project has the potential to generate around 77,000 jobs and electricity for more than 10 million homes, according to DOE.

The announcement also spurred DOEs National Offshore Wind Research and Development (R&D) Consortium to grant 15 projects a total of $8 million for offshore wind support structure innovation, U.S. supply chain development, electrical systems innovation, and solutions for impacts on wildlife and radar.

While East Coast turbines can be attached to the seafloor, deep Pacific waters require floating turbines, a relatively new technology. Madrid-based Esteycos evolved spar concrete substructure for floating offshore wind design was one of the 15 projects awarded by the National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium.

The wind energy target added on to President Bidens Executive Order in January that called for a government-wide approach to tackle the climate crisis.

Earlier this month, the administration approved the nations first large-scale offshore wind farm, which is to consist of up to 84 turbines that would be sited 12 nautical miles from the coasts of Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket, MA.

The Vineyard Wind project is the first of several massive offshore wind proposals that aim to construct more than 3,000 wind turbines from Maine to North Carolina. An additional 13 wind farm projects are under federal review to be processed by 2025 as part of the administrations offshore wind targets.

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Biden Administration Looks to Northern California's Offshore to Site More Wind Energy Projects - Natural Gas Intelligence