Texas to Lead U.S. In Offshore Wind Energy

Dec 15 - Ocean News & Technology

On October 24th, the same day that Hurricane Wilma landed in Florida, another form of wind energy was announced in Austin, Texas, by Jerry Patterson, state Land Commissioner.

"Coastal wind power has come to the United States and found a home in Texas", Patterson said.

Texas has sold a lease for an 11,000 acre tract in the Gulf of Mexico that backers believe could become the first wind energy farm along the U.S. coast.

The wind turbines planned by Galveston Offshore Wind, a subsidiary of Wind Energy Systems (W.E.S.T.) of New Iberia, LA., would be 7 miles off Galveston Island.

"The economics work, and they work well, and we're excited about it", Patterson said. "The environmental aspects are very positive."

Construction is expected to be completed in five years at a cost of about $300 million. W.E.S.T. plans to construct about 50 wind turbines, expected to produce 150 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 40,000 homes.

Patterson appeared at a news conference with Herman Schellstede, W.E.S.T. President, and Harold Schoeffler, Director of Galveston Offshore Wind.

The company already has permits from the Army Corps of Engineers to hnild two meteorological towers to collect wind data, which will determine where other towers will he built.

The Texas proposal would face fewer obstacles. The Texas General Land Office (GLO), which Patterson heads, oversees territory up to 10 miles from the coast, limiting federal involvement. Texas is the only state with such a provision thanks largely to the insistence of Sam Houston when he negotiated the terms of Texas joining the United States in 1845.

To help move ahead on offshore wind power, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently teamed up with the Massachusetts Technology Cooperative (MTC) and General Electric - who makes wind turbines - to establish a framework for offshore wind power development. The resulting report proposes forming a national coalition to address responsible development of U.S. offshore wind resources. Meanwhile, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 has shifted the lead authority for such offshore renewable energy projects to the Minerals Management Service (MMS), part of the U.S. Department of Interior. MMS is required to issue new regulations by May, 2006.

The principals of both Galveston Offshore Wind and W.E.S.T. have been involved in providing specialized equipment for the oil, gas and marine industry for over 50 years, including enhanced oil and gas systems, waste treatment systems, ultra deep drilling vessels, offshore crane vessels and steam injection vessels.

Speakers at the press conference said the windfarm would be constructed to survive a category 5 hurricane at a minimum and that placement of the offshore platforms would mitigate bird migration and viewsheds from shore.

The research and development phase including the test towers would take place in 1 to 2 years with construction of the windfarm itself taking 3 to 5 years.

W.E.S.T. representatives said they were negotiating with several turbine manufacturers who have had many years of experience supplying windfarms in Europe.

Richard Myer, Ocean Energy Council