There is a lot of excitement around wind energy production in the Gulf, and for good reason: Louisiana companies are already integral to the offshore wind industry, providing much of the design, engineering, and construction expertise for the whole country’s current and developing wind farms. 

From job creation and economic opportunities to a major clean energy option closer to home, the benefits are tremendous if it’s done right. Building the turbines will be an achievable task, but to fully realize the benefits of offshore wind, we need a plan for moving the power onto the grid through transmission lines. That critical piece of the puzzle has lacked clarity – until last week.

We received good news in the effort to speed up transmission projects; a transformative rule recently approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will finally guide this planning in a meaningful way. 

Each region of the country is now required to conduct the long-term transmission planning necessary to ensure it meets its energy needs. By expanding market and grid access, this guidance will accelerate the integration of innovative technologies and clean energy resources across the country. In our state’s electrical system, it should be the spark that ignites wind energy in the Gulf.

We are requesting that this directive be the impetus to bring regulatory bodies, power utilities, and stakeholders together to quickly begin the collaborative work of planning and soon deploying transmission projects to ensure wind energy in the Gulf becomes a reality.

The wind energy sector will continue to boost opportunities for those with talent and expertise in energy planning, engineering, installation, and maintenance. The question for our state’s leaders is whether we want to maximize those benefits in our own communities as well. 

Nunez Community College in St. Bernard Parish and the University of New Orleans have both created programs to build careers in this sector. We cannot let this major opportunity blow by us; it’s ripe to capture, if we just take the time to come together and plan ahead.

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