Virtual Presentation

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In December 2022, the U.S. Federal Government auctioned offshore wind leases over 583 square miles of ocean waters off Humboldt Bay in Northern California, as well as near the Central Coast’s Morro Bay. These leases pave the way for five wind farms, each to feature hundreds of towering turbines—each  turbine up to 900 feet high, roughly the height of a 70-story building.

Two of the leases, are located about 50 miles offshore from Morro Bay, each cover approximately 80,000 acres. The bid prices for these leases were $130 million and $150 million, respectively. As part of the sale terms, developers are encouraged to establish workforce training programs for the offshore wind industry and forge community benefit agreements (CBAs) with local communities, stakeholder groups, and tribal entities whose lands may be impacted by offshore wind development.

California’s ambitious energy goals call for a zero-carbon power grid by 2045, with offshore wind farms playing a critical role. The state’s blueprint envisions these wind farms producing 25 gigawatts (GW) of electricity by 2045—enough to power 25 million homes. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates that California's offshore wind potential could reach approximately 200 GW.

From inception to completion, these projects are estimated to take up to eleven years.  However, as of today, no large-scale offshore wind farms are operational in California, and these projects come with a range of complexities and uncertainties, including:

• Financial considerations: Offshore wind farm construction could cost up to $5 billion per farm, with substantial state and federal subsidies required to support these initiatives.
• Infrastructure development: The project will demand significant upgrades to ports, harbors, and support facilities on the coast.
• Environmental concerns: The impact on migrating whales, marine mammals, and other wildlife remains unknown, and there may be restrictions on commercial fishing.
• Local community impact: Communities will need to invest in infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the wind farms.
• Job creation: The wind industry is expected to generate up to 12,000 specialized jobs (less after constructon), which is part of the reason the San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors voted in favor of supporting offshore wind development in 2023.

This event provides the public with an opportunity to learn more about the proposed offshore wind project.  Stakeholders, including public officials, regulatory agencies, developers, environmental organizations, local citizens, and others, will share their views followed by Q&A.

For more information contact Kiran Pande kkpande@stanford.edu or Warren Kourt wkourt@stanford.edu