Clean Energy Package Approved by Legislature & Launch of California’s First-Ever Offshore Wind Market 

AB 1373 (E. Garcia) was approved by a vote of 29-10 in the Senate and 62-10 in the Assembly; now moves to Governor Newsom who is expected to sign

The legislation is a key next step for the state’s offshore wind industry, establishing a dedicated buyer that will help jumpstart the market for this promising new source of 100% clean power

SACRAMENTO, CA, September 15, 2023 — American Clean Power-California (ACP-CA), which represents utility-scale renewable energy developers, including all five of the leaseholders from California’s first offshore wind auction, released the statement below on behalf of Molly Croll, Pacific Offshore Wind Director with ACP-CA after the Senate voted 29-10 and Assembly voted 62-10 today to advance AB 1373 (E. Garcia), a clean energy bill that reflects an agreement between the Legislature and Governor on the issues of central procurement, energy reliability, and California’s transition to 100% clean energy. 

The Governor and legislative leaders have called the deal “a critical step in California’s work to combat the climate crisis and ensure our grid is powered by clean energy 24×7.”

AB 1373 now moves back to the Assembly for a concurrence vote. Once approved it will move to the Governor, who will have until October 14 to sign it.

Statement from Molly Croll, Pacific Offshore Wind Director, ACP-CA, is below: 

“AB 1373 positions California to be a global leader in floating offshore wind. The Legislature and Governor have demonstrated real leadership on clean energy this year, adopting a pragmatic policy solution that will help jumpstart the state’s first-ever offshore wind industry, creating tens of thousands of high-wage jobs for California workers and tapping one of the state’s biggest and most promising sources of 100% clean power.”

“The bill recognizes the urgent need to expand California’s toolkit to bring diverse energy resources online—especially large-scale sources of renewable power like offshore wind, which will take several years to develop and deliver to communities across the state.” 

“California has set ambitious goals for offshore wind, a renewable resource with the potential to provide affordable, reliable power to 25 million homes. We appreciate all of the work the Legislature and Governor have done to put this new market on its feet. A ‘central procurement’ mechanism provides the market clarity needed for offshore wind to take off. With a dedicated buyer identified, developers can have confidence to make the next set of investments—putting people to work upgrading ports, building new transmission lines, and creating the supply chains that will make California a global leader in this new, infrastructure-based industry.”