Port of Richmond Offshore Wind Terminal Conceptual Design and Preliminary Engineering

The California Energy Commission is providing a $750,000 grant to the City of Richmond under agreement OSW-25-003 to support the conceptual design and preliminary engineering of terminal facilities at the Port of Richmond to enable offshore wind supply chain operations. The project will focus on identifying and evaluating up to 216 acres of existing port sites—including Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3, and Point Potrero Marine Terminal—to determine optimal locations for offshore wind infrastructure, assess necessary port improvements, and advance the selected sites to a 30% engineering design stage. These terminals offer strategic advantages such as direct access to deep-water navigation channels, substantial berth capacity, and proximity to the five current offshore wind lease areas off the California coast, positioning the Port of Richmond as a critical hub for the state’s offshore wind energy goals. The initiative directly supports the policy objectives outlined in Assembly Bill 525, which mandates the development of a strategic plan to expand port infrastructure for offshore wind development, and is expected to benefit California taxpayers through increased clean energy production, offshore wind developers seeking viable port facilities, supply chain companies expanding operations, and the broader Richmond community through economic and environmental gains. The project’s scope is strictly limited to planning and conceptual engineering deliverables with no construction or procurement elements, and it operates under a grant structure rather than a traditional federal contract, meaning standard Federal Acquisition Regulation clauses do not apply. All work is to be performed at the Port of Richmond, California, with the City of Richmond serving as the grant recipient and primary performer. The California Energy Commission is responsible for oversight and disbursement through its Office of Planning and Research in Sacramento, with Reid Boggiano as the primary point of contact. Environmental compliance is addressed through categorical exemptions under the California Environmental Quality Act, specifically Cal. Code Regs., Tit. 14, §§ 15306 and 15262, eliminating the need for a full environmental impact report. No detailed delivery schedule, invoicing protocol, payment terms, or performance metrics beyond the 30% design milestone have been specified, and no representations, certifications, socioeconomic status disclosures, or unique entity identifiers from the recipient are documented. The grant supports a non-competitive, state-funded planning effort aligned with broad energy and infrastructure policy goals rather than a competitively awarded procurement, with all attachments limited to procedural documentation such as a Notice of Exemption and certified exemption findings.