Wind: GoM renewable energy plan

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) Gulf of Mexico OCS office announced the availability of two studies on renewable energy in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers helped undertake the studies that were funded by the bureau’s Environmental Studies Program. “Offshore Renewable Energy Technologies in the Gulf of Mexico” analyzed different offshore renewable energy technologies to determine which are best suited for development. The renewable energy resources evaluated wind, wave, tidal, current, solar, deep-water source cooling, and hydrogen. Offshore wind showed the greatest resource potential and is the most mature technology of those analyzed. Once offshore wind was identified as the leading technology for application, BOEM and NREL further analyzed the economic feasibility of offshore wind for selected sites in the Gulf. In the “Offshore Wind in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico: Regional Economic Modeling & Site-Specific Analyses” the site-specific economic analysis indicated that a single offshore wind project could support about 4,470 jobs and $445M in GDP during construction, and an ongoing 150 jobs and $14M annually from operation and maintenance, materials, and services. Results are based on a 600-megawatt (MW) project at a reference site with a commercial operation date of 2030. Based on findings from the first phase, NREL determined offshore wind has the highest potential to deliver utility- scale electricity from ocean-based renewable energy. Its conclusion is based on the quantification and relative scoring based on three factors: Resource adequacy, technology readiness, and cost competitiveness. The results of these studies will inform federal, state, and local strategic renewable energy planning over the next decade. (Source: Work Boat 04/28/20) https://www.workboat.com/news/offshore/two-new-renewable-energy-studies-available-from-boem.