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Morro Bay wind farm sites up for auction, proposed minimum $8 million bids

May 27, 2022

By KAREN VELIE

The Biden administration on Thursday announced plans to auction five offshore areas for wind development, including three in Morro Bay, with the auctions prices proposed to start at $8 million each.

Last year, the federal Department of the Interior, in coordination with the Department of Defense, identified a 399-square-mile area northwest of Morro Bay as a location that will support three gigawatts of offshore wind. The federal agency also announced they are advancing two wind energy projects located offshore of Humboldt County.

On Thursday, the Department of the Interior publicized a proposed sale notice for the commercial wind energy leases offshore of Morro Bay and Humboldt  County.

Over the next 60 days, the Department of the Interior will seek public and industry comment on the proposal. After the comment period is over, the department will decide whether to issue a final sale notice that would include a date for the auction and a minimum sale price.

The proposed auction is expected to occur this fall.


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Julienne of Pelican coming to a beach near you soon!


4

A total waste of money. The government will finance with grants and it will cost more than what you would get out of it. Anything you put in the ocean will take so much upkeep to keep it going the cost out ways the profits


17

I read a while back that wind power only works economically because of Government subsidies, in other words cost more to build and maintain than the value of the power produced. The cost must be many times higher on the ocean than on land. If it’s going to be built, then build them along the coastal bluffs between Point San Luis and Montana De Oro. The transmisson lines are already in place.


18

Like the Government subsidies for oil and nukes? “I read a while back” Old info that out of date, things change.


The wind is better offshore so that’s where the floating towers will go. Also they are going to use the transmission lines in Morro Bay.


-21

To the small minority against wind power, are you serious?


-32

New slogan: 300 Windmills and a Rock


27

“300 Windmills”, make it an even thousand, sounds like a great slogan to me, a point of civic pride. BTW I think Diablo should operate for the near term also.


7

So much for our beautiful pristine coastline and offshore waters. The pollution of the ocean and destruction of marine life is okay and acceptable as long as it’s in line with the hypocrites of the Progressive/Democrat environmental nut jobs. What a bunch of senseless fools.

Oh, that’s right, high paying jobs and green energy. Can anyone say Solyndra? Here we go again with the lying and fleecing of the American taxpayer.


51

The towers will be offshore, you wont see them, just like you don’t choose to see the bunker burning freighters passing.


Solyndra? A dumb idea sure but that loan program made a profit for the American people.


Here we go again with the lying, trolling and complete inaction, acceptable as long as it’s in line with the gqp and friends as children die. Mitch McConnell: ‘Get Your Crying Done Now Because We’re Not Passing Shit’


It’s funny cause it’s true, a bunch of hypocrites pointing fingers.


-43

I think uncommonsense is either a Russian or Chinese or Iranian agent. It’d make sense. Or just religious. Did you know religious organizations have the majority of all pedophilic incidents in America? Especially the Witnesses.


-36

The far right wants us to go back to the 1500’s and live under the rule of the church.


-24

Common-sense, Dick Nixon, a Republican, made the EPA after he saw the oil spill in Santa Barbara decades ago, it traumatized him. Ronald Reagan’s gay friend got HIV, so he made the war on Aids. Reagan liked homosexuals, Dick Nixon liked the environment. Did I blow your mind? Bush Jr wanted to help poor ethnic and white students using Socialism, is that crazy too? There were at least 3 oil spills off this coast in the last couple years because business owners give two craps about the environment, and you complain about wind, the only wind you should worry about is from your mouth.


-35

Republicans only get on board if it directly effects them. One of their core beliefs is in only helping those that agree with them or can somehow be of benefit to them. Basically the exact opposite of their own religions teachings.


-27

More right sing crazy drivel talk. Never hold up to any serious research or critical thinking. Just talking points handed out from Fox to their angry, scared, dogmatic cult members.


-23

I’ve never seen a windmill explode and leak millions of barrels of oil into our oceans or the line connecting them to shore start leaking oil. How are floating windmills polluting the ocean and destroying the marine habitat? If they are then we need to get rid of every boat that sails on our oceans. Turn off fox for awhile and start researching(scientific not far right websites) windmills and offshore drilling rigs and their impact on the environment.


-17

Does everything have to be for sale? Sadly the battle will now be the view vs this erroneous profit. I say, require peddles on all electric vehicles and require that all air travel, space too, from launch to re-entry be electric.


6

Who decided we own the water when the Chumash never owned it for 10k years. Psychopaths…


-25

400 square miles for 3 gigs of power. Meanwhile Diablo puts out nearly 2.5 gigs of non Mother Nature reliant , 24/7 power on a fraction of that. Wake up people.


53

Sitting on a bomb vs Utelizing the wind = Easy choice


-50

And close off thousands of square miles of offshore area vs less than 2 square miles for a npp. A bomb really?? 100 of them operating in the US for the last 30 years with no “explosions”


29

It only takes one


-21

Diablo Nameplate capacity 2256 MW


A single GE Haliade-X offshore turbine has a 14 MW capacity, 220-meter rotor, a 107-meter blade. So 200-300 of them to offset a npp.


Lol, wake up and realize it’s the future.


-49

The future only exists if the wind in blowing.


36

And we all know the wind rarely blows out on the ocean right lol


-17

Wind will be blowing far longer than the earths supply of oil fact


-7

Didn’t know they had bombs at Diablo.


24

For a fraction of what? If Diablo were economically viable it would be continued. Why should we continue to be hostage to PG&E any longer?


-23