CEC Adopts Offshore Wind Strategic Plan to Support California’s 100 Percent Clean Electricity Future

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has adopted a comprehensive strategic plan to guide offshore wind development, a step toward achieving a 100 percent clean electricity future for the state.

The plan outlines analysis and strategies for deploying floating turbines off the coast of the central and northern states. It aims to reach 25,000 MW by 2045, which would power 25 million homes.

“Offshore wind has the potential to accelerate the clean energy transition by providing a consistent, reliable source of clean electricity, supporting our ambitious climate goals, creating local industrial jobs and driving economic development,” said CEC Chairman David Hochschild.

“Offshore wind will create thousands of new jobs for Californians, from production to maintenance, and build a robust supply chain to support this growing industry,” said Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom and director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). “Our commitment to offshore wind will deliver sustainable growth, reduce our carbon footprint, and ensure a cleaner, brighter future for all Californians.”

California’s power grid is currently served by nearly 35,000 MW of renewable energy, but to meet the 2045 goal, the state will need an additional 148,000 MW, which will likely require land and ocean development in many areas of the state. A recent study predicts the creation of more than 8,000 jobs at the peak of offshore wind development, most of which will be unionized to provide stable, well-paying employment opportunities.

This plan represents a commitment to responsible development that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and the impacts of pollution on the climate, communities, public health and the environment, and minimizes impacts on California Native American tribes, ocean users and marine wildlife.

CEC and partner agencies will implement the strategic plan by:

Continued discussions and consultations with tribal governments, underserved communities, fisheries, industry, ocean users, environmental and environmental justice groups, and federal, state, and local agencies.

Developing and analyzing recommendations and strategies developed in the strategic plan.