Lead Commissioner Workshop on Assembly Bill 525: Offshore Wind Maximum Feasible Capacity and Megawatt Planning Goals for 2030 and 2045

Commissioner Kourtney Vaccaro, the California Energy Commission (CEC) Lead Commissioner for offshore wind energy will host a workshop to further explore meeting the requirements of Assembly Bill 525 (AB 525, Chiu, Chapter 231, Statutes of 2021).

On May 6, 2022, CEC staff released for public review the draft report Offshore Wind Energy Development off the California Coast: Maximum Feasible Capacity and Megawatt Planning Goals for 2030 and 2045 and on May 18, 2022, the CEC held a public workshop to present and receive public comment on the draft report. The CEC received a significant number of public comments recommending higher offshore wind megawatt planning goals. Comments submitted during the May 18 public workshop referenced specific studies, released after the posting of the draft report, that recommend higher megawatt offshore wind planning goals than those in the draft report. This workshop will provide the CEC and the public an opportunity to review these and other studies, and how they all relate to the AB 525 requirements and the draft report.

A quorum of CEC commissioners may participate, but no votes will be taken. Commissioners from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) may also attend. If CPUC commissioners are present at the workshop, the CPUC’s rules governing ex parte contacts with commissioners and their staff remain in effect even though this is a CEC-initiated and noticed workshop.

The workshop will support both in-person and remote attendance. The public can participate in the workshop consistent with the direction provided below. Please note that the CEC aims to begin the workshop promptly at the start time posted and the end time is an estimate based on the agenda proposed. The workshop may end sooner or later than the posted end time depending on various factors.

Notice and Agenda

• Notice of Lead Commissioner Workshop on Assembly Bill 525: Offshore Wind Maximum Feasible Capacity and Megawatt Planning Goals for 2030 and 2045
• Workshop Schedule

Presentations

• Walt Musial, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Jeff Billinton, California Independent System Operator
• Nathan Barcic, California Public Utilities Commission
• Priya Sreedharan, GridLab
• Amol Phadke, Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley
• Nicole Hill, The Nature Conservancy
• Scott Flint, California Energy Commission

Event Recording

• Lead Commissioner Workshop on Assembly Bill 525: Offshore Wind Maximum Feasible Capacity and Megawatt Planning Goals for 2030 and 2045