Crowley Locks In Option to Build a Wind Terminal at Port Fourchon
Staying a step ahead of the U.S. offshore wind industry's next phase of development, Crowley has reached a deal with Port Fourchon for right of first refusal to build an offshore wind terminal on Louisiana's coast.
Port Fourchon has a 40-acre site with 2,200 feet of waterfront that might well become an offshore wind terminal in the years ahead, according to Crowley. Interest in the Gulf of Mexico's wind potential is picking up, and the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has designated its first two Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in the region - including one located off Lake Charles, about 150 nm to the west of Port Fourchon.
BOEM's initial call for expressions of interest in wind power development extended well to the east along the Louisiana coast, including possible areas nearer to Fourchon. There may be additional opportunities closer to shore: utility Entergy is working with Japanese-owned Diamond Offshore Wind to examine early-stage development opportunities in state waters.
The designated Wind Energy Area (WEA) off Lake Charles (Illustration courtesy BOEM)
“We are thrilled to take the next step to welcome Crowley to Port Fourchon and our amazing slate of tenants and users,” said Chett Chiasson, executive director of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission. “Crowley’s forward-thinking vision aligns perfectly with our goals at the GLPC to further our role as a leading service supply port for all forms of energy, including wind.”
Crowley has moved quickly to secure its place in the future offshore wind market. It is planning a wind terminal project at Eureka, California, where it recently signed a develop/operate agreement with the Port of Humboldt Bay; and it has announced plans to begin building a terminal this summer at the port of Salem in Massachusetts. where it recently bought a 40-acre parcel of land to support Avangrid's Commonwealth Wind project.
In addition to terminal and logistics services, Crowley's Wind Services division is working with offshore vessel operator Esvagt and shipbuilder Fincantieri Marine Group to design and build a Jones Act-compliant service operation vessel (SOV) for maintaining offshore wind turbines.
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