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Agreement reached on offshore wind project near Morro Bay 

Agreement reached on offshore wind project in Morro Bay Will be the largest proposed floating offshore wind project in the United States

– Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) on Tuesday joined the White House in announcing an agreement on the size and scope of leasing to allow for offshore wind development off the coast of Morro Bay. The area available for offshore wind development would span 399 square miles, enough to produce three gigawatts of energy, which represents the largest proposed floating offshore wind project in the United States, according to Carbajal.

“After years of negotiations between federal, state, and local partners I am thrilled to announce we have an agreement on the size and location of an offshore wind project that serves our environmental, energy, and national security interests,” said Carbajal. “Offshore wind holds incredible promise as a means to tackle climate change while also creating economic opportunity, and the Central Coast is uniquely poised to reap the benefits. This potential project will help secure the Central Coast’s dominance as a renewable energy powerhouse, which will attract new businesses and good-paying, future-oriented jobs in a burgeoning sector of the economy. The future is in renewable energy, and the Central Coast is leading the way.”

The agreement, which identifies an area of development approximately 17-40 miles offshore of northern San Luis Obispo County, is the product of negotiations conducted by Carbajal’s Offshore Wind Working Group. The working group was created in August 2019 to coordinate between federal, state, and local partners and is composed of representatives from the offices of Rep. Carbajal and Rep. Panetta (D-Carmel Valley), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of the Navy, and California Energy Commission (CEC).

Negotiations had previously stalled amid hesitation from the Navy, until Rep. Carbajal offered an amendment to the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act in order to move the development forward off of Morro Bay and get negotiations back on track. Following the amendment’s passage, Carbajal secured a written commitment from the Navy indicating a willingness to collaborate with the Working Group to identify an area for development that would meet energy production goals.

The next phase of the process involves an environmental impact review and a public comment period.

“I remain committed to working with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Department of the Interior to make sure the voices of local fishermen and all Central Coast residents are heard as this process moves forward,” said Carbajal.

“We applaud the Congressman’s leadership in brokering this opportunity to bring new forms of renewable energy and local jobs to the Central Coast region, cementing our role as a renewable energy innovation economy and pioneers of offshore wind on the west coast,” said Andrew Hackleman, Chief Operating Officer of REACH. “By bringing a minimum of 3GW of new energy development off the Central Coast, we have the potential to realize thousands of new jobs and multimillions in economic impact to our region by supplying the infrastructure and workforce to advance this burgeoning new industry all while helping the state and federal government meet their ambitious renewable energy goals.”

“I am extremely excited that the efforts to bring offshore wind energy and jobs to the Central Coast appears to actually be becoming a reality,” said Morro Bay Mayor John Headding. “Offshore wind could help California reach its goal of achieving 60 percent production from renewable energy by 2030 and 100 percent renewable and carbon-free electricity by 2045. Existing transmission infrastructure on the Central Coast is currently available to reliably deliver the output of both the Diablo Canyon Power Plant and the retired Morro bay Power plant. Offshore wind from the Central Coast is an opportunity for a source of clean energy in proximity to existing transmission infrastructure and energy consumers. Thanks to the ongoing efforts of Congressman Carbajal and the Offshore Wind Working Group there now appears to be a pathway forward for the actual development of windfarms off of the Coast of Morro Bay.”

“Today’s announcement is nothing less than a historic win for California, and will further cement the Central Coast as the Clean Energy Capital of the United States,” said Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham.  “For several years, we have worked diligently with federal, local, and state partners to position the Central Coast as the future hub of the Pacific Coast offshore wind industry. With today’s announcement, our region has set itself up to reap the major benefits of offshore wind: high-paying jobs for local residents; millions in additional tax revenue for local cities and counties; and more locally-produced clean energy. I appreciate all the hard work our partners put in to get us to today, and cannot wait to see the construction process get started. Let’s get building!”

“Developing offshore wind to produce clean, renewable energy could be a game-changer to achieving California’s clean energy goals and addressing climate change – all while bolstering the economy and creating new jobs,” Governor Gavin Newsom said. “This historic announcement, which could provide clean power for up to 1.6 million homes over the next decade, represents the innovative approach we need for a clean energy economy that protects the coasts, fisheries, marine life, and Tribal and cultural resources we value so much as Californians.”

Offshore wind is one component of a multi-pronged strategy to transform the Central Coast into a renewable energy hub. The Central Coast is already home to the California Valley Solar Ranch and Morro Bay could soon host the largest battery plant in the world. With the addition of an offshore wind project, the Central Coast is positioned to lead the country in renewable energy construction and output.

More information on the announcement is available here.

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The news staff of the Paso Robles Daily News wrote or edited this story from local contributors and press releases. The news staff can be reached at info@pasoroblesdailynews.com.