California Activities

What's New?

Virtual Meetings Postponed 

Virtual public meetings on the BOEM’s draft PEIS for Potential Mitigation of Future Development of Wind Lease Areas Offshore California have been postponed.

BOEM Announces Draft Environmental Review of Potential Mitigation of Future Development of Wind Lease Areas Offshore California. Draft report available for a 90-day public comment period starting on Nov. 14.

Efforts Underway:

BOEM is managing federal oversight authority on five existing leases in California, two in northern California off Humboldt County, and three in Central California near Morro Bay. For more information, please click on the Existing Leases tab above.

BOEM is also currently working on a programmatic environmental review document that will describe the potential impacts of federal offshore wind energy development activities off the coast of California, as well as the change in those impacts that could result from adopting programmatic mitigation measures. BOEM will conduct subsequent site-specific NEPA analyses and consultations for individual proposed wind energy projects as construction and operations plans for those projects are received.  Information on the California Offshore Wind Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, including public engagement opportunities, can be found on the CA Offshore Wind PEIS page.

Public Engagement

BOEM continues to coordinate planning for potential offshore renewable energy leasing and development activities through the BOEM California Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force, a partnership of members of state, local and federally-recognized Tribal governments and federal agencies. The task force serves as a forum to: discuss issues and concerns; exchange data and information about biological and physical resources, ocean uses and priorities; and facilitate early and continual dialogue and collaboration opportunities.

• California Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force Meeting Five (June 3, 2022)
• California Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force Meeting Four (July 13, 2021)
• California Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force Meeting Three (March 9, 2020)
• California Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force Meeting Two (September 17, 2018)
• California Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force Meeting One (October 13, 2016)
  • Fact Sheet: California Offshore Renewable Energy, BOEM California Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force

Public Information Meetings and Outreach Efforts

• California Offshore Wind Energy Planning Outreach Summary Report (September 2018) and Addendums (June 2021 and November 2023)
• BOEM California Auction Seminar (June 16, 2022)
• BOEM Draft Environmental Assessment Meetings - Morro Bay Wind Energy Area (April 2022)
• BOEM Draft Environmental Assessment Meetings – Humboldt Wind Energy Area (January 2022)
• BOEM Environmental Assessment Scoping Virtual Meetings – Morro Bay Wind Energy Area (December 2021)
• California Coastal Commission Informational Briefing on Offshore Wind (September 9, 2021)
• BOEM Environmental Assessment Scoping Virtual Meetings – Humboldt Wind Energy Area  (August 24, 2021)
• Pacific Fisheries Management Council Meeting on Marine Planning and Offshore Development (July 22-23, 2021)
• California Energy Commission Notice of Workshop to Take Comment on Additional Considerations for Offshore Wind Energy off the Central Coast of California (July 1, 2020)
• West Coast Science Exchange Webinar Series (November 13, 2019 to September 9, 2020)
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory Introduction to Floating Offshore Wind Webinar  (February 26, 2020)
• California San Luis Obispo County District 2 Local Informational Forum on Offshore Wind Planning in California Forum (Dec. 13, 2018)
• California Offshore Wind Public Information Meeting (April 13, 2017)
• California Ocean Renewable Energy Conference (November 1-2, 2016)
• BOEM-NREL 2014 Ocean Renewable Energy Workshop (July 29-30, 2014)

Environmental Studies

BOEM has funded or considered numerous studies to collect information about the marine environment to support decisions concerning offshore renewable energy development. For more information, please visit https://www.boem.gov/environment/environmental-studies-pacific.

• Selected BOEM-Funded Research Informing Renewable Energy Offshore California

Related Press Releases

• BOEM Announces Environmental Review of Future Development of California Offshore Wind Leases (12/19/2023)
• Biden-Harris Administration Announces Winners of California Offshore Wind Energy Auction (12/07/2022)
• Biden-Harris Administration Announces First-Ever Offshore Wind Lease Sale in the Pacific (10/18/2022)
• BOEM Completes Environmental Review of Offshore Wind Leasing in Central California (10/05/2022)
• Biden-Harris Administration Proposes First-Ever California Offshore Wind Lease Sale (05/26/2022)
• BOEM Completes National Environmental Policy Act Review of Offshore Wind Leasing in Northern California (05/05/2022)

There are five leases in California

• Northern CA leases
  • Canopy Offshore Wind, LLC (OCS-P 0561) - after lease issuance, record title interest changed from RWE Offshore Wind Holdings, LLC
  • California North Floating LLC, (OCS-P 0562)
• Central Coast Leases
  • Atlas Offshore Wind LLC (OCS-P 0563) - after lease issuance, record title interest changed from Equinor Wind US LLC
  • Golden State Wind LLC, (OCS-P 0564) - name changed after lease issuance from (Central California Offshore Wind LLC)
  • Invenergy California Offshore LLC, (OCS-P 0565)

Related Press Releases

• Biden-Harris Administration Announces Winners of California Offshore Wind Energy Auction (12/07/2022)
• Biden-Harris Administration Announces First-Ever Offshore Wind Lease Sale in the Pacific (10/18/2022)
• BOEM Completes Environmental Review of Offshore Wind Leasing in Central California (10/05/2022)
• Biden-Harris Administration Proposes First-Ever California Offshore Wind Lease Sale (05/26/2022)
• BOEM Completes National Environmental Policy Act Review of Offshore Wind Leasing in Northern California (05/05/2022)

2016 Request for Interest

In January 2016, BOEM received an unsolicited request for a commercial lease from Trident Winds LLC (Trident Winds). In order to determine competitive interest, BOEM published a notice in the Federal Register, "Potential Commercial Lease for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore California - Request for Interest (RFI)” in Docket No. BOEM-2016-0051 on August 18, 2016. Based on responses to the RFI, BOEM determined that competitive interest existed offshore California and BOEM and the State of California initiated the competitive planning and leasing process for possible future leasing for offshore wind development.

• Trident Winds LLC lease request (public version)

2018 Call for Information and Nominations

On October 19, 2018, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a Call for Information and Nominations (Call) to obtain nominations from companies interested in commercial wind energy leases within the proposed areas off central and northern California. In addition to nominations, BOEM sought public input on the potential for wind energy development in the Call Areas. This includes site conditions, resources, and multiple uses in close proximity to, or within, the Call Areas that would be relevant to BOEM’s review of any nominations submitted, as well as BOEM’s subsequent decision whether to offer all or part of the Call Areas for commercial wind leasing.

Below are documents related to the 2018 Call:

• Public Comments Received
• Federal Register Notice (October 19, 2018)
• Docket Number: BOEM-2018-0045
• Nominations of Interest

2018 Call Maps

• Humboldt Call Area
• Humboldt Call Area, NOAA Chart
• Morro Bay and Diablo Canyon Call Areas
• Morro Bay and Diablo Canyon Call Areas, NOAA Chart

GIS/Shape Files for Mapping

• 2018 California Call Areas

2021 Call for Information and Nominations

On May 25, 2021, the Departments of the Interior and Defense and the state of California announced their agreement to advance areas for wind energy development offshore the northern and central coasts of California, enabling a path forward for the Humboldt Call Area and areas within and adjacent to the Morro Bay Call Area.

On July 29, 2021, BOEM published the Morro Bay East and West Extensions – Call for Information and Nominations in the Federal Register, which initiated a 45-day public comment period. BOEM accepted industry nominations and public comments until September 13, 2021.

The Morro Bay Call Area East Extension and the Morro Bay Call Area West Extension offshore the central California coast consist of approximately 90,025 acres (141 square statute miles).

Below are documents related to the 2021 Call:

• Public Comments Received
• Federal Register Notice: Call for Information and Nominations for Morro Bay Extension Areas
• Docket Number: BOEM-2021-0044
• Nominations of Interest

2021 Area Identification Memos

On July 28, 2021, BOEM announced the designation of the Humboldt Wind Energy Area (WEA). The Humboldt WEA is located approximately 20 miles offshore the northern California coastline and comprises 132,369 acres (206.8 square miles). The analysis and rational used to develop the Humboldt WEA are described in the Area Identification Memo for the Morro Bay WEA. The full Area Identification Memo can be found here:

• Northern California Area Identification Memo Pursuant to 30 C.F.R & 585.211(b).

On November 12, 2021, BOEM announced the designation of the Morro Bay WEA. The Morro Bay WEA is located approximately 20 miles offshore the central California coastline and comprises approximately 240,898 acres (376 square miles). The analysis and rational used to develop the Morro Bay WEA are described in the Area Identification Memo for the Morro Bay WEA. As described in the Area Identification Memo, the Morro Bay WEA includes the 2021 Call West Extension and a portion of the 2018 Call Area, while omitting the 2021 Call East Extension. The full Area Identification Memo can be found here:

• Central California Area Identification Memo Pursuant to 30 C.F.R & 585.211(b).

California Wind Energy Areas (WEAs)

The Humboldt WEA and Morro Bay WEA were each subject to an environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act to consider the environmental consequences associated with issuing commercial wind leases and associated site characterization activities (i.e., biological, archeological, geological, and geophysical surveys and core samples) and site assessment activities (i.e., installation of meteorological buoys). For more information on the WEAs and environmental reviews, please follow the links below.

• Humboldt Wind Energy Area
• Morro Bay Wind Energy Area
• Biological Assessment & Concurrence
  • Biological Assessment of Endangered and Threatened Species and Essential Fish Habitat Assessment for Offshore Wind Lease Issuance, Site Characterization, and Site Assessment for Central and Northern California (July 2022)
  • Endangered Species Act Concurrence Letter and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Essential Fish Habitat Response for the Morro Bay and Humboldt Wind Energy Areas (September 2022)

Proposed Lease Sale

On May 26, 2022, the Department of the Interior announced proposed auction details and lease terms for offshore wind energy development in the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area and Humboldt Wind Energy Area, located offshore central and northern California, respectively. The California Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) which included a 60-day public comment period, provided detailed information about potential areas that could be available for leasing, proposed lease provisions and conditions, auction details (e.g., criteria for evaluating competing bids and award procedures), and lease execution. The proposal included up to five lease areas within the two WEAs off California for potential commercial wind energy development. The proposed lease areas in the Humboldt and Morro Bay WEAs consist of approximately 373,268 acres (583 square miles) and have the potential to unlock over 4.5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, powering more than 1.5 million homes and supporting new jobs. 
Materials related to the proposed lease sale are below.

• Proposed Sale Notice (PSN)
• North Coast (Humboldt) Proposed Leases
  • CA Proposed Lease OCS-P 0561
  • CA Proposed Lease OCS-P 0562
• Central Coast (Morro Bay) Proposed Leases
  • CA Proposed Lease OCS-P 0563
  • CA Proposed Lease OCS-P 0564
  • CA Proposed Lease OCS-P 0565
• Overview Map of the California Proposed Lease Areas
• Bidder's Financial Form
• Bidder's Financial Form Addendum
• Qualifications Guidelines
• California Proposed Lease Areas Shapefiles
• Public Comments Received
• Docket Number: BOEM-2022-0017

California Auction Seminar

BOEM held an auction seminar on June 16, 2022 for prospective bidders in the proposed Pacific Wind Lease Sale 1 (PACW-1) for commercial wind energy leases offshore California. The seminar was open to the public and described the auction format, explained the auction rules, and demonstrated the auction process through meaningful examples. Seminar materials and recorded videos can be viewed at the link below. 

• https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/california-auction-seminar

California Final Sale Notice

On October 18, 2022, the Department of the Interior announced that BOEM would hold an offshore wind energy lease sale on December 6, 2022 for five areas off central and northern California. On October 21, 2022, BOEM published the Final Sale Notice (FSN) for the PACW-1 lease sale. The FSN contains information pertaining to the areas available for commercial wind energy leasing on the OCS offshore California. The FSN details provisions and conditions of the leases, auction details, the lease form, criteria for evaluating competing bids, award procedures, appeal procedures, and lease execution.
Materials related to the FSN and PACW-1 lease sale are below.

• Final Sale Notice (FSN)
• North Coast (Humboldt) CA Lease OCS-P 0561
• North Coast (Humboldt) CA Lease OCS-P 0562
• Central Coast (Morro Bay) CA Lease OCS-P 0563
• Central Coast (Morro Bay) CA Lease OCS-P 0564
• Central Coast (Morro Bay) CA Lease OCS-P 0565
• California Final Sale Notice Decision Memorandum
• California Final Sale Notice Response to Comments
• Bidder's Financial Form
  • Bidder's Financial Form Addendum
• EFT Payment Instructions
• Auction System Technical Supplement
• BOEM Form 2032 - Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Program Representation
• BOEM Form 2033 - Equal Opportunity Compliance Report Certification
• Questions and Answers for Bidders

Maps

• Overview Map of the California Final Lease Areas
• Shapefiles for California Final Lease Areas

California Offshore Wind Auction

BOEM held an offshore wind energy lease sale on Dec. 6-7, 2022, for areas on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) off central and northern California. The lease sale drew competitive winning bids from five companies totaling over $757 million.

The online auction was held online in a series of rounds and allowed qualified offshore wind developers to bid on five lease areas – the first-ever offered along the Pacific coastline – as described in BOEM’s Final Sale Notice (FSN).

Winners and high bids for each of the lease areas and a Round-by-Round Summary are identified below.

• Round by Round Results
• Executed Leases
  • Lease OCS-P 0561: RWE Offshore Wind Holdings, LLC
  • Lease OCS-P 0562: California North Floating LLC
  • Lease OCS-P 0563: Equinor Wind US LLC
  • Lease OCS-P 0564: Golden State Wind LLC (name changed after lease issuance from Central California Offshore Wind LLC)
  • Lease OCS-P 0565: Invenergy California Offshore LLC

Resources

• A Citizen's Guide to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's Renewable Energy Authorization Process
• National Environmental Policy Act Citizen's Guide
• Fact Sheet: BOEM Leasing Process
• Department of Energy WINDExchange - Offshore Wind Energy Information
• U.S. Offshore Wind Synthesis of Environmental Effects Research
• Offshore Wind Research Buoys Float into California’s Waters (October 9, 2020)
• California Energy Commission Notice of Availability of Outreach on Additional Considerations for Offshore Wind Energy off the Central Coast of CA  (May 7, 2020)
  • Notice Docket - Public Comments
  • Related Information on Local Outreach and Offshore Working Group Visual Simulations
• California Visual Simulations - In response to stakeholder interest regarding visual impacts from potential future renewable energy development within the California Wind Energy Areas, BOEM undertook a project to develop daytime and nighttime photomontages to simulate what turbines might look like if these lease areas were fully developed.
• BOEM-State of California Programmatic Agreement - Regarding Review of OCS Renewable Energy Activities Offshore California under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (January 2020)

California related news releases and Notes to Stakeholders can be found in the BOEM Newsroom.  In the search bar, type the name of the state and/or select year of announcement.