While the Trump administration is taking dramatic steps to halt the development of offshore wind power in the United States, Southern California is developing a $4.7 billion plan to deploy hundreds of tall wind turbines in the state's coastal waters.
What is proposed The Pier Wind Project In the Port of Long Beach is a 400-acre terminal where the world's largest offshore wind turbines are placed, maintained and assembled, which can be towed north to wind leases less than 20 miles from Morro and Humboldt.
Offshore wind is an important climate solution and officials say this project is critical to helping California reach its goal. 25 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2045. The Port of Long Beach is one of only two locations designated for convention work; the other is Humboldt Harbor near Eureka. The port will build the land for the project through a large-scale dredging and filling operation.
This is the second in an occasional series about the state of California's power transition amid opposition from the Trump administration.
California's approach is to move forward with offshore wind arrangements that fall within its jurisdiction, studying ports and the power grid to eventually power 1,000 turbines in federal waters. The aim is to wait for the current administration, which is notorious for the renewable energy type that is booming elsewhere in the world.
“We're moving forward with all the things we control because port infrastructure is long overdue,” said Suzanne Plezia, managing director of engineering at the Port of Long Beach, as she boarded the latest boat that circled the port's cranes and cargo towers. The work must be completed within ten years.
“We will go for a long time because we believe that wind from the coast is part of our energy future,” he said.
The federal job is somewhat of an act of defiance by the Trump administration, which has taken more than a dozen measures against offshore wind energy since the president's second term began in January 2025, including it cancels half a billion dollars in financing Humboldt port preparations.
Recently, the White House struck a series of unprecedented deals and energy companies that held offshore wind leases in federal waters, paying them nearly $2 billion to abandon their plans and invest in US oil and gas projects. Wind leases are areas of the ocean designated by the US government for offshore wind development.
One of those deals was with Golden State Wind, which held one of five leases off the coast of California. State officials are there investigateng that agreement, including a to be summoned to the California Energy Commission seeking information about the payment.
“The operative word is not 'resistance' – 'creative,'” California Energy Commission Chairman David Hochschild told hundreds of attendees. Pacific Offshore Wind Summit in Long Beach recently.
A rendering of the proposed Pier Wind project in Long Beach Harbor.
(Port of Long Beach)
Among them were regulators, policymakers, investors and industry representatives from the US and other countries who said they still hoped for offshore wind and vowed to keep their plans. They point to the United Kingdom, where about a fifth of electricity generation now comes from offshore wind.
But the question of whether President Trump's actions are effective in holding back the progress of California and the US also permeated the entire conference.
A lot of uncertainty surrounds the financing, even if investors still see offshore wind as a smart place to put money.
“We're wondering, do we want to wind up on the beach?” said Sean Boyd, managing director of EY Parthenon, the investment and corporate advisory arm of Ernst & Young, during an interview.
While California is making progress toward its 2045 goal, it is no longer on track to meet its 2030 goal of 2 to 5 gigawatts of onshore wind.
Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom released nearly half of the $475 million in Proposition 4 funding for offshore wind projects, but so far has not released the rest. Newsom's latest draft of the 2026-27 budget would roll back the remaining $241 million to next year — and by default, the next governor.
But California's efforts have also gone unnoticed. While most of the world's offshore wind power is attached to the bottom of the ocean, including on the east coast of the US, wind turbines from California will need to float because the ocean here is so deep. The state's planned leases are between 1,600 and 4,200 feet, deeper than any other floating wind farm in the world.
“There's an awful lot of risk in early technology,” Boyd said. “But the single biggest risk in all of this is market risk. Is there a long-term floating market for offshore wind in California?”
Many state officials say the answer is an unequivocal yes.
“California cannot allow this instability in Washington to derail our long-term climate and energy goals,” said Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles). “We have to keep planning, we have to keep investing, we have to keep building, because offshore wind remains one of the most important tools we have.”
The Trump administration has turned offshore wind into a political football, describing the technology as “they are condemned” and a threat to national security that hinders US energy dominance.” Trump says offshore wind is expensive and slow because it relies on the wind to blow.
But experts say it is intended to be part of a strong clean energy portfolio, alongside other renewable sources, such as solar power and battery energy storage. Many supporters bide their time until the next election.
“Will offshore wind exist in California and the United States?” asked Jim Lanard, founder and CEO of developer Magellan Wind. “I say yes – and it will take off as soon as 2029.”
Some of the state's citizens are opposed, however, including San Luis Obispo-based members REACT Alliance, seeing coastal wind as a threat to coastal communities and the marine environment. The group said it lobbied the Trump administration to strike a deal with Golden State Wind, and is now urging Equinor, one of the lessors, to strike a similar deal and withdraw its plans from the Central Coast.
Other groups, including local tribes and environmental justice organizations, are watching the state's efforts closely for potential consequences such as soil disturbance and erosion, changes in whale migration and pollution from construction. Wilmington, Carson and other communities around the Long Beach Harbor are already experiencing some of the worst air quality in the region.
But many believers on the beach say that the train has already left the station. Globally, the market continues to grow rapidly, led by China, which has installed 6.6 gigawatts of new offshore wind capacity by 2025, bringing its total to 48.4 gigawatts, according to the World Energy Council.
Others say demand for the technology will only grow as artificial intelligence data centers drive energy demand, along with rising electricity costs and the oil embargo from the war with Iran.
“This is a critical time for energy,” said Noel Hacegaba, chief executive officer of the Port of Long Beach. “Increasing fuel costs increase domestically produced electricity and energy independence. … This is the time for renewable energy.”
Excitement was palpable as the catamaran circled the future site of Pier Wind, which recently received an award. A $20-million grant from the California Energy Commission. Plans include a large port with staging area for turbine components, and a “wet storage” area for assembled units in water awaiting towing, among other things.
Depending on the final specifications, Pier Wind will be able to assemble one or two wind turbines per week, each as tall as the Eiffel Tower and capable of producing 20 to 25 megawatts of wind power. Once towed from offshore leases, their electricity will flow back to land via floating underwater cables and, ultimately, be tied into the country's main grid.
“The world is watching to see what California does next,” Hacegaba said.
