California Assembly votes in favour of offshore wind legislation

On 28 May 2021, in what was described as “overwhelmingly bipartisan approval,” the California Assembly voted 71-1 in favour of AB 525, a bill that aims to set a state goal of 10 GW of offshore wind by 2040.

In particular, the bill, introduced by assembly member David Chiu (D-San Francisco), calls on state agencies to develop a strategic plan and timeline to spur responsible development for offshore wind power, and cites a recent interagency report showing that at least 10 GW of offshore wind will be needed for California’s plan for a 100% clean energy portfolio.

“Just days after the Biden and Newsom administrations’ big offshore wind announcement, our offshore wind bill passed the Assembly on a bipartisan vote. There is serious momentum around bringing offshore wind to the West Coast,” said assembly member Chiu.

Responding to the news, Offshore Wind California executive director Adam Stern said, “We want to thank the bill’s lead authors, assembly members David Chiu, Jordan Cunningham and Laura Friedman, as well as key labour, industry, environmental, and environmental justice supporters, for their leadership and bipartisan advocacy for AB 525.

“This landmark legislation will help California reach its clean energy goals and reduce its climate risks, while also creating thousands of high-skilled jobs and protecting marine and coastal resources.

““We look forward to seeing this measure move to the Senate and ultimately be signed into law. We are committed to working with state and federal agencies to map out a path to achieve a minimum of 10 GW of offshore wind by 2040.

“An interim goal of 3 GW by 2020 will contribute to President Biden’s national goal of 30 GW by the end of this decade on the east and west coasts of the US.

“To meet these ambitious goals the state needs to complete environmental reviews, upgrade port infrastructure, support the development of an offshore wind supply chain, and streamline permitting whilst protecting wildlife and cultural resources.

“For California, offshore wind, using proven floating technologies already developed and deployed elsewhere in the world, promises to create a new industry, that delivers gigawatts of competitively priced power and jobs.”