The Harbor District’s latest rendering of the Humboldt Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal project. This is not a final design. Click to enlarge.

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Despite repeated attempts by the Trump Administration to stymie offshore wind projects in the United States, the Humboldt Bay Harbor District is moving forward with plans to develop a heavy-lift marine terminal on the Samoa Peninsula that would support the burgeoning industry.

Last week, the Harbor District released a notice of preparation (NOP) for the Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project, kicking off a 60-day public comment period. Comments submitted through the NOP, which is the first step in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review process, will be incorporated into the project’s draft environmental impact report (DEIR). The NOP comment period ends on Monday, Dec. 7. 

This is the second time the Harbor District has circulated an NOP for the heavy lift marine terminal project. The first NOP was released in August 2023, but the district felt it should be recirculated due to minor changes to the project description. 

Before we delve into those changes, a little bit of background:

The heavy lift marine terminal would serve as the staging and integration facility for offshore wind development all along the West Coast. Once it’s fully built out, the facility would have the potential to assemble and ship the gigantic components needed for floating offshore wind turbines — everything from the blades and nacelles (the protective housing that encases the generating components) to the towers, transmission cables and mooring lines. 

A digital rendering of the fully built-out Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal. | Image: Harbor District.

When the project was first developed, the district anticipated that most of the manufacturing would occur at the Port of Long Beach. Harbor District Executive Director Chris Mikkelson told the Outpost that the “multi-port strategy” might not work out after all. That means the district will need to expand the project footprint to accommodate at least some manufacturing.

“It appears that we’ll have to build the floaters here,” Mikkelson said, referring to the huge triangular platforms that are anchored to the sea floor. “That takes quite a bit more real estate to do that because … all of that has to be done in a laydown area before it is assembled, brought out to a wharf, then sunk and floated. … It also takes a little bit more wet storage because, of course, we’ll have to have both floaters and the assembled units in the water simultaneously.”

The first phase of the project will span a little over 100 acres, Mikkelson said. The original plans were about half of that.

“We’re refining the design, so we don’t know that exact figure,” he added. 

Mikkelson emphasized that the NOP “is a very important piece” of the environmental review process, and encouraged community members to “make your voices heard.”

“This project isn’t right until it’s right for the community,” he said. “If you don’t like the project, that’s great; we need to hear that. If you like the project, that’s great; we need to hear that. This has got to be a project that’s designed by the community and is accepted by the broader community.”

Asked about the project timeline, Mikkelson said the district plans to release the DEIR next spring, but next steps are up to the state and federal governments. 

“We really don’t control that timeline,” he said, pointing to numerous other factors, including funding issues, supply chain constraints, power purchase agreements, transmission and infrastructure upgrades. “Our job is to be the lead agency [for the project]. … We’re very dependent on what happens in our state and federal government more and more all the time, and the state seems pretty laser-focused on moving off of fossil fuels.”

Two months ago, the Trump Administration paid German energy company RWE U.S. Offshore $1.22 billion to abandon three wind energy leases off the coasts of Eureka, New York and Louisiana, in a settlement with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The move outraged local and state officials, and prompted questions about Humboldt’s offshore wind future. 

Asked for his two cents on the matter, Mikkelson said, “That’s a situation between a developer and the federal government.”

“The states are pushing back — not only in California but other states as well — and saying, ‘Wait a second, can that actually be done?’” he said. “My guess, and I don’t know this, [is] that the lease area will likely remain. It’s feasible that another wind energy company or another energy developer could come in and take over that lease and propose a project. We don’t know that, but it doesn’t change the project … [that] we’re permitting here in Humboldt Bay because the wind resource remains here.”

The Harbor District will host two scoping meetings next month to give the public a chance to comment on the project. Meetings will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at the Eureka Veterans Memorial Hall (1018 S H Street) and Thursday, Nov. 5 at the Samoa Cookhouse (908 Vance Avenue). More information can be found here.

Comments on the NOP may be submitted via email to projectcomments@humboldtbay.org. Those who prefer snail mail can send their comments in writing to: Chris Mikkelson, Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District P.O. Box 1030 Eureka, Calif. 95502-1030. All comments must be received or postmarked by Monday, Dec. 7.

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