California floating wind pilot project progresses to environmental assessment stage
Norway’s BW Ideol has announced that its planned offshore floating wind pilot-project in California has progressed to the environmental assessment stage, a milestone in the permitting process.
On October 21, the California State Lands Commission authorized the solicitation of statements of interest for consultant services for the preparation of environmental documentation and mitigation monitoring for the proposed wind farm to be installed in waters off Santa Barbara County.
The 40-plus MW pre-commercial project, based on BW Ideol’s Damping Pool technology, could become one of the first wind farms off the coast of California.
In 2019, BW Ideol conducted a review of all major California ports and identified at least five suitable sites for construction and launch of concrete hulls for commercial-scale windfarms. Two of these were considered immediately suitable with no upgrades. The review also singled-out four sites suitable for wind turbine assembly and eight harbours capable of storing mooring lines, as well as hosting operation and maintenance bases.
