California
Abundant electricity created by offshore wind can bring 100% renewable energy to California.
Why offshore wind?
Essential
Offshore wind energy is essential to meet California’s goal of 100% renewable electricity by 2045.
Abundant
Offshore wind is an abundant source of clean power that can power millions of California homes and reduce the impacts of climate change.
Reliable
Offshore wind offers reliable and resilient energy to the electric grid all day long across every season of the year.
California offshore wind projects
Driving long-term affordability
As California transitions to greater quantities of renewable energy, residents and business owners can expect to see more stability in electricity prices. Offshore wind currently produces power around the world, and California’s offshore wind is expected to come online in the early-mid 2030s. Offshore wind power off California’s coast will help stabilize California’s power grid and consumer energy prices by decoupling energy costs from volatile fuel prices.
Over the long term, transitioning to a 100% clean grid and electrification will stabilize energy prices and reduce total monthly home energy bills for average Californians.
Propelling Workforce Development and Economic Growth
Offshore wind will support a diverse range of high-paying jobs throughout each phase of the lifetime of the projects, including but not limited to:
Planning and Development
Marine biologists, engineers, geophysicists, and permitting specialists.
Manufacturing and Assembly
Control systems specialists, port operators, engineers, technicians, administrative staff, and welders.
Construction and Installation
Dock workers, electricians, iron workers, engineers, painters, line workers, plumbers, and pile drivers.
Operations and Maintenance
Wind turbine technicians, plant managers, support vessel crews, and administrative staff.
Offshore wind will provide opportunities for small businesses and local economies to capitalize in investment in port infrastructure, supply chains, and the local workforce.
Port Infrastructure
Upgrading and expanding port infrastructure is vital to offshore wind. From Eureka to Long Beach, ports are planning billions of dollars in upgrades to manufacture and deploy offshore wind foundations, towers, and turbines while creating a dynamic and growing offshore wind industry in California.
Supply Chain Growth
Offshore wind projects will create new business opportunities by requiring an interconnected supply chain of California firms specializing in manufacturing, construction, and maintenance of offshore wind.
Local Workforce Development
The first five offshore wind leaseholders are committed to investing over $117 million in workforce development and expansion of the domestic supply chain for materials required by the floating offshore wind energy industry.
Offshore wind will create thousands of union-represented manufacturing, installation, and maintenance jobs while supporting the development of a highly skilled workforce. Development of 25 GW of offshore wind in California is estimated to create:
8,000
Jobs in offshore wind for roles like installation, operations, manufacturing, and maintenance.
1,000s
Of indirect jobs in planning, construction, and management of port readiness.
Additional
Indirect jobs in service-related fields.
$50 million has been committed to community benefit agreements
California offshore wind leaseholders are dedicated community partners.
Leaseholders are committed to consistent, steady public engagement with Native American Tribes and Tribal Nations, fisheries, labor unions, and other stakeholders and residents of local communities from the earliest phases of planning through decades of construction and operations. Their approach prioritizes economic empowerment, environmental protection, and meaningful community engagement.
For example, $50 million has been committed to community benefit agreements, which will be finalized during the planning process and are required to be submitted to BOEM before construction begins after coordinating directly with fisheries, tribes, and other local community stakeholders.
A timeline of offshore wind in California
Call for information and nominations
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a Call for Information and Nominations for three potential development areas in federal waters off of California, kickstarting an intergovernmental work group with the state.
AB 525 Signed into Law
AB 525 (Chiu) directs the California Energy Commission (CEC) to assess the “maximum feasible capacity” of offshore wind production in California. CEC adopts a target of producing 25,000 MW of offshore wind energy by 2045
Offshore Wind Lease Auction
U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) holds a historic auction for five leases offshore California, the first ever in the Pacific Ocean.
AB 1373 Signed into Law
AB 1373 (E. Garcia) adopts a ‘central procurement’ strategy, a major step towards the development and delivery of 100% clean energy from offshore wind, helping California meet its clean energy goals while creating thousands of high-wage jobs.