RCEA announces partnership for offshore wind farm
A consortium of companies is working to enter into a partnership to research the development of an offshore wind energy farm off the Humboldt County coast that could be producing renewable power by 2025. – TOBIAS SCHWARZ — AFP — Getty Images
By Hunter Cresswell | hcresswell@times-standard.com | Eureka Times-Standard
PUBLISHED: April 5, 2018 at 10:15 p.m. | UPDATED: August 9, 2018 at 12:24 p.m.
The Redwood Coast Energy Authority announced this week its selection of a consortium of companies that will enter into a partnership to research the development of an offshore wind energy farm off the Humboldt County coast.
According to a RCEA news release, the consortium includes Principle Power, Inc., EDP Renewables Offshore North America LLC, Aker Solutions Inc., H. T. Harvey and Associates and Herrera Environmental Consultants Inc. RCEA and the consortium will work together over the coming weeks to negotiate and finalize the partnership with the goal of submitting a lease application for the wind farm area this spring.
"We have been very impressed and humbled by the respondents and the quality of the responses we received for this [request for qualifications]," RCEA Executive Director Matthew Marshall said in the release. "Large development companies and energy players based in Europe and the US responded to the RFQ which helps confirm the attractiveness of Humboldt County as the potential starting point for an entire new industry."
The consortium was one of six respondents to the request issued by RCEA in February.
"They're an extremely qualified team," RCEA director of business and planning Lori Biondini said.
The plan is to install 12 to 17 700-foot-tall wind turbines over 20 miles offshore the mouth of Humboldt Bay to provide between 100 and 150 megawatts of power to local users. The project is working on a five- to seven-year time line and could cost from tens to hundreds of millions of dollars, she said.
According to the release, Principle Power is a development, technology and services provider to the offshore wind industry.
"They have developed a floating platform technology for wind energy," Biondini said.
She said the technology is already in use off the coast of Portugal.
"We believe this project can represent a game changer for the industry in the U.S. 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," Principle Power President and CEO Joao Metelo said in the release.
According to the release, EDP Renewables is the world's fourth largest wind energy producer.
"They're very experienced in developing these large innovation projects. The same can be said for Aker Solutions as well, they're bringing a lot of project management experience to the team," Biondini said.
"We are excited to be part of this first commercial scale project for floating offshore wind in the United States. Combining our capabilities with Principle Power's technology can help mature the local supply chain, potentially generating industry growth in Humboldt County and the state of California," Aker Solutions vice president and U.S. country manager Jonah Margulis said in the release.
After finalizing the private-public partnership agreement between RCEA and the consortium, a study will be done looking into the feasibility of feeding offshore wind power into the current electrical grid, Biondini said.
"We are going to apply for an interconnection study," she said.
Community outreach will also continue to identify if there will be impacts on local transportation and fishing vessels. Then a lease for the chosen wind farm sight will be applied for, Biondini said.
If everything goes smoothly with the studies, permitting and construction, the project could be providing local homes and businesses with renewable power by 2025, she said.
Go to redwoodenergy.org for more project and agency information.
Hunter Cresswell can be reached at 707-441-0506.
Hunter Cresswell | Reporter
Letters to the editor (Jan. 17, 2021)
Lori Dengler: The importance of the last mile
Matthew in the Middle | Insurrection Day
My Word | Now is the time to honor the oath to protect our Republic