BOEM moves forward on California offshore wind

Written by Nick Blenkey
floating offshore wind turbine

Developing California offshore wind will demand floating turbines: An artist’s rendering of the 12 MW floating wind turbine concept GE Research and Glosten are designing as part of a project with ARPA-E. [Image Glosten]

The Business Network for Offshore Wind reports that development on the West Coast took a major step forward today with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s release of a Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) for five lease areas off the California coast.

This is the final step before setting an auction date for the combined nearly 380,000 acres for offshore wind development, yielding at least 4.5 GW of power capacity for California, the most populated state in the U.S. Since offshore wind in the Pacific Ocean requires floating turbines, says the Business Network, today’s PSN announcement also marks the simultaneous step forward in the development of the next generation of offshore wind technology.

“Floating markets are advancing quickly in Asia and Europe creating a race to develop our own capabilities and position the U.S. as a global leader in this cutting-edge market,” says Liz Burdock, CEO and founder of the Business Network for Offshore Wind. “The Business Network congratulates President Biden’s and Governor Newsom’s administrations for this historic moment bringing offshore wind to the world’s fifth largest economy and taking necessary steps to set up a robust supply chain of domestic businesses that will elevate America as a frontrunner to an in-demand technology.”

Advancing offshore wind on the West Coast unlocks floating offshore turbine technology, says the Business Network, adding that it will “start a modern-day gold rush to revolutionize California’s energy sector with offshore wind development, a reliable, clean, and baseload renewable energy, in a state battling wildfires, droughts, and increasing energy demands.

“In support of that effort, it is encouraging to see the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management continue to expand the multifactor bidding model in response to state and stakeholder input. The valuable auction credit will spark major investments in domestic ports, manufacturing facilities, and workforce development centers and encourage closer collaboration over local priorities including commercial fishing.”

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