The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has finalized boundaries for a 174,000-acre area of the Gulf of Mexico south of Cameron Parish to serve as an offshore wind farm.
The agency also designated an area of more than 500,000 acres of gulf waters off of Galveston, Texas, for similar development.
According to BOEM, the two areas could generate enough power for three million homes. NOLA.com reports that would be enough to power not just a city the size of Houston, but also that combined with New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Congressman Troy Carter (D-Louisiana) applauded the action.
"Today’s announcement represents an important step forward for our country’s efforts to transition to clean, reliable energy," said Carter.
Carter says he wants part of the revenue from these wind farms to go back to coastal states.
"I introduced the bipartisan BREEZE Act with Congressman Steve Scalise to ensure that revenue from offshore wind projects will come back to states and important projects like coastal restoration that are currently paid for by offshore oil and gas drilling," he said.
Commercial leasing of the two areas is expected early next year.
