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By Suzanne Potter
April 3, 2025
A huge offshore wind project is forging ahead off Humboldt Bay in Northern California – and Saturday, elected officials will tour the deepwater port in Eureka. The port will be expanded to deploy commercial offshore wind turbines – and later, to transmit power to the grid.
Benjamin Collings, offshore wind advisor to the nonprofit Elected Officials to Protect America, which organized the tour, urged people to be patient.
“So, we just want to encourage people to stay the course and not have any delays,” he explained. “Because it could be a 10- or 15-year timeline for some of these projects, and it’s so critical that we do everything possible to mitigate climate change.”
President Donald Trump’s executive order halting future leases for offshore wind was signed after this project was already federally permitted with leases. The “Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project” is in the design phase, with plans to build access roads, utilities, and a wharf. A bill in Sacramento would add offshore wind ports to California’s five-year infrastructure plan.
Mario Fernandez, Eureka City Council Member, says this huge project will bring good-paying jobs, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and help the state meet its clean energy goals.
“Just to have that type of workforce and dedication to something of that magnitude for the betterment of our environment would be very beneficial, not just for our region, but for the State of California overall,” he said.
Natalie Arroyo, Humboldt County Supervisor, says she supports the project to repurpose an industrial area to bring in clean power – but stresses it must be done in consultation with local groups.
“As this goes forward, we certainly need to keep in mind the fisheries and aquaculture sector, the concerns of Tribes and the concerns of residents who live very close to where the port development will happen,” she explained.
A 2021 report by Environment California found that offshore wind has the potential to generate more than 1.5 times the total amount of electricity used in the state as of 2019.