Wind Energy Breakbulk & Project Cargo
A second wind
Refurbishments , new projects driving Gulf of Mexico wind cargo uptick
By Autumn Cafiero Giusti
US Gulf Coast ports are beefing up infrastructure , equipment and capacity to handle larger wind cargoes . Galveston Wharves
In addition to turbines for building new wind farms , an increasing need to replace older wind turbines is driving demand for laydown space and handling capacity at Gulf of Mexico ( GOM ) ports .
Older turbines already producing energy in the central plains of the US , including north Texas , Nebraska , and Kansas , are aging out and being replaced by larger , more efficient components , Rodger Rees , CEO and port director of Galveston Wharves , told the Journal of Commerce . These can produce twice as much power as those from a generation ago , he said .
“ In 2009 , we handled blades that were in the 40-meter range . Now , we ’ re seeing them in the 80.5-meter range .”
While larger turbine components increase efficiency and reduce energy costs , they also complicate handling , storage and transport on both land and sea . Just since 2020 , average “ hub ” heights — the greatest height reached by rotating blades — for onshore turbines in the west have increased from 135 meters to about 169 meters , according to S & P Global Commodity Insights . S & P Global is the parent company of the Journal of Commerce
Ever-increasing blade sizes , along with larger towers , nacelles and other components , are contributing elements to this increased height .
Rodger Rees CEO and Port Director , Galveston Wharves
Priscilla Torres Commercial Business Development and Marketing Manager , Port of Corpus Christi
“ In 2009 , we handled blades that were in the 40-meter range . Now we ’ re seeing them in the 80.5-meter range ,” Priscilla Torres , commercial business development and marketing manager for the Port of Corpus Christi , told the Journal of Commerce .
Corpus Christi is recalibrating to accommodate these wind components , Torres said , adding wind cargo accounts for about 60 % of the port ’ s breakbulk revenues in an average year .
Wind cargo business at Corpus Christi was slow in early 2024 but is now on track for a steady flow of wind component shipments via vessel , rail and truck during the second half of the year and beyond , Torres said .
10 Journal of Commerce | September 2024 www . joc . com