The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has found no significant impacts to environmental resources after completing its environmental review of the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area (WEA) offshore California.
The final Environmental Assessment (EA) assesses potential impacts from the issuance of leases within nearly 240,898 acres of the Morro Bay WEA off the coast of San Luis Obispo County, California.
The WEA, if developed, could bring up to 3GW of clean energy to the grid, enough to power more than one million homes.
The EA considers potential environmental consequences of site characterisation activities (i.e., biological, archaeological, geological, and geophysical surveys and core samples) and site assessment activities (i.e., installation of meteorological buoys).
It also considers project easements associated with potential leases and related right-of-way grants for subsea cable corridors in the Morro Bay WEA.
The EA was created in close coordination and engagement with the State of California, the Department of Defense, tribes, ocean users, including the fishing community, and coastal communities.
If the BOEM decides to conduct a lease sale in the Morro Bay WEA, the bureau will develop an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) before approving the construction of any offshore wind energy facility in the Morro Bay WEA.
That EIS will analyse the specific environmental consequences associated with the project, in consultation with tribes, appropriate federal, state, and local agencies, and stakeholders and the public.
“The completion of our environmental review is an important step forward to advance clean energy development in a responsible manner while promoting economic vitality and well-paying union jobs in central California,” said BOEM Director Amanda Lefton.
“We will continue to work closely with tribes, state and federal partners, and key stakeholders to ensure any future development avoids or minimises potential impacts to the ocean and other ocean users in the region.”