Third annual Tulane Offshore Wind Conference to be held Jan. 31
Wind power is a logical next step in energy production for the Gulf of Mexico, with a capacity to generate almost 510,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy per year, twice the current energy needs of all five Gulf states and larger than the capacity of the Pacific Coast and the Great Lakes combined.
But the effort to harness wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico has had a rocky start, having faced a string of setbacks, including a canceled lease option and lukewarm interest from major developers and investors. How the wind industry’s potential can be tapped and see growth in the coming years is the subject of the third annual Tulane Offshore Wind Conference, which will take place Jan. 31, 2025 at the Port of New Orleans.
Jointly hosted by Tulane Law School’s Energy Law Center and The George Washington University Law School, the conference, titled “Tulane Offshore Wind Conference: The Future for Offshore Wind in the Gulf and Nationally,” is a day-long event that brings together top industry experts and others in the field.
The conference, led by George Washington Law Assistant Dean for Energy Law Kristoffer Svendsen, formerly Assistant Director of the Tulane Energy Law Center, will host a number of panels exploring the challenges and opportunities facing the wind sector in the Gulf.
Among the notable speakers include Suedeen Kelly, Former FERC Commissioner and a partner at Jenner & Block LLP and Frederic Sourgens, Director of the Tulane Center for Energy Law. The event is sponsored by the law firms of Bracewell, Jones Walker and Troutman Pepper Locke.
The event will touch on the history of the wind industry in the Gulf. In the fall of 2023, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held the first-ever auction for three wind energy lease areas in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. RWE Offshore US Gulf, LLC (RWE) submitted the winning bid for the 102,480-acre area offshore of Lake Charles, Louisiana. In March 2024, the US Department of the Interior (DOI) and BOEM issued a Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) for a second offshore wind auction in the Gulf of Mexico, planning to offer four areas offshore Louisiana and Texas. However, mid-2024 BOEM cancelled the second offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico as there was no competitive interest.
After a string of setbacks, including the canceled lease auction and lukewarm interest from major developers, two Chicago-based companies are breathing fresh air into the Gulf's wind potential entering proposals for wind turbine wind farms off the Texas coast. The latest interest from the two companies marks a potential turning point for the Gulf of Mexico's offshore wind industry. With its immense potential and growing demand for clean energy, the Gulf could soon become a major player in the nation's transition to a renewable future. In Louisiana energy leaders have touted an industry-ready workforce, infrastructure and other benefits that set the state apart to help build the wind energy sector in the Gulf. Louisiana is already ahead of other regions in the country because of the infrastructure and expertise it brings from its prolific oil and gas industry and many of the skills needed in the offshore oil and gas industry are directly transferable to building and servicing wind farms.
Tulane Law School is the premier law school in the Gulf region focusing on offshore wind law and is proud to host the conference. There is a nominal registration fee for both in-person and virtual attendees but the event is open to the public.
