Alert
Alert
06.14.23
On Friday, June 2, the California Energy Commission (CEC) hosted a workshop on permitting offshore wind energy facilities off the coast of California. The workshop came days after the CEC adopted a report entitled “Assembly Bill 525 Offshore Wind Energy Permitting Roadmap,” created in response to Assembly Bill 525, which established a goal for California to deploy up to 5,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030 and 25,000 megawatts by 2045. California aims to power 25 million homes with offshore wind by 2050. The report is the latest effort to bolster the development of California’s Offshore Wind Strategic Plan, which will be submitted to the legislature in 2023.
California’s offshore wind rollout comes as the Biden administration has announced its goal of transforming the United States into a global leader for offshore wind development. The administration has set a goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind before 2030, with 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind before 2035 and 110 gigawatts by 2050. California has stated a goal of 100% clean energy by 2045.
The report and associated workshop laid out California’s plan to coordinate efforts between multiple state and federal permitting agencies, which permitting officials believe will speed up the permitting process and simultaneously ensure that the interests of animals, fishery groups, tribal governments, stakeholders and local governments are protected.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has been authorized by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to manage development on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), which extends from three to 200 nautical miles off the west coast of the United States (excluding National Marine Sanctuaries).
BOEM is the lead agency for federal permitting of offshore wind projects. Prior to permitting a project, BOEM requires a limited or commercial OCS lease and a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) determination. Additionally, BOEM works in coordination with several other federal agencies, each with their own requirements, including:
The lead agency for state permitting of offshore wind projects will be the California Coastal Commission (CCC), which will require a Certification of Consistency (CC), a Coastal Development Permit (CDP), and a Coastal Zone Management Act Federal Consistency Determination. CCC will be combining applications for both the CC and CDP and will bring them to a single hearing. Several other state agencies will also have requirements under the permitting process, including:
Local agencies also will establish requirements. In likely locations for offshore wind operations, they include the following:
The proposed permitting approach will involve consolidating and coordinating among the agencies to ensure efficiency. CEC requires a single state application with CEC as the permitting authority. Additionally, CEC plans to combine NEPA and CEQA review to require one joint document and one program environmental impact report.
The permitting roadmap also highlighted the current timeline for wind authorization under both federal and state permitting timelines. The process timing will be as follows:
California boasts some of the best offshore wind resources in the United States, and the state has prioritized offshore wind as a critical energy source for achieving their goal of 100% clean energy. In addition to renewable energy, California expects offshore wind to open the door to significant job creation, primarily for local and regional supply chain, manufacturing, dock workers and watercraft operators.
Key challenges remain, including reduction of cost, increase in vessels capable of installing offshore wind turbines, and the long (and potentially delayable) permitting process. Legal and business teams for offshore wind generation and transmission development will navigate these challenges, and the CEC guidance, as they apply to specific projects.