First US Floating Wind Farm Step Closer to Reality

A consortium comprising Principle Power, EDPR Offshore North America, Aker Solutions, H. T. Harvey & Associates and Herrera Environmental Consultants has been selected to enter into a public-private partnership with Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA) to develop a floating wind project offshore Humboldt County in Northern California, US.

RCEA and the consortium will be negotiating and finalizing a partnership agreement in the coming weeks, working towards submitting a lease application for the 100MW-150MW project later this spring.

The wind farm is planned to be located more than 20 miles off the coast of Eureka in the Humboldt County, which, as RCEA said, has natural enabling advantages that make it a prospective stepping stone for the offshore wind industry on the US West Coast, as well as the best wind resource off California with average wind speeds of more than 10m/s.

The project is expected to drive investment in local infrastructure at the Port of Humboldt Bay and other nearby onshore facilities, the US authority said, adding that the consortium will collaborate with local stakeholders to identify and address needed infrastructure improvements.

“We believe this project can represent a game changer for the industry in the US. The establishment of a public private partnership with a community-based energy provider like RCEA represents a unique opportunity to develop a project with strong foundations from the get-go, and to build a comprehensive launching pad for a successful industry in the West Coast,” said Joao Metelo, Principle Power’s President and CEO.

The selected consortium was one of the six respondents to the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) issued by the RCEA on 1 February.

In December last year, RCEA and Principle Power signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of a floating wind project offshore Humboldt County.