Galveston has been a preferred port for wind turbine importers due to its skilled labor, rail, highway access and clearances for the components.

Project cargo, consisting mainly of wind turbine components, is picking up at Port of Galveston. The port has been handling the import of wind turbine pieces since the early 2000s, and today the imports are predominantly GE and Siemens-Gamesa wind turbine blades from European countries such as Spain and Denmark. The port processed a total of 38,511 tons of wind turbine cargo in 2024.

Blades as long as 248.4 feet and tower components are moved from the port by rail and truck to wind farms in Texas, New Mexico and other nearby states. For example, GE Vestas blades and towers are imported through Galveston on the way to SunZia, a multi-billion-dollar wind project currently under construction. SunZia will be the largest wind farm in the Western Hemisphere, consisting of 900 wind turbines spread across Lincoln, San Miguel and Torrance counties in central New Mexico – and Port of Galveston is helping make it happen.

“Project cargo – that’s what we are,” says Rodger Rees, Port Director and CEO of Galveston Wharves, which is celebrating its 200th year in operation this year. With Port of Houston specializing in containers nearby, Rees says Port of Galveston is not trying to compete for that business, but instead focusing on breakbulk, project cargo and Ro/Ro.

“One of our main businesses right now is wind energy equipment, and we’re still going strong,” Rees confirms. “We bring in three to four ships with blades per month, and most of them are shipped out by rail, which is convenient for shippers because they can bypass Houston.”

Rees explains that Galveston has been able to attract more wind business because the port offers the skilled labor, optimum clearances for the components, and transportation connectivity via rail and interstate highway. The port even coordinated with the City of Galveston and Texas DOT to modify the turn onto the Interstate 45 feeder road to accommodate trucks carrying the large blades. In addition, the port authorized an additional 47.78 acres for Foreign Trade Zones in 2023 to accommodate the expanding wind turbine import business.

“Port of Galveston is ideally located for moving these products to the Southwestern and Central US, where all the wind projects are being constructed,” Rees says, adding that the location, so close to open water, makes Port of Galveston ideal for project cargo. “The cost to use our port is minimal, compared to Houston where you’re spending eight hours round trip in fuel costs. At Port of Galveston, you can be in and out of the port, and back in open water, in 40 minutes.”

Rees expects the cargo business to ramp up even more once most of Port of Galveston’s $105 million overhaul of its cargo facilities is completed in 2026. Rees concludes, “The port improvements we are working on now will put us in a great position to handle more project cargo and breakbulk.”