The work of surveying the Gulf of Mexico for offshore wind farms will have no significant impact on the environment, according to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), which clears the way for wind energy lease sales in waters near Louisiana and Texas as early as year's end.
The ’s 664-page final environmental assessment is essentially a go-ahead for as many as 18 commercial and research wind energy leases in the Gulf’s federal waters, three miles from the Louisiana coast and west into Texas waters.
The environmental impacts of building/operating wind farms will be assessed after the leasing period. Construction on the first wind farms is expected to begin in 2030.
While the federal process is starting to pick up speed, it’s likely that the first offshore wind farms will be in Louisiana’s state-managed waters, rather than federal waters.
Louisiana’s streamlined development process has attracted leasing bids from at least two companies that plan to build wind farms near Lafourche and Vermilion parishes. (Source: NOLA.com 06/14/23) Feds greenlight wind farm survey work in the Gulf of Mexico | Environment | nola.com
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