$426 million allocated for West Coast offshore wind terminal

The Department of Transportation has awarded the Humboldt Bay Harbor District in California a $426 million grant to construct the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal. This project is funded by the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program.

After 10 years of cleaning up the contamination at the Redwood Marine Terminal site on the Samoa Peninsula, the planned terminal will act as a multi-purpose port facility to manufacture, build and operate offshore wind power projects on the West Coast.

The INFRA grant is the most recent award in a series of grant funding for what will be the first offshore wind port project on North America’s West Coast. Humboldt Bay has received $446 million from the DOT, California Energy Commission, State Lands Commission and other grants.

California has a goal of generating 5 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 and 25 gigawatts by 2045. In addition to the federal goal of creating 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030 and 110 gigawatts by 2050, the Humboldt Bay terminal will play a critical part in reaching these renewable energy milestones.

The INFRA program provides grant for projects that improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of freight movement. This grant will help finalize project design and fund construction of access roads, onsite utilities, an upland staging site, a linear foot wharf and a berth.

In addition to design and construction costs, the grant includes:

$51 million for environmental restoration.
$10 million to integrate renewable solar energy.
$6 million toward a Community Benefit Program to aid the nearby community, including local tribes and fishermen.
$3 million for a dredge material dewatering area.
$2.3 million to move the shoreline to the upland site from the bay.

^{Strategic Partnerships, Inc.}^{can provide information on contract opportunities, plus existing and future government funding. For more information, contact}^{research@spartnerships.com}^.