Businesses and civil servants in the northwest were hoping that the offshore wind industry could inject large amounts of cash and work here.
However, they encountered a four-year obstacle.
President Donald Trump, hours after his second term, Stop future offshore window lease And a Slow Walk We review existing leasing processes and darken the future of the rapidly expanding industry in other countries around the world.
Already, wind prospects off the West Coast are far behind the East Coast projects.
“Hopefully, this is a matter of getting through the four-year storm,” said Ben Ackers, CEO of Pelastar, which develops local offshore technology.
Washington needs a new energy source as a utility shift It is moving away from the surge in fossil fuels and electricity demand.
Of some companies, for now, enthusiasm for wind has declined under the Trump administration, Ackers said.
Meanwhile, other countries around the world I will continue to invest As scientists warn that the ongoing use of fossil fuels will warm our planet to dangerous new heights, in technology.
What is your deal with offshore wind?
Offshore wind turbines have been revolving for decades. The first such wind farm was launched in 1991 off the coast of Denmark. The idea is to take centuries-old technology and bring the turbines to the ocean. There is a wealth of space and wind.
However, offshore turbines are plagued by controversy and challenges. Opponents are concerned about structures that scar waterfront scenery, kill birds, and harm the lives of the seabed.
As these renewable technologies become cheaper and more efficient, the benefits of fossil fuels also anxiety Losing share in the energy market and lobbying against technology.
Finding a suitable location for a wind farm can be difficult. At offshore locations, the federal government excludes leases through the National Marine Energy Administration.
However, offshore wind farms are already operating along the Atlantic coast. Bock Island Wind Farm, in southern Rhode Island, was first launched in 2016.
The US has sufficient offshore wind turbines spinning and powering 60,000 homes. However, offshore projects offshore offshore Europe are progressing further, and we can generate more than that. 100 times Such a power.
And all US offshore power comes from the East Coast.
Why is the West Coast behind so far?
Ryan Culkins, a member of the Port of Seattle, believes there are two main reasons why the West Coast is far behind. First, we have not made the need for additional power generation disastrous, Calkins said. Washington in particular relies heavily on hydropower.
Second, the water off the west coast is much deeper than off the east coast. Thousands of feet deep.
So, instead of turbines grounded to the seabed, Calkins said, offshore wind farms to the west need to float.
There are a few examples of wind farms in the world, but they are less common. Additional complications are slowing development here, but companies like Ackers are looking for ways to expand.
I’m not saying that it was no progress.
Developer I proposed We lease sites off the coast of Washington. The state is still researching prospects. For a while, Oregon seemed to be walking down the waters offshore, but the momentum was strong. stall Over the last few months.
California is moving further.
Five leases were approved by the Bureau and were built several dozen miles from the California coast.
As these projects moved forward, Calkins and Acker said they wanted Puget Sound to capture much of the work. The turbine and its floating platform must be assembled near the final location, but much of the previous production work can be done using Seattle’s deep-sea ports.
California offshore style
The Office of Marine Energy Management has already approved five leases for commercial wind power generation off the California coast. Together, they occupy about 370,000 acres, slightly larger than the city of Los Angeles.
This means building platforms, turbine towers, mooring systems, anchors and even vessels to build and maintain offshore platforms, Ackers said.
All of this will bring money and work to the area, Calkins said.
“If Puget Soundport gets a crack in this business, it means a generation of welding employment, a mechanic job, an electrician job, a shipbuilding job,” Culkins said. “It’s really an opportunity for a once-generation.”
But because such investments make sense, Ackers said companies want to see more building possibilities than five California leases. Otherwise, work will halt as soon as those wind farms are built.
Will the West Coast catch up?
It’s not under the Trump administration.
The Marine Energy Management Agency already has it Stop Potential new offshore wind leases and Postponed or cancelled Meetings on existing leases.
His company and its parent Grosten shifted its focus to offshore winds on the West Coast, especially considering the Biden-era inflation reduction laws and the vast amounts available. He said this would come as a disappointment. Bipartisan infrastructure law.
Now they are beginning to regret that strategic decision, Ackers said.
If American companies can’t keep their chores out, then foreign companies like Korea and Singapore will likely win jobs, Calkins said.
This uncertainty exacerbates Trump’s tariffs and raises prices for imports and exports in the renewable energy sector. In his second semester he has become increasingly hostile to the concept of climate change restrictions, understanding the need for the global scientific community to shift towards renewable energy and reduce emissions as quickly as possible. Sometimes we doubled fossil fuels.
Even as renewables become more affordable, Trump said the country would shift further towards oil and gas at the first moment of his inauguration. He argues that the move will reduce energy costs.
“We’re not going to do the wind.” Trump said A few hours after he took office last month.
What other options are there?
The timeline for wind power generation on the West Coast is uncertain, but perhaps California could continue to build its own port infrastructure to continue development after Trump’s second phase, according to the Pacific Ocean Energy Center. Associate Director Shana Lee Hirsch said in an email.
Meanwhile, Hirsch, a professor at the University of Washington, said several other options remain for generating electricity in the ocean. Companies, including some based in the Puget Sound region, are looking for ways to use energy from ocean waves and daily tides to create power.
While wave and tide energy sources still remain viable options, Hirsch said Trump’s stance had an impact on the research and development stages of these technologies.
“This will hit the momentum in ocean and offshore renewables, but it’s more common for innovation, engineering and technology,” says Hirsch.
