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Humboldt Bay offshore wind terminal update: $20M CEC grant applied, permitting and design advance
Summary
Staff told the Harbor District it has applied for a $20 million California Energy Commission grant, is at roughly 15% design for the heavy-lift terminal, and that the incidental-take permit for longfin smelt was extended by Department of Fish and Wildlife until Feb. 14; staff outlined upcoming dredging sampling, mitigation planning and public engagement steps.
District staff gave a status update on the Humboldt Bay offshore wind heavy-lift marine terminal project, reporting active permitting, design progress and outreach work as the district advances project planning.
Rob, presenting the update, said the district submitted a $20,000,000 grant application to the California Energy Commission’s waterfront facility improvement program and is invoicing MARAD for PDIP grants and staff-time reimbursements. He reported that the project has reached about 15% design and that engineering and mitigation siting work is underway. Rob said the incidental take permit for longfin smelt, requested from the Department of Fish and Wildlife, was not issued before the end of December and that the agency granted itself a 60‑day extension; the new date for that permit action is Feb. 14.
Rob explained jurisdictional boundaries for the offshore tow route, saying the district’s responsibility ends at the bay entrance: “The answer is the end of our bay, at the end of our entrance. So our project ends at the end of our entrance.” He encouraged the public to consult the project web page, where more than 50 technical documents are already posted and more will appear in batches over the coming months.
Staff described several upcoming technical milestones: the sampling analysis plan for dredging is expected to be submitted to agencies within about four weeks; more visual and sound modeling work and visual simulations are under way; mitigation planning and wet-storage re-evaluation are advancing; and workforce-planning sessions with the county and tours for multiple Coast Guard divisions are scheduled. Rob said the team is coordinating regularly with BOEM, MARAD, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Port of Long Beach to clarify jurisdictional overlaps and to share lessons on port assembly and tow procedures.
Commissioners asked for more accessible scheduling materials for the public; Rob said a detailed Gantt chart exists (22 pages printed 11x17) and staff is preparing a simplified, reader-friendly schedule to post online. The update was informational and no action was taken.
The board was directed to upcoming public meetings hosted by BOEM on the Humboldt lease area and to the district’s website for posted documents; staff said more technical studies will be published over the next two to three months and that they will keep fishermen and aquaculture stakeholders informed about dredging sampling plans and mitigation discussions.
Next steps include posting additional technical studies to the project web page, submitting the dredging sampling analysis to agencies, continuing mitigation siting, and coordinating NEPA/CEQA-related schedules with partner agencies.
