U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Study Identifies Needs and Opportunities for West Coast Ports to Support Floating Offshore Wind Energy

A new report published by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory identifies steps the country can follow to establish a system of ports to enable commercial-scale floating offshore wind energy development on the West Coast of the United States.

About two-thirds of the nation's offshore wind energy potential blows over waters too deep for wind turbines to be secured to the sea floor with foundations. The solution to capturing the 2.8 terawatts of untapped energy is wind turbines mounted to platforms that float on the ocean surface and anchor to the seabed with mooring lines.

"Now that the first lease areas have been auctioned off for floating offshore wind energy development in the Pacific Ocean, the country needs a system of ports to enable commercial-scale floating wind energy development on the U.S. West Coast," said Nate McKenzie, the U.S. Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) technology manager for offshore wind energy R&D. "This research documents how the United States could enable thousands of megawatts of offshore wind energy to be deployed efficiently, cost-effectively, equitably, and sustainably."

The study team documented its findings in the report titled, The Impacts of Developing a Port Network for Floating Offshore Wind Energy on the West Coast of the United States.

Funded by WETO through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the study is one of the outcomes of the U.S. Department of Energy's focus on advancing U.S. floating offshore wind energy in support of the Floating Offshore Wind Shot .

Five Needs

Study researchers analyzed cost-benefit trade-offs of port strategies, considered complementary port studies, and sought perspectives from key stakeholders. The resulting report identifies five primary needs to fund, plan, and develop a robust U.S. West Coast ports network capable of supporting floating offshore wind energy deployment.

The report provides decision makers with essential information to consider when developing a West Coast ports network.

In a strategic, equitable, and timely manner, the United States likely needs to:

• Build adequate infrastructure at existing West Coast ports so the industry can manufacture commercial-scale technology components domestically, install projects efficiently, and contribute effectively to clean energy goals.
• Collaborate and communicate among a huge number of stakeholders, coupled with strategic planning from an authorized decision-making entity (or entities).
• Grow a significant workforce in likely port-development regions to construct and operate the ports.
• Provide transparency and certainty around port permitting and regulatory requirements so they are less unpredictable and time-consuming, easing the approval process and helping with strategic planning.
• Create a fleet of vessels that can install and service floating offshore wind energy projects and identify requirements for U.S. shipbuilding capacity.

The Benefits

"Although there are challenges to building a port infrastructure that can enable commercial-scale floating offshore wind energy deployment, the undertaking represents an opportunity for the West Coast to emerge as a global leader in a new industry," McKenzie said.

Renewable Energy Scenarios

The study considers the number of required port sites, which are locations within a port that include waterfront space to assemble floating wind turbines and available area on land for staging or building components. The authors evaluate how adding port sites could help West Coast states achieve increasing levels of offshore wind deployment. Some of the scenarios in the report include:

• Meeting California's 25-gigawatt (GW) offshore wind energy target by 2045. This would require four staging and integration port sites and at least eight operations and maintenance port sites within the state, requiring an investment of around $5 billion.
• Deploying 55 GW of offshore wind energy along California, Oregon, and Washington by 2045. This would require nine staging and integration sites (at 4-5 ports) and 17 operations and maintenance sites in California, Oregon, and Washington, with an associated investment of around $11 billion.

A Domestic Supply Chain

For the offshore wind components in these scenarios to come from U.S. factories, the West Coast would likely also need to add 16 to 28 manufacturing port sites, respectively, using an additional $11 billion to $19 billion investment. Those manufacturing sites would help the three collaborating states establish a West Coast supply chain that would:

• Help the industry build a range of suitable ports.
• Reduce the risk of global supply chain bottlenecks.
• Create local jobs and economic benefits.
• Reduce the lifetime vessel emissions for the overall project pipeline by about 40% by eliminating the need to transport major components across the Pacific Ocean.

Although labor and raw material costs may be cheaper for overseas manufacturing hubs, a supply chain based on the West Coast could be cost-competitive because of reduced transportation costs and tax incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act (if manufacturing facilities are built in time to qualify for these incentives). Domestic manufacturing also helps boost energy security.

Economic and Community Impacts

The development of this port system, in addition to port operations and maintenance while supporting offshore wind energy deployment, will open job opportunities across many industries and across the West Coast and beyond. It also brings other economic, social, and environmental benefits to communities.

Developing a deeper understanding of community impacts through data collection and engagement could mitigate any potential health, environmental, educational, economic, and accessibility burdens communities could face during port development on the West Coast.

Next Steps

"While meeting state and federal deployment targets is clearly urgent, the West Coast floating offshore wind energy sector has the opportunity to set itself up for long-term success by strategically and collaboratively establishing a clear vision for enabling port infrastructure," McKenzie said. "This study goes a long way toward supporting that effort."

Further work will be required to develop these approaches, conduct detailed design studies, and provide technical support to stakeholders and decision makers.

Learn more about offshore wind energy R&D at WETO and sign up for WETO's newsletter, Catch the Wind, for the latest.