Private wind developers are quietly inking lease agreements with landowners in parts of rural Louisiana for what could be the state's first land-based wind farms, even as President Donald Trump takes aim at renewable energy projects in general and the wind industry in particular. 

According to public records, at least five utility-scale wind projects are in development in Louisiana. Two of those projects are based in St. Landry Parish in Acadiana. Three others are in Madison, Tensas and West Carroll parishes in the northeastern part of the state.

As of yet, no wind turbines have been erected in Louisiana, and the projects are likely years away from coming online. But they signal a new wave of interest in wind development in Louisiana, made possible by taller turbines and technological advances that are allowing developers to access faster winds.

St. Landry Parish President Jessie Bellard said landowners have signed lease agreements with two separate developers, AES Corporation, a Virginia-based power company that operates on four continents, and Toronto-based Cordelio Power, which has projects across Canada and the U.S. The wind farms could provide a new source of revenue for both landowners and local governments, he said. 

They could also help attract new investments to Louisiana from industries that are transitioning away from planet-warming fossil fuels and toward renewable energy, economic development officials say. 

The deals come as the wind industry is facing an uncertain future. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order temporarily halting offshore wind lease sales in federal waters and pausing the issuance of approvals, permits and loans for all wind projects. Last week, the Trump administration ordered construction to stop on a fully-permitted offshore wind project in the northeast that would provide power to half a million New York homes.

The wind industry also relies heavily on imports, and higher costs from Trump's new tariffs could discourage new projects, analysts say. 

Powering data centers

While the administration is trying to thwart the development of new wind projects, some nearby states have embraced wind power for years and tied it into their power grids. Texas has 239 wind-related projects while Oklahoma has 29, with thousands of turbines between them that provide a significant portion of electricity to area customers.

Mississippi got its first wind farm last year, when AES began producing electricity at its 184-megawatt Delta wind project located on private property in Tunica County. Its customer is the tech giant Amazon, which is spending $16 billion to construct two new data centers in the state and has a goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions for all of its operations by 2040. 

Bellard toured the 14,000-acre wind farm in October and said that each of its 41 turbines takes up less than an acre of farmland. That's a vastly smaller footprint than solar farms, which have stirred opposition in some rural areas for locating on land that could otherwise be used for agriculture. 

"It's no inconvenience to the farming industry," Bellard said of wind farms. 

In a statement, AES confirmed that it has active lease agreements for two potential wind projects in Louisiana, one in St. Landry and Evangeline parishes and another in Madison Parish. The company wouldn't say how much acreage it has under contract or its project timeline. 

Cordelio Power did not respond to a list of questions. 

The proposed projects range in size, with some calling for a few dozen wind turbines and others more than 100, according to interconnection requests filed with the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, which oversees the regional power grid. 

New revenues, new jobs

Unlike in the southwest, wind development in the southeastern United States is a relatively recent trend. The region has long been overlooked by developers because of its slower wind speeds, though technological advances are making projects in this part of the country more economical.

To be sure, the industry is facing pushback in some Deep Red states that have yet to see significant investment from wind developers. Arkansas recently sent a bill to the governor's desk that industry supporters say would essentially put a moratorium on new wind farms in that state.

No such legislation has been filed in Louisiana, however. Under both Republican Gov. Jeff Landry and his Democratic predecessor, John Bel Edwards, the state has tried to position itself as an energy hub that embraces traditional fossil fuels, renewable sources of energy and the infrastructure needed to produce it all.

A bill filed by state Rep. Kimberly Coates, R-Ponchatoula, would require land-based wind farms to get a permit from the state Department of Energy and Natural Resources before constructing projects. She said she doesn't oppose land-based wind farms and simply wants to put rules in place before moving forward. 

Wind industry advocates say there's a clear demand among commercial and industrial customers for renewable energy. Jenny Netherton, senior program manager at the Southeastern Wind Coalition, points to the waitlist for solar power from Entergy as evidence.

"Onshore wind is a readily deployable, utility-scale renewable energy resource that can help meet this existing demand by Louisiana businesses and attract new investments," Netherton said.

Wind energy is also among the cheapest forms of power in the country, and isn't at the whims of fluctuating fuel prices, like gas-fired plants, she said.

Other benefits

Cameron Poole, energy and innovation manager at Greater New Orleans, Inc., said that land-based wind farms could attract new investments in Louisiana from industries that are seeking renewable energy to power their operations. He described the technology as another "tool" in the state's economic development "tool kit."

The projects could also provide job opportunities for students enrolled in a new, two-year program at Nunez Community College that trains students to be entry-level wind turbine technicians, Poole said. 

Bellard is bullish on what wind farms could mean for St. Landry Parish's coffers, noting that property taxes are higher for commercial rather than agricultural land.

In December, the St. Landry Parish Council approved a new ordinance setting out permitting requirements for wind farms.

Wind farms are also a boon for landowners, who on average receive around $6,700 per year for each megawatt of wind power produced on their property, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The AES project proposed for Acadiana is projected to generate around 156 MW of power.