Credit: Joerg Sarbach/AP
While East Coast offshore wind projects face uncertainty from federal opposition, California’s offshore wind industry finds itself with a surprising advantage: time.
East Coast developers have been rattled by federal pushback, including a recent halt—later reversed—on New York’s Empire Wind project. Meanwhile, California’s offshore wind ambitions remain years away from construction, effectively insulating the state’s efforts from immediate political interference. Rather than fighting Washington, California is focused on laying essential groundwork at the state and local levels.
At this week’s Pacific Offshore Wind Summit in Sacramento, Burns & McDonnell offshore wind director Tony Appleton underscored this advantage. “There’s so much to do locally,” he told stakeholders. “That’s the opportunity California has got over the next two, three, or four years, without involving Washington.”
With a state-mandated goal of 13% of electricity from offshore wind by 2045, California is betting on the resource to help meet its clean energy targets—especially during evening hours when solar wanes. Energy officials estimate offshore wind could ultimately power up to 25 million homes.
To support that vision, California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild is pushing for the creation of 11 permanent staff positions focused solely on offshore wind. “Offshore wind, I really believe, will prevail,” he said Tuesday.
But critical questions remain about funding and infrastructure. The California Public Utilities Commission has set a target of procuring 7.6 GW of offshore wind by 2037, but deployment depends heavily on whether ports can handle the scale of development required. The upgrades won’t come cheap: the Energy Commission has estimated port infrastructure will require $12 billion.
The Port of Long Beach is planning a $4.7 billion pier to assemble and deploy turbines—some as tall as the Eiffel Tower—to the Morro Bay lease areas. Chief Harbor Engineer Suzanne Plezia said finalizing design work and securing additional investment are her top priorities. Governor Newsom’s revised budget proposal preserved $228 million for port development from a $10 billion climate bond—a hopeful sign amid broader fiscal tightening.
“It is a very large sum of money,” Plezia said at the summit. “And it is a very small amount when it’s compared to the value of 25 gigawatts of power.”
California’s unions are also watching the process closely. Chris Hannan, president of the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, noted that political challenges at the federal level shouldn’t deter progress in the Golden State.
“The message that’s been sent from the federal government doesn’t inspire a seamless buildout of offshore wind,” Hannan said. “But it shouldn’t be a distraction. Here in California, there’s so much port work to do.”
As Washington remains gridlocked, California is quietly and deliberately building the foundation for an offshore wind future—one pier, partnership, and policy at a time.