The largest offshore wind power assembly facility in the United States is about to be born? (International Maritime News)

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2024-11-15 17:16

On November 11, the Long Beach Port Commission reinforced its commitment to California's renewable energy goals by advancing the Pier Wind project. The 1,618,742-square-metre Pier Wind project, located in the Port of Long Beach, aims to assemble and deploy floating offshore wind turbines.

With the recent approval, the Port of California aims to secure additional funding and the necessary authorizations for Pier Wind to become the largest offshore wind assembly facility in the United States.

Port CEO Mario Cordero commented: "Pier Wind will help create a reliable power grid that will improve air quality and energy resilience, reduce California's dependence on fossil fuels, and help power the port's continued transition to zero-emission equipment and vehicles." Long Beach.

The Port Commission has committed up to $14 million in matching funding for the December state grant application, which is intended to cover the design, environmental review and community outreach of the Pier Wind project. In addition, the Commission has allocated $6.5 million million from the capital budget of the United States port for environmental assessment and project delivery activities while awaiting a decision on the allocation.

Ahead of the vote, commissioners received an update on Pier Wind's alignment with California's clean energy goals, as well as details of an upcoming grant application to the California Energy Commission. A preliminary economic impact analysis predicts that by 2045, Pier Wind could generate $8 billion in labor income, $14.5 billion in economic output, and $1.3 billion in state and local taxes.

In addition, these approvals follow the recent passage of Proposition 4 (also known as the Climate Bond), which allocates $0.475 billion to port infrastructure supporting offshore wind. According to the California Offshore Wind Strategic Plan, assembly facilities such as Pier Wind are critical to the success of floating wind projects on the West Coast.

Earlier this year, the California Public Utilities Commission set a goal of 7.6 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2035. In September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation allowing the Port of Long Beach to streamline the design and development of Pier Wind through alternative construction methods. As the design progressed, the layout of the project was recently updated based on industry input.

Once operational, Pier Wind will support the staging, storage and assembly of some of the world's tallest offshore wind turbines, which can reach the height of the Eiffel Tower. These fully assembled turbines will then be transported by sea to a wind lease located 20 to 30 miles offshore in central and northern California.

The $4.7 billion million project is undergoing a thorough environmental review and has heard from local, state and federal agencies and the community. If approved, construction could begin as early as 2027, with the first 809,371 square meters to be operational in 2031 and fully completed in 2035.

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