Photo: Wind Farm
Texas Offshore Pilot Research Project
Texas Offshore Pilot Research Project
A pilot offshore wind farm, the Texas Offshore Pilot Research Project (TOPP) has been conceived by Baryonyx and would comprise in the order of three to five multi-megawatt offshore wind turbines and a meteorological data gathering facility. Discussions with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, State Authorities and prospective supply side parties have indicated support for the concept. The intention is to establish this small project for the objective of researching the environmental impact of wind turbines in the Texas Gulf of Mexico State Waters with the intent of developing a generic permit for wind turbine structures. The TOPP project would potentially be located within the Rio Grande lease area. Its small size and the short term nature of the necessary permit increases the potential of a permit being granted. Such research permits may be obtained within a shorter time frame than the full project Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which will be run simultaneously with the TOPP permitting process. The full EIA will include TOPP which would be incorporated within the Rio Grande Project when it is constructed.
Given recent budget support for an offshore demonstration project announced by the Obama Administration, the TOPP offers the potential to be the first offshore windfarm installed in the United States, as well as the possibility of significant Federal and state support.
