With deep, calm waters, wide channels, and no air draft limitations in the outer harbor, the Port of Long Beach has all the unique qualities required for a floating offshore wind port terminal to support the growing offshore wind industry.
Currently, Moffatt & Nichol is providing 15 percent engineering design and other as-needed support services to the Port of Long Beach for the development of Pier Wind. This innovative offshore wind port terminal will create new land southwest of the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge in the harbor district’s outer harbor. The terminal is planned to meet offshore wind industry requirements for staging and integration and floating foundation assembly. As conceived, the 400-acre facility would be the largest at any U.S. seaport specifically designed to accommodate the assembly of floating offshore wind turbines. When ready for deployment, turbines would then be towed out from the Port of Long Beach to offshore wind farms off the coast of Central and Northern California.
In addition to engineering and design development, services for the proposed offshore wind terminal include sediment management, seismic design, tsunami risk evaluation, and coastal wave and navigation studies.
The new facility will help contribute to California’s planning goals for deploying 25 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2045 and the federal goal of 15 GW of floating offshore wind capacity by 2035.
