Plans to industrialize Port San Luis in rural Avila Beach moving forward

July 23, 2024

By KAREN VELIE

Plans to transform Port San Luis in rural Avila Beach into an industrial port to support proposed offshore wind farms in Morro Bay are moving forward with the assistance of the Port San Luis Harbor District, though most of the discussions have been held in closed session out of public view.

For years, harbor district staff has discussed plans to industrialize the port, though most negotiations have been in closed session with little information available to the public. On Tuesday evening, the harbor district board will meet in closed session to discuss leasing 10 acres of the tidelands to a company associated with off shore wind energy.

Even though several members of the public have argued the district is violating requirements to provide either the address, assessors parcel number or property description in order to discuss lease agreements in closed session, the district has failed to provide a property description other than it is in the tidelands.

The tidelands refers to the approximately 8,400 areas of the coastline that is under the control of the harbor district.

The harbor district is considering an up to 75-year contract for Clean Energy Terminals to lease 10 acres of the tidelands. The company plans to pay $25,000 for the first six months as it evaluates the area for support for off-shore wind energy planned off Morro Bay.

The proposed project evaluation agreement includes the following provisions:

• The parties will collaborate in good faith to evaluate the feasibility of a potential operations and maintenance port project anticipated to require up to 10 acres of tidelands.
• The parties will negotiate in good faith on a lease option agreement for consideration if a project is determined to be mutually feasible.
• Any decision on whether to proceed with a project and whether to enter into a lease option agreement with Clean Energy Terminals would be subject to separate approval by the Harbor District’s Board.
• As consideration for the project evaluation agreement, Clean Energy Terminals proposes an initial payment of $25,000 for the first six months, and then $4,100 for each additional month. Clean Energy Terminals  also proposes a one-time administrative support payment of $9,000 to assist with district staffing of the evaluation project.

In Dec. 2022, an auction for three offshore wind energy sites located off the coast near Morro Bay netted over $400 million. The wind turbines will float in the ocean more than 20 miles off the coast, with the electricity sent ashore via cables along the ocean floor.

The goal is to have the windmills in the water by 2030.

Industrialization of the proposed Central Coast ports will have significant impacts on the local economy and its ocean-dependent ecosystems. The support systems on land will include massive piers, and could require new breakwaters and dredging.

The offshore windmills themselves are 1,000 feet tall, taller than the Golden Gate Bridge, and their platforms are the size of a baseball field.

While the report discusses providing funding to help mitigate the environment and economic issues these ports could create, locals involved in the tourism industry have grave concerns regarding transforming Morro Bay or Port San Luis into industrial ports.