The Draft California Energy Commission Assembly Bill 525 Offshore Wind Strategic Plan under Assembly Bill 525 (AB 525, Chiu, Chapter 231, Statutes of 2021) (Draft AB 525 Strategic Plan) is available for public review and comment.
AB 525 directs the California Energy Commission (CEC) to prepare a strategic plan for offshore wind energy developments in federal waters off the California coast. The CEC expects to announce and host a workshop to provide information and receive feedback on the Draft AB 525 Strategic Plan later. AB 525 statute requires the CEC to provide an opportunity for public review and comment on a draft strategic plan. The strategic plan shall include, at a minimum, the following five chapters:
- Identification of potential suitable sea space for future lease process.
- Economic and workforce development and identification of port space and infrastructure.
- Transmission planning
- Permitting processes and the Permitting Roadmap.
- Potential impacts on coastal resources, fisheries, Native American and Indigenous peoples, and national defense, and strategies for addressing those potential impacts.
