California Offshore Wind Bill Passes Senate

Sacramento, CA—Legislation authored by Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) to jumpstart the West Coast offshore wind industry passed the California State Senate today. Assembly Bill 525 would direct state agencies to set statewide goals for offshore wind production and develop a strategic plan for California to achieve large-scale renewable wind energy by 2045.

“The signs of the climate crisis are all around us,” said Assemblymember Chiu. “With offshore wind, we have an opportunity to counter the threat of climate change, meet our clean energy goals, and create thousands of new good-paying jobs in the process.”

The devastating impacts of climate change are increasingly apparent in places like California. From deadly forest fires to drought to power outages, Californians are acutely aware of the devastation that lies ahead if climate change continues unchecked.

To combat this existential threat, California has set ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals. Senate Bill 100, passed and signed into law in 2018, requires the state to achieve a carbon-free electric system by 2045, which will necessitate an estimated 140 GW of new clean energy production. The state will not meet this goal without a diverse portfolio of clean energy sources, including new clean energy sources.

Offshore wind has enormous potential to help California meet clean energy mandates and help stabilize the state’s energy grid. If the total technical potential for offshore wind capacity along the California coast were built out, the state could see approximately 112 GW of new clean energy. Additionally, offshore wind is the perfect compliment to California’s existing solar capacity. When the sun sets and solar stops producing, wind picks up allowing offshore wind turbines to produce energy throughout the night and late afternoon during peak usage hours.

AB 525 would direct the California Energy Commission (CEC) to create a strategic plan to put offshore wind in place along the California coast. The bill would require the CEC to set 2030 and 2045 gigawatt targets for offshore wind production. The strategic plan would map out near term infrastructure improvements needed to accommodate offshore wind facilities.

To harness the greatest wind capacity, offshore wind turbines along the California coast would need to be placed 20-30 miles offshore in federal waters. The turbines would not be visible from the coast. Due to the deep waters on the West Coast, turbines would need to be floating structures, which has the added benefit of being far less disruptive to the sea floor. Additionally, AB 525 protects natural habitats and marine life in the offshore wind planning and construction processes.

As the pandemic has ravaged California’s economy and many are unemployed, it is crucial to look towards industries like offshore wind that can provide new employment opportunities. Offshore wind construction has the capacity to create 14,000 good-paying jobs for California workers. Additionally, offshore wind has the potential to save ratepayers $1 billion between now and 2040.

In May, the Biden and Newsom administrations announced that 399 square miles of sea space off the California coast would be reserved for offshore wind turbines. This announcement provides a strong foundation for the California offshore wind industry and allows California to compete with East Coast states that are much further along in planning for and constructing offshore wind turbines.

Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, and Environment California are cosponsoring AB 525. AB 525 will now advance to the Assembly floor for a concurrence vote.