The California Legislature has approved initial funding of about USD 228 million (EUR 192.6m) to upgrade ports for floating offshore wind development, reaffirming the state's clean energy commitments.
The sum is part of a USD-475-million package that voters passed last autumn to support port infrastructure, industry coalition Offshore Wind California said. The move will enable the assembly and deployment of offshore wind turbines located 20 miles to 30 miles off the state’s coast.
Offshore Wind California applauded the approval of the first installment, calling it “excellent news” amid “unfortunate federal headwinds”. The organisation, therefore, urged the governor to sign the measure.
The USD-475-million funding is a component of an overall climate bond worth USD 10 billion that was cleared last November.
According to the latest statement, California remains committed to offshore wind as it continues to aim for 100% clean electricity supply by 2045.
In terms of offshore wind, the state targets initial deployment of between 7 GW and 10 GW and up to 25 GW by 2045. Furthermore, California should procure up to 7.6 GW by 2035 to 2037.
“Offshore wind will play a vital role in helping the state achieve its climate, clean-energy, and grid-reliability goals, and complement existing solar, storage, and onshore wind resources as an essential part of California’s diverse clean-power portfolio”, Offshore Wind California said.
While California continues its "path to 100% clean electricity", the Trump administration has recently terminated USD 679 million in federal government funding for 12 offshore wind infrastructure projects. Earlier, the president rescinded more than 3.5 million acres (1.4 million hectares) of Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) designated for offshore wind development on the US Outer Continental Shelf.
