While the drought in Texas is hurting the oil industry, another form of energy could be blowing in to take over.
The state that is number one in oil and gas production is now putting itself in the running to be number one in wind energy production as well.
The Houston-based Baryonyx Corporation revealed plans to erect about 200 offshore wind turbines on 3 different wind farms.
Baryonyx currently holds a lease from the Texas General Land Office to 67,000 acres of offshore land extending from Corpus Christi to Brownsville.
Their plans include a 26,000-acre farm off the coast of Mustang Island as well as 2 more farms farther south.
An application has already been submitted to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in order to receive permits for these plans, and the reviewing process is currently underway.
A positive result would be a pretty good step ahead for the project.
However there is also the possibility of interference with Corpus Christi’s eponymous Naval Air Station.
In the past, wind turbines have caused disruptions in naval radar, often caused by the directions of the turbines and their close spacing.
The NAS Corpus Christi is reviewing Baryonyx’s plans and what effects they might have on the air base, and their decision is due to be released within the next few months.
The Corpus Christi Caller Times interviewed Patrick Paddock from the Naval Air Station Kingsville, which is located slightly further from the location than the station in Corpus Christi.
Paddock revealed belief the turbines will not negatively affect the Kingsville station, especially if the plans include wide spacing of the turbines.
Mark Leyland, Baryonyx’s senior vice president of offshore wind projects, indicated the company’s willingness to cooperate in order to bring the project to life.
He is optimistic, and expressed to the Caller Times that the project has the potential to create new storage and fabrication jobs in Corpus Christi, boosting the city’s economy.
He also revealed that if the plans succeed, the turbines would be capable of producing up to 3 GW of energy.
Each gigawatt, he claimed, can power a quarter of a million homes.
That would certainly put Texas at the top of wind-energy production states.
That’s all for now,
Brianna
