What is an offshore wind heavy lift marine terminal, and what is its purpose?

The Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project (1) is a plan proposed by the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation & Conservation District (Harbor District) to develop Redwood Marine Terminal One — a site located just north of the old pulp mill near the town of Samoa on Wigi (2)/Humboldt Bay’s Samoa Peninsula — into a new terminal specifically to facilitate offshore wind development. Essentially the terminal would be a large concrete slab, on which turbine components, manufacturing buildings, and very tall cranes would be stored. Once all of the component pieces of the offshore wind turbines (blades, nacelles, etc.) are manufactured and brought together at this site, they would be constructed into the final turbines. Up to 12 turbines at a time could then be stored in Wigi/Humboldt Bay until they could be transported offshore on a day with calm seas and favorable visibility, such that there could be several turbines waiting in the bay at any given time during construction of the proposed Humboldt offshore wind farm.

Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal.

Source: Humboldt Bay Harbor District (3)

According to analyses by the State (4) and Federal (5) governments, Humboldt Bay is particularly well suited to final assembly of offshore wind turbines (which the industry refers to as Staging and Integration) because there is no manmade obstruction of the mouth of Humboldt Bay.

With additional offshore Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) being developed along the West Coast, the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal could also be used as an assembly site to supply wind turbines to other developers. Turbines may also need to be brought back into Humboldt Bay for maintenance.

These plans are subject to change, but current plans for the Humboldt Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project include:

• 160 acres of developed area

• A multi-phased development with the first phase completed by the end of 2029

• 3 wharfs adding up to ~2,400 linear feet total

• ~6 million cubic yards of capital dredging for berths 

• Wet storage for 12 offshore wind turbines to be stored in the bay prior to installation offshore or during maintenance 

• A 2.5 megawatt solar array to help power the terminal

• ~600,000 square feet of manufacturing buildings

In March 2025, the California Energy Commission (CEC) allocated an $18 million grant (6) for the Humboldt Bay offshore wind heavy lift marine terminal.  Watch this video from June 2025, on the Operation and Briefing Redwood Marine Terminal Project (7). 

Watch this video from July 2025, on the Staging and Ports of the Redwood Marine Terminal Project (8). 

References​

1. Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District. (2024). Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project. https://humboldtbay.org/humboldt-bay-offshore-wind-heavy-lift-marine-terminal-project-3 

2. Wiyot Tribe. (n.d.). Wiyot Placename Video [Video]. www.wiyot.us/162/Wiyot-Placename-Video

3. Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District. (2023, May 3). Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Multipurpose Marine Terminal Project – Draft Project Description. https://humboldtbay.org/sites/humboldtbay.org/files/Marine%20Terminal%20-%20ProjectDescription%20-%202023%200510.pdf

4. California State Lands Commission. (2023, July 7). AB 525 Port Readiness Plan. https://slcprdwordpressstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wordpressdata/2023/07/AB525-Port-Readiness-Plan_acc.pdf​

5. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. (2023, January) California Floating Offshore Wind Regional Ports Assessment https://www.boem.gov/sites/default/files/documents/renewable-energy/studies/BOEM-2023-010.pdf

6. California Energy Commission - Siting, Energy, and Environmental Protection Division Notice of Proposed Awards. (2025a, March 7). https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2025-03/GFO-24-701_NOPA_Results_Table_2025-03-07_ada.pdf

7. Humboldt Bay Harbor, recreation & conservation district meeting, 2025-06-12 : Access humboldt : Free download, Borrow, and streaming. Internet Archive. (2025b, June 16). https://archive.org/details/ahca-Humboldt_Bay_Harbor_Recreation_Conservation_District_Meeting_2025-06-12

8. Humboldt Bay Harbor, recreation & conservation district meeting, 2025-07-10 : Access humboldt : Free download, Borrow, and streaming. Internet Archive. (2025b, July 15). https://archive.org/details/ahca-Humboldt_Bay_Harbor_Recreation_Conservation_District_Meeting_2025-07-10