What’s New?

In December 2023, the federal government offered its first ever offshore wind energy leases off the California coast, including an area of deep ocean waters off the Central Coast.

The Morro Bay Offshore Wind Area spans 376 square miles and will host three floating wind farms off San Luis Obispo, each with around 50 or more turbines that will be positioned about 20 -50 miles away from the coast.

Key developers who have leased wind areas off the Central Coast:

The Trump administration has reached lease-buyback settlements with the developers of both the Invenergy and Golden State Wind projects, refunding their offshore wind lease payments in exchange for relinquishing the leases. In Invenergy's case, the company committed to redirect the $765 million toward natural gas–fired power plants in Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri and geothermal projects in the western United States.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild issued the first notice of its intent to sue regarding Golden State Wind on June 23, 2026, and a second notice targeting the Invenergy deal on July 16, 2026, giving a standard 60-day window to cure violations before lawsuits are filed.

This map allows users to explore offshore wind projects and lease areas on all coasts, and track the progress of each.

The Central Coast is home to some of the most abundant wind resources in the country, and the responsible development of an offshore wind industry could bring high quality jobs, energy independence, and cleaner air to coastal communities.

On December 8, 2025, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration’s wind energy permit ban was “arbitrary and capricious,” striking down the temporary nationwide halt on federal wind leasing. California remains focused on maintaining momentum and demonstrating to other coastal states how equitable and responsible clean energy development can be achieved.

On Tuesday, April 21, 2026, Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Casper in Boston, ordered the Trump administration to lift its blockade on new U.S. wind and solar projects.

California has issued two notices of intent to sue the federal government over agreements canceling offshore wind leases in the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area, targeting the Golden State Wind buyout in June and the Invenergy buyout in July. The state argues that paying developers roughly $231 million to abandon Central Coast leases violates the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which guarantees California a role in federal offshore wind leasing.