Offshore Wind in California: Key Takeaways from the 2026 Pacific Offshore Wind Summit
Written by Amardeep Dhanju, Senior Associate
June 5, 2026
The 2026 Pacific Offshore Wind Summit in Long Beach brought together more than 350 participants across industry, government, and academia to discuss the role of offshore wind in California’s energy portfolio. Aspen sponsored the conference, and four of Aspen’s energy and port specialists attended.
California’s offshore wind goals are anchored in Senate Bill (SB 100), the landmark legislation that requires 100 percent clean electricity by 2045. Meeting this target will require sustained additions of renewable energy capacity and offshore wind is a critical component of the future energy mix. Offshore wind is an ideal complement to solar, particularly for nighttime and winter generation.
“Staying the Course” Amid Headwinds
Opening remarks from Offshore Wind California Executive Director Adam Stern documented California’s measurable progress in areas such as port funding, transmission planning, and stakeholder engagement. However, the federal permitting moratorium, lease buybacks and broader policy uncertainty are creating headwinds for development of existing leases. Despite these challenges, the speakers emphasized that California is making important advances for issues within the state’s control. Recent milestones include:
$228 million appropriated for port infrastructure under Proposition 4.
A statewide strategy from the California Coastal Commission to support coexistence between offshore wind and fishing communities.
The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) selection of CalGrid to construct transmission to carry electricity generated by offshore wind development off of Humboldt County to northern California load centers.
Approximately 6 GW of offshore wind is expected to be operational along the East Coast by 2027, reinforcing the opportunity for California to accelerate deployment. However, because of California’s deeper ocean waters, floating wind turbines are required here, not the bottom-mounted turbines used in the eastern US.
From the keynote speaker and subsequent panels, a consistent set of priorities emerged:
Investing in seaports through a multi-port strategy that considers manufacturing and assembly sites, as well as the large staging and integration facilities
Planning and building transmission infrastructure to bring offshore wind to the load centers
Operationalizing electricity procurement mechanisms established by AB 1373: Centralized Procurement of Specified Long Lead Time Resources
Develop a sustainable supply chain for turbine components and vessels and support in-state job training and employment
Advance project permitting
Engage stakeholders to facilitate resource development
CEC Chair Hochschild Describes Rapid Energy Transformation
CEC Chair David Hochschild provided a broad view of California’s energy transition. The state is already operating a highly decarbonized electrical grid, with carbon-free energy accounting for around 70% of generation. Clean energy increasingly dominates new capacity additions nationwide. In 2025, 91% of new capacity additions on the US grid were clean energy resources.
At the same time, electricity demand is changing rapidly:
Electric vehicles are now the largest contributor to load growth in California.
Grid-scale storage has expanded significantly in the state, helping to balance solar and wind generation.
Offshore wind fits into this evolving system as a reliability resource. Its generation profile with strong winds at night and in winter complements solar and reduces reliance on fossil-backed back-up generation, particularly natural gas power plants.
Ports and Supply Chain
A panel on “Putting Steel in Water” made clear that infrastructure development, especially port facilities, are essential for offshore wind development. Speakers emphasized that California must move towards a coordinated, multi-port strategy, with the Port of Long Beach and the Humboldt Bay Harbor District playing central roles, but additional ports will be needed for manufacturing and O&M. Recent state funding provides an important foundation, but significantly more investment will be needed.
Discussion also highlighted the importance of standardized turbine designs to reduce costs and improve deliverability:
Convergence around four-column semi-submersible floating foundations
Expected turbine sizes are 15-20 MW, with 50 MW turbines designed for deepwater installations expected to be commercialized in the near future
A key insight from developers and engineers was that offshore wind must transition from bespoke projects to industrial-scale deployment. That requires alignment across ports, fabrication and assembly facilities, vessels, and installation processes.
Transmission: A Critical Constraint
Transmission remains one of the significant challenges discussed at the Summit. Offshore wind resources in Northern California, particularly offshore Humboldt County, greatly exceed local demand, so delivering that power to load centers will require major transmission upgrades and new infrastructure.
Key points regarding transmission highlighted:
Offshore wind potential in Humboldt would be multiple times larger than load, but provides the opportunity to increase reliability within the region
CAISO has approved transmission upgrades including Humboldt-Collinsville line and Humboldt-Fern Road line
Cost recovery models are being structured through ratepayer financing mechanisms
Planning and permitting for major transmission buildout are underway, and the formal application to the CPUC is expected by 2028
According to a study by the Schatz Energy Research Center, offshore wind related transmission upgrades will add $1.68 per year for an average household
The conclusion was clear: due to the long lead-time for transmission planning and construction, transmission development must proceed in advance of generation.
Environmental Reviews and Coexistence
The study of environmental impacts and mitigation concepts are ongoing for potential offshore wind development in California. Panels emphasized ongoing research funded by CEC’s EPIC program and other sources, including studies of:
Floating foundations and mooring systems
Subsea cable impacts, including electromagnetic fields (EMF)
Marine ecosystem interactions and long-term monitoring
At the same time, new institutional frameworks and novel monitoring technologies are emerging:
The California Coastal Commission has advanced statewide coexistence strategy
The Ocean Protection Council is developing a West Coast Science Collaborative to support decision-making
Engagement with tribal nations, fisheries, and coastal communities is ongoing, with the intent that feedback will be integrated into project planning.
Financing, Markets, and Scale
The final key theme is market development. Despite clear policy targets, California is yet to operationalize a procurement mechanism for sale of electricity generated. Speakers emphasized that without clear demand signals, supply chain development and investments will remain constrained.
Lessons from the East Coast are instructive:
Several gigawatts of offshore wind are already under construction and around 1 gigawatt is currently generating electricity
The project pipeline has supported the growth of operations and maintenance market
Development along the East Coast has driven the deployment of port infrastructure and helped establish a procurement process for the U.S. offshore wind industry
Offshore wind was also framed as a hedge against energy market volatility, providing diversification within state’s clean energy portfolio.
Conclusion
The Pacific Offshore Wind Summit reinforced that California’s offshore wind sector has continued to make progress, despite federal policy headwinds. The early investments in ports and transmission are taking off. The next challenge is execution. For California to meet its SB 100 goals and deploy 25 GW of offshore wind by 2045, the state must accelerate the deployment of supporting infrastructure, procurement frameworks, and regulatory systems needed to support large-scale deployment. Achieving this transition will require coordinated expertise across permitting, environmental analysis, infrastructure planning, and stakeholder engagement.