New forum on offshore wind turbines is coming to SLO. Here’s what’s in store

A new informational session on the potential development of floating wind farms off California’s Central Coast is coming to San Luis Obispo.

On Nov. 1, Congressman Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara; state Sen. John Laird, D-Santa Cruz; and Assemblymember Dawn Addis, D-Morro Bay, will hold a panel event open to the public.

The event is set to be held at the San Luis Obispo County Government Center at 1055 Monterey St. in San Luis Obispo, according to a news release about the event.

“This is not the kind of project that can only be discussed behind closed doors or in the halls of government,” Carbajal said in a prepared statement. “We need families to understand not just the clean power that this development will bring in our fight against the climate crisis, but also the power that it will have in terms of creating jobs, boosting our local communities, and making our region an economic powerhouse.”

The event comes after The Tribune hosted a panel event about offshore wind energy in June at Morro Bay High School. After that event, members of the public overwhelmingly requested another, similar event to be held in the county.

The Nov. 1 event is expected to consist of at least three informational panels. Details on moderators and attendees were still being confirmed as of Tuesday.

Confirmed attendees of the public information session include representatives from the California Energy Commission, the California Coastal Commission, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo County Supervisors Bruce Gibson and Dawn Ortiz-Legg, and Morro Bay Mayor Carla Wixom, according to Tuesday’s news release.

“Offshore wind is coming to the Central Coast, and this is a really big deal,” Laird said in a prepared statement. “Understandably, however, the residents of San Luis Obispo County have a lot of questions, including whether the turbines really will spin by 2030 and what kind of benefits — and impacts — this new technology may bring.”

“The purpose of this information session is to begin to get those questions answered,” he continued.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend the information session in person, although there will be online streaming available. Opportunities for public comment are expected to be provided.