Developing an offshore wind operations and maintenance (O&M) facility in Morro Bay’s harbor would amount to “significant regulatory, environmental, and social impacts,” according to a feasibility study presented to the City Council on April 28.
The study, prepared by Mott MacDonald and Rincon Consultants and funded through a $1 million San Luis Obispo County allocation to study offshore wind, evaluated whether Morro Bay could support long-term offshore wind maintenance operations tied to lease areas roughly 20 miles offshore.
“The study serves as an informational resource … and is intended to help inform the city and the public in the event that an OSW [offshore wind] development proposal is submitted in the future,” an April 14 city staff report stated. It added that Morro Bay “has not received any proposals from OSW developers and has not engaged in recent discussions with them regarding potential port facilities.”
Community Development Director Airlin Singewald said any future project would trigger a full local review process, including zoning changes, discretionary approvals, and compliance with voter-approved measures.
“The city would maintain significant land use local control over development of an O&M facility,” the staff report stated, noting that state or federal permitting would not override local ballot restrictions.
Despite the report’s cautionary framing, consultants outlined what offshore wind infrastructure could theoretically require. One scenario would involve rebuilding the northern T-pier to accommodate service operation vessels up to 300 feet long, along with crew transfer vessels. Other options included expanded navigation channels, new upland industrial staging areas, and substantial dredging.
Mott MacDonald engineer Charlie Poole said even minimal buildouts would come with major tradeoffs.
According to the study, dredging needs could exceed 1 million cubic yards, while harbor constraints such as shoaling, eelgrass beds, and limited turning basin space would significantly complicate development. Rincon Consultants’ Derek Lerma said Morro Bay’s estuary protections and sensitive coastal habitats would require layered state and federal environmental review.
The staff report concluded that even the most flexible options “would face significant regulatory, environmental, and community acceptance challenges, and may ultimately prove infeasible for Morro Bay.”
Still, much of the public discussion centered not on feasibility, but on whether offshore wind development should be considered at all.
The meeting came one day after the U.S. Department of the Interior announced it would cancel offshore wind leases for two projects, including a lease held by Golden State Wind off Morro Bay, offering developers reimbursement.
In an April 28 press release, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal called the cancellation “a staggering waste of taxpayer dollars” and said the decision reflected “a bizarre personal vendetta against wind energy [by the Trump administration],” adding that he would “continue to fight for the Central Coast’s right to build a greener economy.”
At the council meeting, however, speakers largely urged the city to step away from any future involvement in offshore wind planning.
“I would like to respectfully ask that the council firmly and clearly excuse us from the table and say, ‘No, thank you,’” said Morro Bay resident Judy Setting during public comment. “We do not want to host a maintenance port for offshore wind turbines ever.”
She and others argued that past industrial uses have already burdened the coastal community, and that further development could threaten tourism, wildlife, and the estuary.
Morro Bay resident Joe Solano raised concerns about dredging impacts, shallow navigation channels, and what would happen to dredge material, calling it “shortsighted.”
Other speakers raised concerns about eelgrass beds, vessel traffic, and emergency response capacity. Several argued that industrial-scale infrastructure would fundamentally alter the harbor’s character.
Nicole Dorfman, a REACT Alliance board member, thanked the consultants for what she called an honest assessment.
“I’m very glad for this report,” she said. “It really is not that feasible here.”
City Council members didn’t take action on the study, reiterating that it wasn’t tied to any current proposal and doesn’t authorize development. Instead, staff emphasized that any future application would require extensive public engagement and full environmental review.
“Morro Bay has a national estuary. … I’m unwilling to risk losing that for an industry that’s uncertain what its future looks like,” Mayor Carla Wixom said. ∆
This article appears in April 30 – May 7, 2026.