A vote by the Port San Luis Harbor District. Approval of the state’s offshore wind strategic plan. Offshore wind planning is progressing — what does it all mean for the Central Coast?
In a nutshell, these recent steps are further positioning the region to capture the jobs and economic benefits of serving as a small-scale operations and maintenance hub for the clean energy projects planned for federal waters off our coast.
So what’s an operations and maintenance hub? Here’s a quick look. (Need a refresher on what’s in the works? Start here.)
O&M (operations and maintenance) in brief
Once wind farms are built and operational, they require ongoing monitoring and maintenance. That means transporting crews 20 to 60 miles out to the farms (think downtown SLO to Nipomo and stretching down to Buellton) where they’ll spend a couple weeks at sea checking equipment, performing routine maintenance and making repairs before returning to shore.
This vital long-term support role — which does not entail assembling or transporting the turbines — is fast becoming a significant industry sector in its own right, with stable jobs that last for decades. In fact, wind turbine technician is the nation’s fastest-growing occupation.
The economic opportunity
O&M hubs anchor long-term jobs and economic activity from offshore wind projects to the communities that host them. That could mean hundreds of new direct jobs as well as construction activity, increased demand for local goods and services, and revenue and investments for our region’s waterfronts. Pioneering research and development related to offshore wind energy represents additional opportunity for the region and its educational institutions.
What it looks like elsewhere
As wind energy has proliferated around the world, so have O&M facilities. Each is unique to its site, but they typically include two parts: boat docking and onshore office, operations and storage space. Vessels range from 65 to 300 feet long, with shorter boats used for day trips and longer ones housing crews of about 100 at sea for weeks at a time.
What it could look like at Port San Luis
To be clear, there are no actual plans on the table. The Port San Luis Harbor District has embarked on evaluating the feasibility of an O&M project with a company called Clean Energy Terminals, a process expected to take 6 to 18 months.
But any eventual project would likely look different from those — with 3-5 acres of onshore facilities located elsewhere and boats mooring at the end of a pier, in keeping with existing uses at a long-standing working waterfront.
Service vessels would dock every couple weeks for crew changes and restocking. The berth would also support smaller support vessels, but no large tanker or container ships. Additional uses such as aquaculture or maritime tourism could also be considered.
Clean Energy Terminals has a handy one-pager and comprehensive FAQ with additional detail.
What about other sites
All indications are that the state needs a network of waterfront facilities to support its goal of 25 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2045. Further studies and evaluations are taking place, but development decisions will be made at the local level, by the ports and harbor districts, not imposed by the state or offshore wind companies.
Larger facilities are a no-go for the Central Coast
Long Beach and Humboldt are pursuing development of the large wind ports needed to stage and assemble the turbines before they are towed out to sea. An earlier study explored whether such facilities would be suitable for the Central Coast but are not going forward. A rendering included in that study is NOT representative of what’s now being evaluated.
What’s next
For Port San Luis, a long-term process involving broad community engagement. Any decision to move forward after the initial evaluation would require multiple approvals and permits addressing environmental and other key considerations, a process that could take 4 to 5 years. Stay tuned.
In the meantime:
- “A new port could help preserve San Luis Obispo County’s coastal way of life” — Jim Miers, an Avila resident who chairs the local Surfrider Foundation chapter and the local Sierra Club chapter’s climate and clean energy committee, makes the case for an O&M hub at Port San Luis.
- Offshore wind companies have begun surveying the lease areas. Read about the technologies and measures they are employing to protect sensitive habitats and sealife.
- The SLO Climate Coalition is holding the first of three online educational events on offshore wind at noon Sept. 18. Get details and register here.
