Entergy Louisiana, Entergy New Orleans and Diamond Offshore Wind, a subsidiary of Diamond Generating Corporation, recently announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding regarding the evaluation and potential early development of wind power generation in the Gulf of Mexico. The agreement could put Entergy in a position to deliver another source of clean power to customers while also strengthening the region’s economic development.
The MOU provides a legal framework for Entergy and Diamond Offshore Wind to work toward the development of potential offshore wind demonstration projects located in Louisiana state waters and will focus in the near term on the evaluation of grid interconnection to determine the optimal size and locations of future offshore wind development.
Earlier this year, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards submitted the Louisiana Climate Action Plan, which offered a series of recommendations that can lead Louisiana to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 — a key action from that plan is to achieve 5 GW of offshore wind generation by 2035. Development of wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico will accelerate the state’s role as a leader in renewable energy development, and drive collaboration between state and federal agencies, utilities, the private sector, and our states colleges and universities.
“Diamond Offshore Wind is pleased to announce our partnership with Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans to explore building the first offshore wind project in Louisiana state waters and in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Chris Wissemann, CEO of Diamond Offshore Wind. “Louisiana has a tremendous opportunity to develop an offshore wind industry that services the entire country, and through this project, we hope to accelerate its development, create jobs, provide a renewable source of power to Louisiana customers, and help Louisiana meet its climate goals.”
Entergy Louisiana currently has approximately 280 MW of renewable resources, including the Capital Region Solar facility, which began delivering power to the grid in October 2020. Along with nuclear generation, nearly 30% of the company’s portfolio comes from renewable resources. In addition, the LPSC recently approved 475 MW of solar power with an additional 2000 MW in the queue.
Entergy New Orleans’ diverse generation portfolio includes the 20-MW New Orleans Solar Station and the soon to be completed Iris Solar and St. James Solar projects, which will add an additional 70 MW of clean energy. In addition, the company has 5 MW of solar installed on commercial and residential roofs. Together with nuclear, these carbon-free resources account for nearly 40% of the company’s generation capacity and will continue to decrease Entergy New Orleans’ carbon emissions, which are already nearly 40% below the national average.
