California Adopts Strategic Plan to Meet Offshore Wind Planning Goal of 25 Gigawatts by 2045

The California Energy Commission has adopted a strategic plan that charts a course to meet the state’s offshore wind planning goal of 25 gigawatts (GW) by 2045. The move is in response to legislation enacted in 2021 directing the commission to coordinate with other agencies as needed and develop a strategic plan for offshore wind energy development off the California coast in federal waters. Among other things, the plan identifies suitable sea space to accommodate California’s offshore wind planning goals, and discusses economic and workforce benefits, port infrastructure needs, and transmission planning.

Developing offshore wind is a crucial part of California’s goal of achieving 100 percent clean energy by 2045. The plan details strategies to achieve a goal of 25 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2045, with the ability to power an estimated 25 million homes in California. At present, renewable sources account for 35 GW of California electricity supply. However, to meet its 2045 clean energy milestone, the state needs to produce an additional 148 GW from renewable sources. The commission believes that California has massive untapped potential to develop offshore wind, as it has strong and consistent wind speeds around its North and Central coasts.

The new offshore wind projects will also help to diversify California’s renewable energy mix. Although California has a strong and established solar sector, power from solar tends to fall during winter months. The commission believes that offshore wind can help address this reduction, giving California a more consistent power supply from renewables.

Two areas off of California’s coast have been identified as having high offshore wind potential, the Humboldt Call Area and Morro Bay. One study showed that in the Humboldt area, average wind speeds reached between 10 and 15 meters per second during the summer months of June, July and August. In Morro Bay, studies showed that the average annual wind speeds were between 9 and 10 meters per second. In the offshore wind industry, wind speeds of 7 meters per second or above are considered feasible for offshore wind power generation.

For 2030, California has set a goal of reaching 2 to 5 GW of offshore wind capacity, and it is expected to be met via projects in existing lease areas. According to estimates, the Humboldt area has a potential of generating between 1.6 GW to 2.7 GW. The Morro Bay lease area has a potential to generate between 2.9 GW and 4.9 GW.

The majority of offshore wind projects use fixed-bottom foundations for the wind turbines, as these are more suitable for shallow waters of less than 200 feet. However, for the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf off of coastal California has deeper waters, offshore wind projects here will require floating platforms that are anchored to the seabed. The commission’s plan estimates that achieving 25 GW would require 1,600 floating wind turbines built off the Californian coast.

Constructing offshore wind projects would also require significant investment into developing California’s port infrastructures. Offshore wind projects require staging and integration sites at nearby ports to manufacture and assemble components needed for the offshore wind substations. The commission determined that 26 ports would be needed along California’s coast to meet its 2045 goal. The Port of Humboldt, Port of Long Beach, and Port of Los Angeles offer the best sites for staging and integration of parts.The commission’s plan also predicts that the costs for port upgrades could be between $11 billion and $12 billion.