The California Independent System Operator (ISO) has posted a draft of its 2023-2024 Transmission Plan, recommending 26 new projects at an estimated cost of $6.1 billion at buildout, including the first phase of development that would bring energy generated by North Coast offshore wind to the California grid.
The draft plan recommends 19 projects classified as “reliability-driven.” As the plan states, these are to accommodate forecasted “load growth and evolving grid conditions as the generation fleet transitions to increased renewable generation.” Estimated cost: $1.54 billion. Most of the costs identified in the draft plan – another $4.59 billion – are from three major transmission lines that would deliver energy produced by floating wind turbines off the Coast of Humboldt County.
These projects off California’s North Coast area represent the first wave of development for offshore wind to meet the state’s portfolio needs while also being flexible enough to expand in the future to meet any increased requirements.
Several smaller connector lines recommended in the draft plan would move much of that clean energy into the Bay Area. Planning done by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) anticipates the first offshore wind farms to start generating power around 2034. The 2023-2024 draft plan will enable critical resource development, including:
- Over 38 GW of solar generation distributed across the state in solar development regions that include the Westlands area in the Central Valley, Tehachapi, the Kramer area in San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and also in southern Nevada and western Arizona;
- Over 3 GW of in-state wind generation in existing wind development regions, including Tehachapi;
- Over 21 GW of geothermal development, primarily in the Imperial Valley and in southern Nevada;
- Access for battery storage projects co-located across the state with renewable generation projects, as well as stand-alone storage located closer to major load centres in the LA Basin, greater Bay Area, and San Diego;
- The import of over 5.6 GW of out-of-state wind generation from Idaho, Wyoming and New Mexico, by enhancing corridors from the ISO border in southeastern Nevada and from western Arizona into California load centres; and
- Over 4.7 GW of offshore wind with 3.1 GW in the Central Coast (Morro Bay call area) and 1.6 GW in the North Coast area (Humboldt call area).
