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Despite federal pushback and industry uncertainty, Humboldt County officials and international developers are moving forward with plans to bring floating offshore wind facilities to the North Coast.

This week, the county’s Economic Development Division hosted a renewable energy conference — POWER CA, an apt acronym for Partnering for Ocean, Wind and Energy Renewables in California — at the Bear River Tish-Non Community Center in Loleta to discuss the future of commercial-scale offshore wind development in California and how to navigate potential hurdles imposed by the Trump administration. 

“There are significant uncertainties created by the federal government in this moment. That’s why discussion is so important,” said Jana Ganion, senior offshore wind advisor for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Office. “We deal with adversity; we ride through it, and we are stronger at the end of it. So when we talk about pathways and partnerships, we know that in this moment these things are recalculating.”

The project slated for our shores is still in the very early stages. Even if everything goes according to plan, it will be another 10 or 15 years before any turbines are spinning out in the ocean. 

Right now, local stakeholders are focused on getting the Port of Humboldt Bay up to snuff and laying the groundwork for the Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project, which aims to convert the old pulp mill property on the Samoa Peninsula into a state-of-the-art industrial site for manufacturing, assembling and exporting the massive components needed for offshore wind development on the West Coast. 

Chris Mikkelson, executive director of the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, acknowledged “policy challenges” imposed by the current administration but was optimistic that the project would move forward. 

“We have to build a great port — that’s a huge infrastructure challenge … but we have an opportunity to create a legacy project here,” Mikkelson said. “We’re doing this to replace antiquated marine infrastructure. This is rural economic development. It’s job creation. Why would we not want to have our children stay in this county? This is a legacy.”

Speakers also delved into workforce development strategies that aim to promote the trades in local schools to get aspiring workers in the pipeline. 

“We’re going to rely on a lot of local training opportunities here locally,” said Erik Peckar, director of West Coast external affairs for Vineyard Offshore. “We, as developer, want to ensure that we are training as many local folks as possible, so the local folks have the first opportunities to earn a living wage, buy a house, raise their kids here and live the dream.”

Jack Sheppard, Trades Academy coordinator with the Humboldt County Office of Education, is working with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties to bring VR headsets into local schools to simulate the experience of working on a 525-foot floating turbine and drum up interest in the field. 

“The big goal is to get out there so these students can see what’s available,” Sheppard said.

On the state level, researchers and engineers are working to expand and reinforce California’s electrical transmission system, which isn’t equipped to handle the power generated by commercial-scale offshore wind developments. That issue is particularly important on the North Coast because local capacity is extremely limited, and Humboldt is relatively isolated from electrical load centers. There are only a handful of transmission lines running in and out of the county, and they’re old and undersized. 

CAISO, the entity that manages the flow of electricity on high-voltage powerlines and oversees infrastructure planning across the state, estimates the total cost of transmission development over the next 20 years, including transmission line and substation upgrades across the state, to clock in at a staggering $30.5 billion.

California regulatory agencies are also working out the state’s centralized procurement strategy to streamline access to renewable energy resources. 

“There will be a market for this energy, and we want to be involved in that process,” said Elizabeth Burks, executive director of the Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA). “We have a really distinct role to play to make sure the central procurement process works for our community and increases access to affordable energy that we can use. We also have to make sure that it’s a fair deal for the developer so they are incentivized to keep moving forward.”

As developers and stakeholders move steadily ahead on local planning efforts, Floventis Energy, a joint venture between Cierco and SBM Offshore, is testing the waters with a floating offshore wind pilot project in Santa Barbara County. The CADEMO Project, located in state waters roughly 2.8 miles off Point Arguello, is expected to host four wind turbines capable of generating 12-15 megawatts of renewable electricity apiece. 

The project will help developers and regulators understand some of the pros and cons of floating offshore wind as the commercial-scale projects take shape.

“Given the above factors, CADEMO can fill a fundamentally important function to bridge risks and clarify unknowns,” the project website states. “Making an early launch of full-size offshore wind technology at a small-scale is a sensible proposition in California’s unique ecosystem and economy – but also globally, where CADEMO is likely to be the first floating wind farm using this size technology.”

CADEMO is expected to be fully operational by 2027.

Throughout this week’s conference, speakers emphasized the importance of fostering partnerships with the local fishing industry, North Coast tribes and other community leaders to create the best project possible. 

“I don’t feel discouraged,” Burks said. “I feel like there’s a lot of work ahead, but I feel like I’m in really great company to get it done.”

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