BOEM & state discuss plans for leasing future
California wind areas to reach
ambitious 25 GW goal by 2045
SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 15, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Federal, state, and industry leaders on Day
One of the 2024 Pacific Offshore Wind
Summit joined in encouraging California to advance its plans to deploy 25
gigawatts (GW) from offshore wind by 2045, as the state sets a
course to be a global leader on floating offshore wind power.
Speakers at the Summit, hosted by Offshore Wind
California (OWC), urged the state to move expeditiously on
essential next steps to develop offshore wind at scale –
including investing in transmission and ports, procuring at scale,
setting a permitting roadmap, engaging key stakeholders, building a
supply chain and workforce training, and defining more lease areas
to reach the state's goals.
The California Energy Commission (CEC) is finalizing the state's
draft AB 525 Strategic Plan, which was
released in January and outlines California's next steps to responsibly develop
offshore wind and achieve its planning goals for up to 5 GW by
2030 and 25 GW by 2045. Last fall, Governor Newsom signed AB
1373 enabling the state to procure offshore wind at scale.
Last December, California also
joined the Global Offshore Wind Alliance and has now signed
agreements with Norway,
Denmark, Japan, China, and Scotland to advance deployment of
floating offshore wind.
"25 GW of offshore wind is a landmark goal. We're all in on
building this, bringing it to fruition, and doing it the right
way," said David
Hochschild, Chair, CEC, of the floating
technology California is moving
ahead to deploy 20 miles offshore. "That means a very
inclusive process, it means a lot of dialogue, and it means really
trying to do it in a way that supports and uplifts
communities. We see offshore wind playing a fundamental role not
just in our climate strategy but our economic future as well.
We're going to be adopting, if all goes well, California's strategic plan for offshore wind
at our Commission meeting next month," he said to 700+ federal and
state officials, industry leaders, and stakeholders attending
the Summit.
"Now is the time to address climate change by supporting a
thriving domestic offshore wind industry," said Liz Klein, Director, Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). "At BOEM, we
are proud of the strong partnership we've built with California. We share your enthusiasm over the
state's ambitious goals to reach 5 GW by 2030 and 25 GW by
2045. We held our first California lease sale in 2022. We're
excited to continue our close partnership as you pursue the state's
vision to be a leader in offshore wind, particularly floating
offshore wind."
In April, the Biden Administration announced its plan in
the next five years for up to 12 rounds of offshore wind leasing,
including California, to meet its
national goals for 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030, 15 GW of
floating wind by 2035, and a path to 110 GW by 2050. BOEM held
its first federal auction for California offshore wind in December
2022, identifying five leaseholders to deploy an
initial 7 to 10 GW off the state's Central and North
Coast, according to industry estimates.
"In a California for all, we
are creating offshore wind for all," said Jana Ganion, Senior Advisor, Offshore
Wind, Office of Gov. Gavin Newsom. "Offshore wind, if developed
responsibly, is a cleaner energy solution at the scale we need
to combat the climate emergency. Offshore wind also has the
capacity factor and attributes to improve electric reliability and
complement other clean energy resources such as solar. And because
offshore wind requires supporting industry – ports, transmission,
ecosystem management, supply chains – it has considerable promise
to create high-quality jobs."
"We are going to go big on offshore wind energy. We're going to
go big on our climate goals. And we're going to go
big on support for our local communities," said
Assemblymember Dawn Addis,
(D-San Luis Obispo) California
State Assembly. "It's important that as we move offshore
wind development forward we're founded in science and we duly
engage local communities," said Addis who Chairs the
Assembly Select Committee on Offshore Wind and authors
legislation to ensure offshore wind co-exists with ocean life
and habitat and also to create a capacity-building fund for
local communities.
"California is well positioned
to be a global leader of floating offshore wind," said
Ruth Perry, Board
Chair, OWC, a trade group of offshore wind
developers and technology firms. "To make it a reality,
Offshore Wind California is encouraged by the state's AB 525
Strategic Plan. We urge California to move ahead on the key next steps
to responsibly develop offshore wind – which generates power
night-and-day – and help the state meet its climate, clean-energy,
and grid-reliability goals."
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates California's offshore wind potential at 200
GW, with more than 25 GW in BOEM's two lease areas and
the waters off the state's North Coast. Deeper West Coast
waters require floating technologies already deployed in
other world markets. Reports show that developing 25 GW of
California offshore wind can
support thousands of jobs, supply up to 15-20% of
the state's planned new clean energy, save ratepayers billions of
dollars, drive economies of scale, and generate
enough competitively priced electricity to power up to 25
million homes.
Offshore Wind California's more than 40 members
include Burns & McDonnell, Crowley Wind
Services, Fugro, General Dynamics NASSCO, Pacific
Ocean Energy Trust, PG&E, Port of Long Beach, Shell, SSE Renewables, WSP,
Vestas, and XODUS.
About OWC − Offshore Wind California is a
coalition of industry partners with a shared interest in promoting
policies and public support for responsible development of offshore
wind power in California. Its
members are dedicated to providing an independent voice and
industry expertise to facilitate offshore wind deployment off
California's coast. OWC undertakes
public education and advocacy of this renewable resource as part of
a comprehensive solution to California's energy needs. OWC is a nonprofit,
501(c)(6) organization. For more information, go to
www.offshorewindCA.org. Follow us @offshorewindCA.
View original
content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/california-setting-course-to-be-a-global-leader-on-floating-offshore-wind-to-reach-climate-clean-energy--grid-reliability-goals-say-leaders-at-2024-pacific-offshore-wind-summit-302146031.html
SOURCE Offshore Wind California