Welcome to the second edition of Even Keel Wind’s What’s Afloat newsletter, an in-depth look into the work our team is doing in California. 

What’s in this Volume:  

• Project Updates 
• Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary Officially Designated 
• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Releases Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement 
• San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce Opinion Editorial  
• Team Spotlight 
• In the Community 
• In the News 
• Resources 

As the end of the year approaches, we hope this second edition of the Even Keel Wind newsletter finds you well and enjoying the holiday season. We are reflecting on a full year of development progress for our Even Keel Wind project. Eighteen months after becoming official leaseholders, we are proud of the advancements made to help bring offshore wind to fruition in California. Some key highlights from 2024 included supporting the final designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary and the addition of a community affairs lead, June McIvor, a 20+-year resident of SLO County. In the 6 months June has been on board, she has been active in San Luis Obispo County and the surrounding region to support local engagement and educate community members about the benefits and importance of offshore wind. 

Our California focused team participated in over 150 meetings, events, and engagements throughout the course of 2024 with Tribes, federal, state and local agencies and regulatory officials, fisheries, labor leaders, community organizations, residents and more, to gather input to inform our development process and share information about Even Keel Wind. 

Californians also showed their support for establishing the floating offshore wind industry over the last year. From the release of the California Energy Commission’s Offshore Wind Energy Strategic Plan, the California Public Utilities Commission’s final need determination of 7.6 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2035, and the passage of Proposition 4 by California voters, there has been significant momentum for offshore wind. This work is laying the supportive policy environment that will catalyze this industry and advance the critical energy and port infrastructure needed to progress development on Even Keel Wind.   

We are energized as we look ahead to 2025 and we remain committed to continuing our work to bring the benefits of offshore wind to California. To all those who have been a part of this work – thank you.  

In April of this year, we came together with the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, and our fellow Central Coast leaseholders, to present a mutually agreed-upon proposal for the designation of the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary (CHNMS). 

In September, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)  announced the release of the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) of the CHNMS, which adopted the mutually agreed-upon proposal that will enable offshore wind developers’ access to Diablo Canyon infrastructure. Even Keel Wind celebrated this milestone in a statement that can be found here. 

The CHNMS received its final designation in December 2024. We hope this solution – which balances the prioritization of ocean conservation, the protection of cultural resources, and the future of clean energy for all Californians – can serve as a model for the future.  

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the Notice of Availability (NOA) for the California Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) on November 14. The NOA initiates a 90-day comment period that ends on February 12, 2025. BOEM will hold two virtual public meetings on the Draft PEIS on January 28 and 30, 2025.  

The release of BOEM’s PEIS is an important step for offshore wind development in California. It allows for public input, a thorough understanding of potential environmental impacts, and the identification of appropriate measures to address these impacts which will help facilitate responsible offshore wind development. Even Keel Wind is committed to participating in this process as it will ensure we have the information necessary to support a healthy marine environment throughout all phases of our project. 

Following the news that the California Public Utilities Commission had finalized their offshore wind need determination (included in Volume I of this newsletter), Jim Dantona, CEO of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce shared his viewpoint in the San Luis Obispo Tribune. His guest commentary shared the perspective of the local business community and the importance of offshore wind potential in the region.  

To keep these projects moving forward and to help California meet its renewable energy goals, it is essential to have certainty around power procurement and power offtake. In simpler terms, offshore wind procurement is the process of ensuring that California has a predictable system and schedule set up to buy power, which enables and incentivizes offshore wind companies and suppliers to invest in the necessary equipment and services to build and operate offshore wind projects. 

To read the full piece by Mr. Dantona, see here.

In each edition of What’s Afloat, we introduce members of the Even Keel Wind team. This month we are excited to spotlight Cory Bullis, Senior Manager, Government Affairs at Invenergy.

Senior Manager, Government Affairs  

Invenergy is pleased to announce the hiring of Cory Bullis as Senior Manager of Government Affairs in California. Bullis will support the public affairs aspects of Invenergy’s clean energy development portfolio in California spanning technologies including offshore wind, onshore renewables, energy storage, and transmission.  Bullis will work closely with Erin Grizard, Invenergy’s Vice President of Government Affairs in California.   

“Having worked on environmental and clean tech policy for more than a decade, I am thrilled to leverage my skills in policy development, advocacy, and coalition building to support the responsible development of Even Keel Wind and Invenergy’s other clean energy activities in California. Invenergy’s breadth of expertise through its 20+ year proven track record in deploying clean energy solutions makes it an asset for advancing the state’s climate and clean energy goals. I look forward to continuing this work and connecting our efforts in San Luis Obispo with our ongoing work in Sacramento.” 

Even Keel Wind’s Community Engagement Manager, June McIvor, is working with stakeholders across the region to raise awareness of the project. If you have any questions or would like to receive more information about the project, reach out to us at info@evenkeelwind.com.

January 2025

• 1/23: Energy Innovation Conference at Cal Poly
• 1/30: REACH Ideas + Action Summit in Santa Barbara, CA. Even Keel Wind is a proud sponsor!

February 2025

• 2/3 - 2/7: Climate Solutions Now 4th Annual All-Virtual Conference hosted by the Cal Poly Initiative for Climate Leadership and Resilience. Even Keel Wind’s June McIvor will be presenting!
• 2/21: California Ports and Offshore Wind Symposium in Long Beach, CA
• 2/22: California Collegiate Offshore Wind Conference at Cal Maritime

In September, Invenergy’s Head of Offshore Wind Development, Dan Runyan, Director of Marine Affairs, EJ Marohn, and Manager of Community Engagement, June McIvor, took a harbor tour of San Luis Bay with Port San Luis Harbor Director Suzy Watkins. We are committed to ongoing engagement with the community to gather local input and perspective as the Even Keel Wind project progresses.

In addition to the Port of San Luis tour, Dan Runyan and EJ Marohn also met with Dr. Graham Benton, Dean of Strategic and Academic Planning at California State University Maritime Academy.  By touring their facilities and receiving a hands-on bridge simulator demonstration, we gained an understanding of Cal Maritime’s capabilities and potential for assisting offshore wind workforce development, training, and maritime safety.  

The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce’s Insight Studio is a series of workshops, interviews, and educational tours that provide hands-on learning opportunities to help community leaders take on some of today’s most prevalent business challenges.  With Even Keel Wind as a sponsor, the 2024 events highlighted energy issues, including tours of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Offshore wind development off the Central Coast will bring jobs both to the region, and to California Ports, and to that end, Even Keel Wind is working to have continued conversations with laborers in the area. The Central Coast Construction Trades is a coalition of unions and allied organizations throughout the Central Coast, working together to increase head of household jobs and apprenticeship opportunities in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. In October, Even Keel Wind participated in their job fair to educate young people about the types of jobs that will be needed in our industry and sponsored the Outstanding Apprentice Awards.

Invenergy served as a sponsor at this year’s California ISO Symposium in Sacramento, California, where members of Invenergy’s Even Keel Wind and transmission teams had the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions and provide expertise around the importance of aligning long-term transmission planning with the buildout of floating offshore wind in California.

Even Keel Wind was proud to sponsor the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce’s Holiday Shop Sip & Stroll.  During this two-night community event in November, Embarcadero and Downtown businesses were open late with beverage and food tastings, unique offers, and great prizes.

Earlier this month, our own Jessica Loarie, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, participated in the 'Advancing Offshore Transmission in the Pacific' panel event at this year’s Transmission Infrastructure West Conference hosted by Global Transmission Report. The discussion covered how California can take a holistic approach to prioritize offshore wind transmission planning. Jessica was also able to speak to Invenergy’s extensive experience developing long-distance HVDC transmission assets across the U.S. and the exciting developments at the California state level this year on offshore wind.

Erin Grizard and Cory Bullis of our California Government Affairs team represented Invenergy as a proud sponsor at California Women in Energy’s annual forum. Erin and Cory were thrilled to participate in the day’s events and networking opportunities to contribute to supporting women in the energy policy arena.

Chumash leaders, wind companies unite on a plan for marine sanctuary → 

In the Spring of this year, the Northern Chumash Tribal Council (NCTC), Even Keel Wind and the other Central Coast offshore wind leaseholders announced a joint position on a phased approach to the designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary (CHNMS) by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (NOAA ONMS). Even Keel Wind is grateful for NCTC’s leadership, collaboration, and invaluable input throughout this process.

Read more about the joint position here .  

CPUC proposes procuring 7.6 GW of offshore wind by 2037 →

Dive Brief:

A proposed decision from the California Public Utilities Commission, released Friday, suggests the state procure up to 7.6 GW of offshore wind capacity — and aim to have that capacity operational by 2037.

In its draft decision, the CPUC determined a need for centralized state procurement of up to 10.6 GW of total nameplate capacity. The commission additionally recommended a maximum of 1 GW of enhanced geothermal systems, and 2 GW of two types of long-duration energy storage. 

Read full article here

BOEM releases potential impacts from offshore wind farm in draft environmental impact statement →

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) released a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on potential impacts related to the proposed offshore wind farm.

The area proposed for the Morro Bay Wind Energy Project is located 20 miles offshore and encompasses around 376 square miles.

Read full article here

Even Keel Wind aims to connect the community with project information and up to date resources about offshore wind. See the latest project resources below.

View and download our project factsheets in both English and Spanish.

Read more → 

Floating offshore wind has the potential to unlock significant benefits for California’s energy grid, communities, and economy. View and download our one-pager to learn more.

Read more →

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Invenergy is accelerating cleaner, more reliable, affordable energy. Invenergy and its affiliated companies develop, build, own, and operate large-scale renewable and other clean energy generation, transmission and storage facilities in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Headquartered in Chicago, Invenergy has regional development offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Japan, Poland, and Scotland. 

Invenergy and its affiliated companies have successfully developed more than 31,000 megawatts of projects that are in operation, construction or contracted, including wind, solar, transmission infrastructure and natural gas power generation and advanced energy storage projects. Learn about Invenergy at Invenergy.com.

About Even Keel Wind

Even Keel Wind, an Invenergy project, is an American-led offshore wind development located off the Central Coast of California. 

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