Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Morro Bay Coast to Be Offered up for Large Offshore Wind Farm
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 years ago on
October 18, 2022

Share

 

Large coastal areas near Morro Bay and Humbolt will be offered in the first-ever lease sale for offshore wind energy on the West Coast, Biden administration officials said Tuesday.

The Dec. 6 sale will represent the first U.S. auction for commercial-scale floating offshore wind energy development. The administration hailed the upcoming sale at a conference for offshore wind developers.

“We’re not just committed to the country’s transition to a clean energy economy, one that combats climate change, creates good-paying jobs and ensures economic opportunities are accessible to all. We’re actually taking action and driving results,” Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Amanda Lefton told the group.

The Morro Bay and Humbolt wind energy lease areas are each located about 20 miles offshore.

The final sale notice for the auction will outline the details and lease terms for five areas off California, enough for 4.5 gigawatts of offshore wind to power more than 1.5 million homes and create thousands of new jobs, she said. The notice will include lease stipulations to promote a domestic supply chain and create union jobs.

Hundreds of offshore wind developers and experts gathered in Rhode Island to talk about the future of clean energy— how to grow the offshore wind industry and address shared challenges. The nation’s first offshore wind farm opened off the coast of Rhode Island in late 2016. But with five turbines, it’s not commercial scale.

JC Sandberg, the American Clean Power Association’s interim CEO, said Lefton’s “historic announcement” marks a significant milestone for offshore wind in the United States and on the West Coast.

President Joe Biden set a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 using traditional technology that secures wind turbines to the ocean floor, enough to power 10 million homes. The administration announced plans last month to develop floating platforms in the deep ocean for wind towers that could vastly expand offshore wind in the United States.

Biden hopes to deploy up to 15 gigawatts of electricity through floating sites by 2035, enough to power 5 million homes. The plan targets sites in the Pacific Ocean off the California and Oregon coasts, as well as in the Atlantic in the Gulf of Maine.

More than half of the nation’s offshore wind resources are in waters too deep for bottom-fixed turbines, Lefton said. To date, BOEM has held 10 competitive lease sales and two commercial wind farms have been approved in the Atlantic Ocean.

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee told conference attendees that ramping up offshore wind is good for the environment but also good for the economy and “we’re going to make the most of it here in Rhode Island.” With the offshore wind power Rhode Island plans to add to the grid, the state could meet over 70% of its estimated electricity demand in 2030 with carbon-free energy, McKee said.

Molly Morris, the incoming president of Equinor Wind US, said the industry is at a critical point and she hopes developers and regulators will come together at the conference to figure out how to make the permitting process faster and more transparent, build up the supply chain and bolster the grid.

Equinor, based in Norway, is one of the few developers worldwide with experience in floating offshore wind. Morris said she’s “extremely enthusiastic” about the administration’s support for floating offshore wind since 15 gigawatts by 2035 is “quite an aggressive number in a relatively short period of time.” She said she’ll be closely evaluating the California opportunities.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

California Gov. Newsom Says the Democratic Brand Is ‘Toxic’

DON'T MISS

‘Trump Slump’ Looms as Foreign Visitors Rethink Travel to US

DON'T MISS

White House Weighs Helping Farmers as Trump Escalates Trade War

DON'T MISS

Torpedo-Shaped Bats Draw Attention After Yankees Hit Team-Record 9 Homers

DON'T MISS

Silver Fire Grows to 1,250 Acres, Threatens Homes in Inyo County

DON'T MISS

3 Kids Killed in Michigan When Tree Hits Vehicle During Weekend Storm

DON'T MISS

March Madness Guide: All No. 1 Seeds in Final Four After Houston and Auburn Win

DON'T MISS

Trump Family Pushes Further Into Crypto, Starting Another Venture

DON'T MISS

Justice Department Instructed to Dismiss Legal Challenge to Georgia Election Law

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest 12 for DUI, Plan More Enforcement Operations

UP NEXT

Silver Fire Grows to 1,250 Acres, Threatens Homes in Inyo County

UP NEXT

Sue or Hold Back? The University of California Does Both as It Faces Trump’s Wrath

UP NEXT

California Food Banks Brace for Funding Cuts, and Not Only From the Trump Administration

UP NEXT

Cal State Automatically Admitting High School Students With Good Grades

UP NEXT

California Democratic Lawmaker Exaggerated His Record as a Police Officer

UP NEXT

Trump Challenges California on Transgender Parental Notification

UP NEXT

Fresno Mayor Praises a State Bill That Would Speed In-Fill Housing

UP NEXT

Feds Revive Funding for the Tiny Delta Smelt Trump Hates

UP NEXT

Will This Bill Be the End of California’s Housing vs. Environment Wars?

UP NEXT

State Audit: CPUC Needs to Boost Oversight of Energy Efficiency Programs We’re Paying For

Torpedo-Shaped Bats Draw Attention After Yankees Hit Team-Record 9 Homers

33 minutes ago

Silver Fire Grows to 1,250 Acres, Threatens Homes in Inyo County

59 minutes ago

3 Kids Killed in Michigan When Tree Hits Vehicle During Weekend Storm

1 hour ago

March Madness Guide: All No. 1 Seeds in Final Four After Houston and Auburn Win

1 hour ago

Trump Family Pushes Further Into Crypto, Starting Another Venture

2 hours ago

Justice Department Instructed to Dismiss Legal Challenge to Georgia Election Law

2 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest 12 for DUI, Plan More Enforcement Operations

2 hours ago

A Stroke Survivor Speaks Again With the Help of an Experimental Brain-Computer Implant

2 hours ago

Collision Leaves Two Dead, Several Injured After Clovis Police Chase

2 hours ago

Israeli Military Orders the Evacuation of Gaza’s Southern City of Rafah

2 hours ago

California Gov. Newsom Says the Democratic Brand Is ‘Toxic’

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said Friday that the Democratic brand was “toxic” and that his party had to admit its o...

3 minutes ago

3 minutes ago

California Gov. Newsom Says the Democratic Brand Is ‘Toxic’

A view of downtown San Diego, July 13, 2024. California is among the U.S. destinations that are ramping up marketing efforts to reassure international tourists that they are welcome. (John Francis Peters/The New York Times)
16 minutes ago

‘Trump Slump’ Looms as Foreign Visitors Rethink Travel to US

Soybeans are harvested near Stuttgart, Ark., Oct. 25, 2023. The Trump administration has discussed providing financial aid for farmers who may be subject to retaliation by America’s trading partners. (Rory Doyle/The New York Times)
23 minutes ago

White House Weighs Helping Farmers as Trump Escalates Trade War

New York Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. prepares to bat during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in New York. (AP/Pamela Smith)
33 minutes ago

Torpedo-Shaped Bats Draw Attention After Yankees Hit Team-Record 9 Homers

The Silver Fire has burned 1,250 acres near Bishop with 0% containment, prompting evacuations as strong winds hamper firefighting efforts. (CalFire)
59 minutes ago

Silver Fire Grows to 1,250 Acres, Threatens Homes in Inyo County

A large tree rests on top of a mobile home at Millwood Estates on East Cork Street after a storm Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Kalamazoo, Mich. (Brad Devereaux/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)
1 hour ago

3 Kids Killed in Michigan When Tree Hits Vehicle During Weekend Storm

Houston's Kelvin Sampson
1 hour ago

March Madness Guide: All No. 1 Seeds in Final Four After Houston and Auburn Win

2 hours ago

Trump Family Pushes Further Into Crypto, Starting Another Venture

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend