Louisiana is primed for growth in the wind power industry, GNO Inc. says in a new story published by WVUE.
The New Orleans economic development organization notes the largest turbines in the world are being developed in New Orleans East, offshore wind farms in the Gulf of Mexico are likely to be developed in the next few years, and Louisiana’s experience as an energy state “will help lead the way for new opportunities in Louisiana.”
GNO Inc. has begun a wind power initiative to tap into a potential growth industry in a state slowly transitioning away from fossil fuels. Dubbed the GNOwind Alliance, the effort aims to transform Louisiana into an offshore wind manufacturing hub and perpetuate the deployment of deepwater wind farms in the Gulf.
“What we’re basically seeing is everyone sees this as an opportunity that plays to Louisiana’s strength in history as an energy state,” GNO President and CEO Michael Hecht tells WVUE.
Hecht notes that many prominent energy companies are already branching out into renewables and he says traditional Louisiana oil and gas companies are also beginning to move in the same direction.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management launches a new initiative seeking to develop the potential for more wind power in the Gulf of Mexico, where offshore wind farm leases could be granted soon.
GNO Inc. insists Louisiana is number four for potential in wind energy thanks to its relatively shallow continental shelf and prevailing offshore winds. They say wind turbine blades are now being developed that can withstand hurricane-force winds.
