Equinor Names California Floating Offshore Wind Project | Offshore Wind - Offshore WIND
Equinor Names California Floating Offshore Wind Project | Offshore Wind
Equinor Names California Floating Offshore Wind Project
Atlas Wind is the official name of the floating offshore wind project that Equinor plans to build off the coast of California, the developer announced on 29 November.
“Atlas is a symbol of strength and fortitude, and most importantly perseverance, as we bring tested, world-class technology to California’s Central Coast,” said Molly Morris, President of Equinor Renewables Americas.
Equinor was announced as one of the winners of the first US offshore wind lease sale on the Pacific coast and the first-ever to procure floating wind capacity in the US in December 2022.
The lease area, which lies 60 miles (approximately 97 kilometres) from Morro Bay, has the capacity to provide over 2 GW of renewable energy, enough to power 1.7 million California homes once complete.
In 2024, marine and aerial wildlife surveying in the lease area will begin, providing the data necessary to guide understanding of the seabed floor and marine habitats, Equinor said.
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California is poised to become a growing force in the US energy transition with a nation-leading target of 25 GW of offshore wind energy by 2045, according to the Norwegian company.
Approximately two-thirds of the United States’ offshore wind energy potential lies in deep coastal waters, like the Pacific Ocean, where water depths reach 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) or more. Water depths of this magnitude are too deep for traditional bottom fixed foundations and instead require floating offshore wind technology, said Equinor.
The US is a key market for Equinor’s growing offshore wind portfolio, according to the firm.
On the East Coast, through a joint venture with BP, Equinor is developing Empire Wind and Beacon Wind. Upon completion, the projects will provide 3.3 GW of offshore wind energy to New York, or enough to power two million homes.
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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.