Industry thumbs up for California offshore strategy

Offshore Wind California has praised the California Energy Commission’s final strategic plan to deploy large scale offshore wind in the state, and called the effort a “watershed moment” for the development of the sector.

“We look forward to the Commission giving its final approval to the plan and proceeding with the essential next steps to responsibly deploy this remarkable renewable energy resource off the state’s coast,” the group said.  The plan is part of a bill, known as AB 525, that was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021, and lays out steps to achieve goals of 5GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 25GW by 2045.

The strategic plan calls on the state to invest in new transmission and a multi-port strategy, an efficient, timely permitting process, robust supply chain and workforce training, engage key stakeholders, and identify suitable sea space. The move comes after California lawmakers enacting the AB 1373 legislation last fall, enabling the state to procure long lead-time clean energies such as offshore wind at scale.

Source: renews.biz