Pete Grossgart, Marketing Manager, Port of Stockton, is very busy travelling around the world but PES managed to touch base with him in a brief stop off. Wind energy is at last taking off in the US and California is taking full advantage. There is space available for warehousing, assembly and maintenance work to be carried out.
PES: Welcome to PES Wind magazine, it’s great to have the opportunity to talk with you. Can you give us some background on the Port of Stockton?
Pete Grossgart: Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share a little bit about the port and our involvement in the renewable energy markets. We are an inland facility located in the extended San Francisco Bay Area and have handled cargo since 1933. We are the 4th largest port in California and handle dry bulk, breakbulk, liquid bulk, and project cargoes. Our cargo mix is very diverse and growing.
PES: We know the offshore market is expanding, how is this impacting your business?
PG: We anticipate being busy handling onshore wind energy projects, to at least the end of 2020. The push for offshore wind logistics is just beginning on the US West Coast. We are very excited about playing a part in the increased use of renewables, and have been involved in several dozen shipments of wind components over the years. Although I should add, our heavy lift capabilities are not limited to wind.
I’ve had a hectic travel schedule so far in 2019 and have spent a lot of time with wind energy customers, so that we stay on top of current and future trends. As wind energy continues to grow in the US, becoming an ever more important source of energy, California finds itself at the forefront of this trend. With the advent of offshore wind energy on the US West Coast, the Port of Stockton is well positioned to support the future of wind energy.
