The CADEMO Project

“We respectfully acknowledge that we are gathered on the ancestral lands and coastal waters of the Chumash people, including the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. We honor their ancestors past, present and future and their enduring stewardship of this place”. Mikael Jakobsson, Founder and Chairman CADEMO

CADEMO will be located about 2.8 miles off Point Arguello, adjacent to the Vandenberg Space Force Base with its 42 mile long coastal stretch of military land.

This site is unique within California’s coastline

Consistent Wind Conditions

Reliable, high-average wind speeds, ideal for energy generation.

Minimal Visual Impact

8.3 miles from nearest public access point, preserving scenic views

Strategic Location

Avoids protected areas while working closely with the Santa Ynez Chumash Band of Indians and NOAA for responsible environmental stewardship

Controlled Environment

Located in a secure military-industrial complex with strict regulations, enhancing safety

Rich Biodiversity

Habitat for over 95% of local marine species, supporting ecological diversity and research

Research Accessibility

First offshore turbine in the Pacific, located in close proximity to the shore, allowing easy access for scientific studies and environmental tests

Grid Proximity

Uniquely located near Surf Beach, providing improved reliability and reduced transmission losses

Energy Resilience

Diversifying energy sources for local communities. Strengthening security, significantly lowering the risk of widespread outages, and establishing a robust, reliable, and future-proof energy infrastructure.

Logistical Benefits

A deliverable execution plan that leverages access to ports and established supply chains, streamlining construction and significantly boosting the local economy

The Wind Turbines

The proposed turbine design will visually resemble a ‘conventional’ 3-bladed wind turbine, seen on other wind projects. However, the internal technical design differs, this type of wind turbine is built to withstand an offshore, salty, harsh environment and can also be used in other offshore wind projects with fixed seabed placement. From a size standpoint, a CADEMO wind turbine is about 3.5 – 4 times the size of the largest wind turbine one may see onshore, for example, as one drives into Palm Springs. With a rotor diameter of some 775 feet and a total height of 870 feet, this means a covered area of about 10.8 acres or about 8 football fields. Accordingly, these wind turbines are much larger than a typical onshore wind turbine, with much higher generation capacity (15 MW each).

Collectively, the four units will generate the equivalent of Santa Barbara’s annual electricity consumption. These wind turbines are expected to rotate with some 4.5 – 6 rpm at maximum speed.

The Foundations

The wind turbines will be integrated with a floating platform, utilising a conventional multi-directional mooring or anchoring system to secure the platform in its location. The anchoring radius may vary between 1,800 and 2,400 feet, depending on the applicable anchoring system for this location. Floating foundations are either built in steel or concrete, and the choice depends on location, sea conditions, wind turbine behaviour, and cost. However, from CADEMO’s Pilot project perspective, the goal is to have these foundations fabricated locally. Therefore, industrial design and material choice will be key drivers to enable the best possible local execution, in addition to cost.

Cable Route

As the project is some 5 years ahead of larger-scale developments, the planning of execution between port locations and their respective capabilities has not offered any options. The solution defined is still being assessed, but it appears to be a reasonable proposition based on the data collected.

The power generated by the project will be collected with cables between each wind turbine to the next, where the last, most northern wind turbine will also have a cable connection to the shore. We will use up to two export cables to transfer the full power of up to 60MW to the interconnection point. The route these cables will follow will eventually be determined by the onshore landing location as well as environmental constraints. The interconnection of the project to the public electrical system has been carefully determined by PG&E analysis to be adjacent to the north of the Surf Train Station, which is located in the area just south of the Santa Ynez River, connecting to its 115kV overhead distribution cable system.

How the Project Will Be Built

The best and most effective solution for the CADEMO project, using California port infrastructure, is as follows:

• Foundations to be constructed in the Port of San Francisco at Pier 96
• Once completed, the foundations are towed by tug boats to the harbor area at the Port of Los Angeles
• At the Port of Los Angeles, either a jack-up crane system or a land-based crane will be doing the lifting
• The wind turbine components of blades, nacelle and tower will then be installed on the foundation
• The fully assembled wind turbine and foundation is thereafter towed to the site for installation