The Biden Administration announced that the U.S. Departments of Interior and Defense have reached agreement on California sea-space and other issues, clearing the way to move ahead with development of the state’s multi-gigawatt (GW) offshore wind power potential on its Central and North coasts.The announcement comes at a time when California Governor Gavin Newsom has earmarked $11 million to match U.S. Department of Transportation funding to build an offshore wind port at Humboldt Bay in Northern California.The 1.6 GW of offshore wind farm development projected for Humboldt Bay is restricted by the lack of transmission infrastructure to deliver electricity. However, wind farms off Humboldt Bay could expand if an offshore transmission line to the San Francisco Bay Area is built. It is estimated that an underwater transmission line system linking Humboldt Bay to the S.F. Bay Area would be over 250 miles long and cost upwards of $3.1 billion, according to a 2020 Humboldt State University report.Read More
