California offshore wind sale might be first to assist potential commercial-scale floating offshore wind vitality improvement. Image: DOE
The Department of the Interior has introduced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will maintain an offshore wind vitality lease sale on December 6, 2022, for areas on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) off central and northern California.
This would be the first-ever offshore wind lease sale on America’s west coast and the first-ever U.S. sale to assist potential commercial-scale floating offshore wind vitality improvement. The sale is seen essential to attaining the Biden administration’s deployment objectives of 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind vitality by 2030 and 15 GW of floating offshore wind vitality by 2035.
“The demand and momentum to build a clean energy future is undeniable. I am proud of the teams at the Interior Department that are moving forward at the pace and scale required to help achieve the President’s goals to make offshore wind energy, including floating offshore wind energy, a reality for the United States,” stated Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “Today, we are taking another step toward unlocking the immense offshore wind energy potential off our nation’s west coast to help combat the effects of climate change while lowering costs for American families and creating good-paying union jobs.”
In May 2021, Secretary Haaland and California Governor Gavin Newsom joined Biden administration officers to announce an settlement to advance areas for wind vitality improvement offshore the northern and central coasts of California. The California offshore wind lease sale displays the leasing path introduced final yr by Secretary Haaland and final month’s announcement of a brand new deployment objective of 15 GW of floating offshore wind vitality by 2035.
BOEM will supply 5 California OCS lease areas that whole roughly 373,268 acres with the potential to provide over 4.5 GW of offshore wind vitality, energy greater than 1.5 million properties, and assist hundreds of latest jobs.
“Today’s announcement represents years of close coordination and engagement with the state of California, tribes, ocean users, local communities and all interested parties to move us closer towards achieving the administration’s vision to fight climate change and realizing California’s clean energy future, while creating a domestic supply chain and good-paying union jobs,” stated BOEM Director Amanda Lefton. “BOEM remains committed to ensuring transparency and active engagement with stakeholders throughout the post-leasing process.”
To date, BOEM has held 10 aggressive lease gross sales and issued 27 lively industrial wind leases within the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to North Carolina.
The California Final Sale Notice (FSN), which might be printed within the Federal Register later this week, gives detailed details about the ultimate lease areas, lease provisions and situations, and public sale particulars. It additionally identifies certified corporations who can take part within the lease public sale.
The FSN consists of three lease areas off central California and two lease areas off northern California. It additionally consists of a number of lease stipulations designed to advertise the event of a the home U.S. provide chain, advance flexibility in transmission planning, and create jobs. BOEM will supply bidding credit for bidders who enter into group profit agreements or put money into workforce coaching or provide chain improvement; require successful bidders to make efforts to enter into challenge labor agreements; and require engagement with tribes, underserved communities, ocean customers, and businesses.
On May 26, 2022, the Department introduced the Proposed Sale Notice for offshore wind vitality improvement situated offshore central and northern California. During the 60-day remark interval, BOEM obtain suggestions on a number of lease stipulations that reaffirmed BOEM’s dedication to create good-paying union jobs and to interact with Tribal governments, underserved communities, ocean customers and different stakeholders.
More details about the FSN and lease stipulations, a map of the world, the listing of certified bidders for the public sale, and public sale procedures is on the market on BOEM’s California website.
