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Wind Power News: Louisiana
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Input from commercial, recreational fishermen wanted on development of offshore wind energy projects
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is asking for input from commercial and Recreational fishermen concerning offshore wind projects and their potential impacts. According to LDH, The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), in consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service and affected coastal states, is developing guidance to mitigate potential impacts from offshore wind projects on commercial and recreational fisheries. BOEM has issued a Request for Information (RFI) in order to collect knowledge from the people and organizations . . . Complete story »
Trouble in the wind: Offshore turbine farms complicate fishing, shrimping
POINT JUDITH, R.I. – Robert Ballinger watches every inch of a long green net as it unfurls from a spool on the back of this boat, the Lena Pearl, one of dozens of fishing vessels packed into a tiny harbor in America’s smallest state. He’s concentrating, looking for any tears or debris that might cause trouble next time he’s trawling off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He’d prefer to focus on small problems like these and ignore the . . . Complete story »
Feds take big step forward to evaluate wind off the coast of Louisiana; here’s how
Another step toward wind projects aimed at generating energy off the coast of Louisiana and other Gulf states is being taken by the Biden administration. The U.S. Department of the Interior is set to release what’s known as a “request for interest” to private companies later this week as a way to gauge the market’s appetite and feasibility for offshore wind projects in the Gulf of Mexico. The Biden administration is pushing for 30 gigawatts of wind power to be . . . Complete story »
Wind power in Louisiana: high potential, a long way off
Gov. John Bel Edwards has set a goal for Louisiana to be carbon neutral by 2050, but so far, the state is behind its neighbors. Now, Edwards wants to develop offshore wind power in the Gulf. It’s something that’s already happening in other parts of the country – with help from a Louisiana company, even. Just off the rocky coast of Rhode Island, five giant white wind turbines turn in the wind. It’s the first commercial offshore wind farm in the . . . Complete story »
Gov. Edwards announces renewable energy initiative for Gulf of Mexico
BATON ROUGE – Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced a renewable energy initiative for the Gulf of Mexico, with plans to harness Louisiana’s strengths in offshore energy production for the development of wind power, the nation’s No. 1 source of renewable energy. Gov. Edwards presented his vision at today’s inaugural meeting of the Climate Initiatives Task Force he created earlier this year. Offshore wind energy will be one of many strategies pursued by the task force to curb the growth . . . Complete story »
Public Service Commission approves SWEPCO request for wind energy
The Louisiana Public Service Commission approved a request Wednesday from the Southwestern Electric Power Company to provide renewable wind energy for Louisiana customers. According to a release from the Alliance for Affordable Energy, SWEPCO, which is a subsidiary of AEP, received approval from LPSC to purchase three new wind facilities in Oklahoma totaling 1,485 MW in nameplate capacity. The facilities will be co-owned with another AEP subsidiary, Public Service Company of Oklahoma and serve customers in Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana. The . . . Complete story »
SWEPCO Wind Project approved in Arkansas
Southwestern Electric Power Co. has received Arkansas Public Service Commission approval of its request to add 810 megawatts of wind energy. On May 5 the APSC modified and approved provisions of a unanimous settlement agreement filed Jan. 24 by the APSC General Staff, the Office of Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, Walmart, Inc. and SWEPCO. SWEPCO president and chief operating officer Malcolm Smoak said, “We are excited for this opportunity to bring more clean, low-cost renewable energy to our Arkansas . . . Complete story »
Wind farms could one day power New Orleans, but high cost, other issues cause for concern
For years, solar power has been the rallying cry of New Orleans City Council members aiming to chart a more sustainable energy future for New Orleans. Its advocates have long said that solar panels – which now adorn a smattering of city rooftops and will soon populate a 200-acre site in New Orleans East – are cheaper and better suited to the coastal city than the giant windmills that create energy in other parts of the U.S. But other renewable energy advocates, . . . Complete story »
La.’s wind projects are thwarted, while Texas steams ahead
Texas is the nation’s leader in commercial wind power, while Louisiana remains on the sidelines. Harnessing the wind has taken off in the last decade. But the Pelican State’s wind speeds, regulatory framework, abundant natural gas, and opposition from farmers and others, along with the industry’s technical obstacles, have kept projects from launching. Ironically, companies in Louisiana, however, provide expertise and equipment to wind installations in other states. Natural gas-fueled 60 percent of Louisiana’s electricity last year, according to the . . . Complete story »
La. dodges bullet on Wind Catcher
If we needed any reminder why Texas outpaces Louisiana in so many ways, witness how the Lone Star State last week mooted a bad decision by the Louisiana Public Service Commission made in part by northwest Louisiana’s Foster Campbell. In June, the PSC gave a green light to the Windcatcher Project. This would have spent $4.5 billion to build a wind farm and transmission line to provide power for Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Even though it would not have . . . Complete story »
