The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has issued a Request for Interest in a lease area requested by Trident Winds, LLC for its proposed 765MW floating wind energy project. In consultation with the State of California, BOEM has determined Trident Winds LLC is qualified to hold an Outer Continental Shelf lease and now must determine whether it is appropriate to issue the company a lease on a non-competitive basis, or whether a competitive process is required.
The proposed project would consist of 100 floating foundations, each supporting a wind turbine generating 7-8 megawatts of energy. A single transmission cable would bring the electricity to shore. The proposed lease area, about 33 nautical miles northwest of Morro Bay, covers 67,963 acres of federal lands in water depths of 2,600‐3,300 feet. If there is competitive interest, BOEM will initiate the competitive leasing process. If no expressions of interest are received, BOEM will proceed with the noncompetitive leasing process.
