The California Independent System Operator has recommended 26 new grid projects at an estimated cost of $6.1bn including the first phase of a link to offshore wind projects off the state’s North Coast area.
The majority of the costs identified in the ISO’s 2023-24 draft Transmission Plan ($4.59bn) are for three major transmission lines to deliver energy produced by floating turbines off Humboldt County.
Small connectors would move most of that electricity to the Bay Area with planning done by the California Public Utilities Commission anticipating the first wind farms to start generating power from around 2034.
The remaining $1.54bn is earmarked for 19 projects classified as “reliability-driven” to accommodate forecasted “load growth and evolving grid conditions as the generation fleet transitions to increased renewable generation”.
“These projects represent the first wave of development for offshore wind to meet the state’s portfolio needs while also being flexible enough to expand in the future to meet any increased requirements,” said ISO Vice President for Infrastructure and Operations Planning Neil Millar.
The draft plan is based on projections provided to the ISO in 2023 by the CPUC that California needs to add more than 85GW of new clean energy generation by 2035.
The document is scheduled to open to public consultation from April 9 before a final version is considered by the ISO Board of Governors at a May meeting.