Louisiana’s first commercial-scale wind turbine won’t produce much energy, but its location has plenty of symbolic power.
Set to spin over the Gulf of Mexico’s largest oil and gas port late next year, the planned 187-foot turbine is a clear sign that Louisiana is undergoing an energy transition.
“It has always been our desire to become a hub for offshore wind just as we are for deepwater offshore oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico,” Port Fourchon Executive Director Chet Chiasson said. “This wind turbine will serve a crucial role in allowing us to do just that.”
The Greater Lafourche Port Commission, which manages Port Fourchon, recently approved a lease agreement with Gulf Wind Technology, an Avondale-based company that develops and tests technology for wind farms. Gulf Wind has already ordered the turbine, which recently stood in Ireland, and plans to rebuild it with some modifications in the new Port Fourchon Coastal Wetlands Park, about a mile from the main terminal.
