-February 12,2023-
The Central Coast has some tough competition to land a new port facility to launch offshore wind projects off the Morro Bay coast. The competition comes from Long Beach, who already has major terminals in place.Unlike the more pristine CentralCoast, another terminal in Long Bech is unlikely to generate opposition from conservation agencies or groups like a pioneer facility along SLO County’s shoreline.
The Port of Long Beach plans to build a new terminal on up to 400 acres that when completed would be the largest floating offshore wind turbine assembly system at a U.S. seaport, officials said.
Conceptual assessment for the project, Pier Wind, is expected to complete next year, said Mario Cordero, port executive director, in an address Jan. 26. The facility would aid the state goal of producing 25 GW of offshore wind energy capacity by 2045. Turbine assemblies taller than the Eiffel Tower would be towed to wind farms in central and northern California
The Port of Long Beach is looking to offshore wind turbine assembly and manufacturing as a new growth strategy as part of its vision for the future. The port announces its plans for a terminal dedicated to California’s emerging offshore wind business as port executives review the state of the port and declared 2023 as the “Year of Imagination” as they look toward the future now that the surge in containers has peaked.
A centerpiece in the port’s future strategy and its overall goal to become the world’s first zero-emissions seaport, the new 400-acre terminal would be the largest offshore wind turbine assembly facility dedicated to floating wind farm technology. The proposed floating offshore wind staging and integration facility is dubbed “Pier Wind” within the port’s complex.
The port aims to capitalize on the new offshore wind projects designed for the Pacific coast after the first California wind lease auction conducted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in December last year that generated $750 million. Five companies presented bids for the five lease areas totaling more than 370,000 acres off the coast of Northern and Central California. The projects would have a combined installed capacity of 4.6 GW and because of the ocean topography, it is expected that they would largely be based on floating wind turbines.
“I am proud to be part of an industry and a port that together offer innovative approaches and forward-thinking initiatives that continue to be the most imaginative solutions in the nation,” said Mario Cordero, Port of Long Beach Executive Director during the State of the Port on January 26.
The conceptual assessment for the new facility is scheduled for completion in April 2023. The assembled turbines would be deployed to wind farms off the coast of Central and Northern California and will help the state meet its goal of producing 25 GW of offshore wind power by 2045, in addition to creating jobs and economic opportunities for communities near the San Pedro Bay port complex.