Building an offshore wind industry in the Gulf of Mexico will demand an unprecedented level of transmission planning in the region, according to new research from the Department of Energy.
A National Renewable Energy Laboratory report, released last month, found little existing analysis on how to connect offshore wind farms to onshore power lines in the Gulf region.
The authors called for more study and collaboration among states and grid operators to incorporate wind farms into their long-term plans — as well as dialogue with other parties, including coastal communities and oil companies.
The report is the first of its kind to begin identifying challenges for building offshore wind transmission lines in the Gulf of Mexico, where the dominant energy sector has long been oil and gas. The region’s first offshore wind projects are in their infancy. Two developers have agreements with Louisiana to potentially build in state waters, and one developer, RWE, has obtained a federal lease from the Biden administration.
