President-elect Donald Trump’s vow to kill offshore wind energy development “on day one” of his second term is already triggering project slowdowns on the East Coast, but the biggest wind farm proposed in the Gulf of Mexico will likely stay on track, Verite reports.
That’s because the project is on such a long development timeline that Trump’s four-year term will be over before permitting and construction begin, according to RWE, the German energy giant that plans to build a 2,000-megawatt wind farm about 40 miles south of Lake Charles. The project, which could power more than 350,000 homes, isn’t expected to be operational for about a decade.
“The project has a long-lead development timeline that is longer than any one federal administration, and with a planned operational date in the mid-2030s,” RWE spokesman Ryan Ferguson says.
As reported by 10/12 Industry Report, Louisiana officials have touted the Pelican State as uniquely positioned to be a leader in offshore wind development, thanks to infrastructure already in place from the oil and gas sector.
Louisiana residents also see opportunity in offshore wind development—a little more than 73% of voters earlier this month approved a constitutional amendment dedicating revenue from offshore-based wind energy projects towards coastal projects.
