Port Fourchon serves as the land base for multiple offshore oil and gas companies, but it also hopes to become a hub for offshore wind, reports Marine Log.
Under a lease agreement with Gulf Wind Technology, Port Fourchon is set to get Louisiana’s first wind turbine. The wind turbine and its components are currently in transit across the Atlantic to the U.S. and the process to assemble the turbine will begin shortly after arrival.
The significance of the news can’t be understated, says Chett Chiasson, executive director of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission. “It has always been our desire to become a hub for offshore wind just as we are for deep water offshore oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico,” says Chiasson. “This wind turbine will serve a crucial role in allowing us to do just that.”
The 187-foot tall turbine will be located at the Port Fourchon Coastal Wetlands Park and will collect data and potentially power GLPC’s nearby emergency operations building.
The turbine will also be an important vehicle for Gulf Wind Technology, based in Avondale, to collaborate with STEM, colleges, universities and national laboratories in demonstrating innovative American technologies designed specifically for the Gulf of Mexico. Read more.
