California port given $426m grant for offshore wind terminal construction
The U.S. Department of Transportation has provided a $426.7m grant to the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District for the construction and maintenance of offshore wind infrastructure.
The Humboldt Bay project will involve the construction of a modern marine terminal primarily for the transport, import, staging, preassembly, final assembly, launch, in-water construction, and long-term maintenance of floating offshore wind turbine devices in the district. The project also includes environmental protection measures such as an eco-shoreline.
The project is still in the planning and design phases, with permitting for Phase I expected in 2025 and design completion anticipated in 2026.
The $426,719,810 in funds, provided via the Department of Transportation’s Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects grant program, will have to be matched by private investment but gives a running start to the construction of the project.
The port has already received nearly $20m in state and federal grant funds in the last two years. In 2023, over $8.67m was awarded to support studies, site design, and permitting activities while a $10.5m grant was given to the port for renovations in 2022.
According to local media, the terminal project is designed to handle up to 25 MW turbines, and the construction of approximately one turbine per week on average.
The construction of the terminal will also support the state and federal clean energy goals that call for at least 5 GW of power to be generated offshore California by 2030 and 25 gigawatts by 2045. The federal nationwide target is 30 GW by 2030 and 110 by 2050.
