California greenlights floating offshore wind roadmap
California greenlights floating offshore wind roadmap | Windpower Monthly
A strategic plan to develop offshore floating wind in California has been unanimously adopted by the state’s energy commission.
The plan is effectively a roadmap for the state’s optimistic goal of 2-5GW of offshore wind online by 2030 and 25GW by 2045, which would put the state at the forefront of floating wind globally.
The California Energy Commission (CEC) had unveiled its plan in late June.
However, BloombergNEF forecasts that no wind projects will be built off California until 2033.
The state has deep waters, a lack of transmission for the offshore tracts off the far north, in Humboldt, and offtakes may be difficult to obtain, say analysts.
The California plan includes investments in a multi-port strategy and new electric transmission, an efficient and timely process for permitting, a robust supply chain and workforce training, engaging of key stakeholders and identifying suitable ocean space.
“Offshore wind has the potential to accelerate the clean energy transition by providing a consistent, reliable source of clean electricity,” said CEC chair David Hochschild.
“This effort supports our ambitious climate goals, creates local manufacturing jobs, and drives economic development. We are committed to harnessing this clean resource to ensure a sustainable energy future for all Californians,” he added.
Related Knowledge Center: Offshore wind energy
Over the next decade, U.S. offshore wind power is expected to grow from a single 30-megawatt wind farm off Rhode Island to more than 2,000 MW of capacity along the Atlantic Seaboard. There are contracts for wind power off the coasts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has estimated the United States has over 4,000 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind potential, enough to power the country four times over.
The growth in part being spurred by state solicitations, including in New York, where then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) set a commitment of 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035, and in Connecticut, where in June 2021, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed legislation authorizing the construction of 2,000 MW of offshore wind by 2030.
The offshore development is also being driven by an investment tax credit set to end in December 2019 and is equal to 12 percent of expenditures. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) have introduced a bill to extend the tax credit for up to eight years.
The Interior Department has held eight competitive lease sales that resulted in 15 offshore wind leases over 1.7 million acres that has the potential for 21 GW of capacity. In February 2022, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completed a bidding process that realized $4.37 billion for 488,000 acres across six lease areas in federal waters off New York and New Jersey.
Projects have also been proposed off the Southeast coast, off California and Hawaii, and for the Great Lakes.