Governor Gavin Newsom Signs Port Infrastructure Act to Build West Coast Offshore Wind Megahub

EUREKA, Calif. — Governor Gavin Newsom and California State Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire signed Senate Bill 1285 into law on Monday, establishing an expedited state permitting framework and directing $275 million in state capital grants to construct the Pacific coast's first dedicated heavy-lift floating offshore wind assembly and staging terminal at the Port of Humboldt Bay.

The maritime terminal, located on a 180-acre industrial site on the Samoa Peninsula, will serve as the primary manufacturing and assembly base for 25-megawatt floating offshore wind turbines destined for federal commercial lease areas off the Northern California and Southern Oregon coasts.

Unlocking 25 Gigawatts of Ocean Clean Energy by 2045 California has established a statutory goal of deploying 25 gigawatts of floating offshore wind capacity by 2045, enough to power 25 million homes with clean energy that peaks during evening hours when solar generation declines.

"California's North Coast has some of the strongest and most consistent ocean winds on earth, and we are building the industrial port infrastructure to harness that limitless clean power," Governor Newsom said at the Humboldt Bay Harbor Recreation and Conservation District in Eureka. "This $275 million investment transforms Humboldt Bay into the premier floating offshore wind manufacturing hub on the West Coast, creating over 2,500 good-paying union construction and maritime careers on the North Coast while leading our transition to 100 percent clean energy."

Terminal Infrastructure and Electrical Grid Upgrades Senate Bill 1285 funds:

• Heavy-Lift Quayside Construction: Engineering a 1,200-foot reinforced concrete wharf capable of supporting 4,000-ton floating steel turbine sub-structures.
• Deepwater Navigation Dredging: Deepening Humboldt Bay entrance channels to an authorized depth of 45 feet for towing fully assembled floating turbines to open ocean mooring sites.
• Transmission Grid Coordination: Directing the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) to fast-track regional 500-kV transmission interconnections to move offshore power south to the Bay Area.

Building trades labor unions, tribal nations, and environmental organizations commended the legislation, highlighting that comprehensive Project Labor Agreements and community benefit pacts ensure local workforce equity.