Oregon Governor Kate Brown has formed the WindFloat Pacific Offshore Wind Advisory Committee in order to identify smart solutions for Oregon’s economy through the burgeoning offshore wind energy industry.
With a $46.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to demonstrate the potential of offshore wind energy resources in the United States, Principle Power is working to deploy the first offshore wind demonstration project off the Pacific Coast. Principle Power has identified the waters 18 miles off the coast of Coos Bay as its preferred demonstration site, and Oregon must take action to secure this investment.
Governor Brown said: “The WindFloat Pacific Project has the potential to simultaneously work toward creating new energy solutions for the nation while creating hundreds of new jobs across multiple sectors here at home.
“This advisory committee will work to identify viable pathways to procure the WindFloat Project in Oregon, ensuring that Oregonians benefit from this opportunity to boost our state’s economy, increase local jobs, and responsibly preserve existing jobs, all while expanding access to renewable energy.”
Principle Power Project Manager Kevin Banister welcomed the announcement by saying: “We are delighted that Governor Brown and state leadership have demonstrated a commitment to bringing this enterprise to Oregon. We are committed to working with utilities, consumer groups, and other stakeholders to find the best way to bring this US Department of Energy backed multi-million dollar investment to the state. “
The WindFloat Pacific Project will invest millions of dollars in the local economy and create hundreds of new jobs during the pilot project development phase. As the industry grows, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that there could be 8,000 MW of offshore wind deployed off the West Coast supporting more than 25,000 FTE jobs.