Port of Humboldt Bay Terminal Could Begin Operations in 2026
Crowley is looking to build an offshore wind installation terminal at the Port of Humboldt Bay in northern California.
The marine and logistics specialist said it had inked an agreement with the port giving it exclusivity to negotiate its role to develop and operate the terminal, which would be California’s first hub serving offshore wind energy projects.
The facility would be a base for tenants to manufacture, install and operate floating platforms for offshore wind, operate heavy-lift cargo vessels and access crewing and marshalling services.
The port has already drawn up a master plan for the site and expects permitting and design to be completed in mid-2024. Its deal with Crowley is focussing on a 98-acre plot that currently has no supporting infrastructure, with options to expand on adjoining land in additional phases.
A spokesperson for Crowley told Breakbulk that the negotiations with the port would begin in December and likely conclude by mid-2023.
“Dependent on external factors and negotiations, we would expect to have the terminal operational between 2026 and 2027,” the spokesperson said.
The buildout of offshore wind in the US has been limited to the East Coast, where shallow waters and a gently sloping continental shelf are ideal for installing fixed-bottom platforms for turbines.
Plans are in place though to kick start development in the much-deeper Pacific waters, where floating – rather than fixed – platforms would be deployed. The Business Network for Offshore Wind, an industry lobby group, told Breakbulk that it expected to see “a lot of excitement” in this new field.
On December 6, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, part of the Interior Department, will hold its first-ever offshore wind energy lease sale for central and northern California, with five areas totalling 373,000 acres up for grabs.
A successful auction would go a long way in helping the US state reach its target of 5 gigawatts, or GW, of offshore wind energy by 2030. The Humboldt offshore wind areas alone are slated to provide 1.6 GW of energy, capable of supplying power to up 1.6 million homes, Crowley said.
Crowley, founded in 1892, operates through five main business lines – Crowley Logistics, Crowley Government Solutions, Crowley Shipping, Crowley Wind Services and Crowley Fuels.
The company owns, operates or manages a fleet of more than 170 vessels.
The Jacksonville-based firm is already developing a dedicated wind service terminal project at Salem, Massachusetts as part of a public-private partnership to support offshore wind projects off the coast of New England.
Construction of the terminal is expected to start in summer 2023, with completion in 2025.
PHOTO CREDIT: Crowley
