Texas Plans for 300 MW Offshore Wind Farm

A recent announcement made prior to the first Texas Offshore Wind Energy Roundtable Conference indicates that the first offshore wind turbine in the US will be erected close to Galveston Island before the close of the current year.

The government of Texas which has the provision to provide wind energy tax concession to a total offshore power production of 3,500 MW has announced its plans to install a 300 MW wind farm to be located near Galveston Island.

The first offshore wind turbine whose installation is to be completed before the end of 2010 will generate 2.75 MW of clean energy. This installation will be followed by other wind turbine installations to complete the total 300 MW power generation capability of the farm in a few years time.

A recent study report undertaken and released by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the Department of Energy, indicates that the US has the offshore wind production capability of over 4 million MW and the Texas shore line alone has the capability to produce over 1 million MW. The total predicted offshore wind energy production of US will be nearly four times of the total electric power produced by the country utilizing all its installed power generation sources.

Source: http://www.texas.gov/