Port of Humboldt Bay to become California offshore wind hub

Once renovated, the new Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal will be capable of handling large heavy cargo vessels, offshore wind floating platform development and integration and decommissioning, and other maritime activities.

Humboldt Bay is the only deep-water port on California’s north coast. It has optimal conditions for serving as the primary port for the offshore wind industry for the entire West Coast, said Harbor District board president Greg Dale. An economic assessment found that the terminal could generate as many as 830 local jobs and more than $130 million in industry output over a five-year period.

The Commission says investing in offshore wind port infrastructure is critical to opening the opportunity for offshore wind development in California, which is home to some of the best offshore wind resources in the Americas. The terminal is expected to initially support the development of up to 1.6 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind in the Humboldt area, enough electricity to power up to 1.6 million California homes.

The Commission recently kicked off a process to create a strategic plan for offshore wind energy in federal waters that will establish megawatt offshore wind planning goals for 2030 and 2045 by June 2022.

“I’m excited by the opportunity to partner with the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District in their pursuit of revitalizing their port to support the necessary infrastructure for deploying ocean based clean energy resources that will benefit Californians,” said CEC Commissioner Kourtney Vaccaro. “Offshore wind is an important part of the state’s clean electricity future, providing critical supply at night to complement our abundant solar resources.”