While the Trump administration has taken more than two dozen actions against offshore wind since January 2025, the Port of Long Beach is advancing a $4.7-billion Pier Wind project. The plan would build a 400-acre terminal to assemble hundreds of turbines for f
The cranes at the Port of Long Beach keep turning, even as Washington leans hard the other way. On a recent catamaran ride around the harbor, Suzanne Plezia pointed toward the infrastructure already in place and the long work still planned—because, she said, the port cannot afford to pause.
Southern California is advancing a $4.7-billion plan to deploy hundreds of towering offshore wind turbines in waters off the state’s coast. The proposed Pier Wind project at the Port of Long Beach would create a 400-acre terminal for positioning. storage. and assembly of some of the world’s largest turbines. Those turbines would be towed north to federal wind lease areas about 20 miles off Morro Bay and Humboldt Bay.
Offshore wind, state officials say, is a key climate solution. The Pier Wind effort is framed as crucial to helping California reach its goal of 25 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2045. The Port of Long Beach is one of only two areas primed for the assembly work; the other is Humboldt Harbor near Eureka. The port would create the needed land through a massive dredge-and-fill operation in the water.
Plezia said the timeline is built for the long haul. The work is supposed to be completed within a decade. “We’re just moving forward with all the things in our control because the port infrastructure has a long lead time. ” she said. “We’re in it for the long haul because we do believe offshore wind is part of our energy future.”.
Her remarks land in the middle of a fight over where offshore wind can go—and who gets to decide. The article’s account describes California’s preparations as falling within its jurisdiction, moving ahead with port and grid readiness while federal pressure escalates.
Since President Trump’s second term began in January 2025, the Trump administration has taken more than two dozen actions against offshore wind power. The administration has also canceled half a billion dollars in funding for port preparations in Humboldt.
The latest blow, according to the reporting, came through unprecedented deals struck with offshore wind leaseholders in federal waters. The White House paid nearly $2 billion to companies to abandon their plans and redirect investments into U.S. oil and gas projects. Wind lease areas are stretches of ocean designated by the U.S. government for potential offshore wind development.
One of the deals was with Golden State Wind, which held one of the five leases off the coast of California. California officials are investigating that transaction, including a subpoena from the California Energy Commission seeking details about the payout.
At the Pacific Offshore Wind Summit in Long Beach, California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild told hundreds of attendees, “The operative word is not ‘resist’ — it’s ‘create,’ ” as participants included regulators, lawmakers, investors, and industry representatives from the U.S. and abroad.
They said they remain optimistic about offshore wind’s prospects and vowed to keep to their plans. They point to the United Kingdom, where nearly one-fifth of electricity generation now comes from offshore wind. Still. the summit’s mood carried a harsher edge: participants questioned whether Trump’s actions are succeeding at slowing California and U.S. progress.
Much of the uncertainty centers on financing—whether investors still view offshore wind as a smart place to put money. “We are asking ourselves. do we want to do offshore wind at all?” said Sean Boyd. executive director of EY Parthenon. an arm of Ernst & Young that advises investors and companies. during a panel discussion.
California is moving toward its 2045 target. but it is not on track to meet its 2030 goal of 2 to 5 gigawatts of offshore wind. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom released about half of a $475-million tranche of Proposition 4 funding for offshore wind projects. The rest has not been released. The latest draft of Newsom’s 2026-27 budget would defer the remaining $241 million to a future year—and by default. a future governor.
Even so, the state’s planned approach is described as unprecedented. Much of the world’s offshore wind power is fixed to the seafloor. including off the East Coast of the U.S. but the turbines off California would need to be floating because the ocean here is much deeper. The state’s planned lease areas are between 1. 600 and 4. 200 feet—far deeper than any other floating wind farms in the world.
Boyd described the stakes bluntly. “There’s an awful lot of risk in first-of-a-kind technology,” he said. He added that the biggest challenge running through all of the work may be “the market risk.” “Is there a long-term floating offshore wind market in California?” he asked.
State officials argue the answer is clear. “California cannot allow this instability in Washington to derail our long-term climate and energy goals. ” Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles) said. “We have to continue planning. we have to continue investing. we have to continue building. because offshore wind remains one of the most important tools we have.”.
Trump administration officials have cast offshore wind as a political fight. describing it as “doomed. ” and as a threat to national security that restricts U.S. energy dominance. Trump argues offshore wind is costly and intermittent because it relies on the wind to blow. Supporters counter that offshore wind is designed to be part of a broader clean energy portfolio. complementing other renewables such as solar power and battery energy storage.
Some supporters say they are waiting for a political turning point at the next election.
Jim Lanard, co-founder and chief executive of developer Magellan Wind, put the argument in plain terms. “Will offshore wind exist in California and the United States?” he asked. “I say resoundingly yes — and it will take off very quickly in 2029.”
Not everyone is cheering. Some residents oppose offshore wind. including members of the San Luis Obispo-based REACT Alliance. which views the technology as a threat to coastal communities and the marine environment. The group said it lobbied the Trump administration to make its deal with Golden State Wind. and it is now urging Equinor to strike a similar agreement and walk away from its plans off the Central Coast.
Other groups—local tribes and environmental justice organizations—are also watching California’s preparations closely for potential effects. including sediment disruption and erosion. changes in whale migration. and pollution from construction. The report notes that Wilmington. Carson. and other communities around the Port of Long Beach already face some of the worst air quality in the region.
Even as debate continues on the ground, offshore wind believers point to global momentum already underway. The global market is continuing to grow rapidly, led by China, which installed 6.6 gigawatts of new offshore wind capacity in 2025. That brought China’s cumulative total to 48.4 gigawatts, according to the Global Wind Energy Council.
Some supporters say the need for the technology may only increase as artificial intelligence data centers drive energy demand, while electricity costs rise and oil supplies tighten due to constrained oil supplies from the war with Iran.
Noel Hacegaba, chief executive of the Port of Long Beach, called the moment decisive. “This is a pivotal moment for energy,” he said. “Rising fuel costs are sharpening the case for domestically produced power and for energy independence. … This is renewable energy’s moment.”
The enthusiasm showed up during that catamaran ride. with the future Pier Wind site in view as the project gets closer. The plan recently received a $20-million grant from the California Energy Commission. Details described in the report include a large wharf with a staging area for turbine components. plus a “wet storage” area for assembled units in the water while they wait to be towed away.
Depending on final specifications, Pier Wind would be able to assemble one or two turbines per week. Each turbine would be as tall as the Eiffel Tower and capable of generating 20 to 25 megawatts of wind power. Once towed to the lease areas up the coast. the turbines’ electricity would flow back to land via floating underwater cables and then be tied into the state’s main grid.
“The world is watching to see what California does next,” Hacegaba said.
California offshore wind Port of Long Beach Pier Wind Golden State Wind floating turbines David Hochschild Gavin Newsom Proposition 4 offshore wind funding REACT Alliance Equinor