The Morro Bay city council has signed off on a community benefits agreement (CBA) with Castle Wind, a joint venture (JV) between US floating wind pioneer Trident Winds and German utility EnBW, to support the developer’s planned 1GW project off the coast of central California.

The CBA, which commits Castle Wind to create “a wide range of economic opportunities” in San Luis Obispo county if it secures a lease for the offshore development from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), importantly grants an exclusive option to lease an outflow tunnel owned by the city that would allow the developer access to a grid connection at the Morro Bay substation.