AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine is poised to launch an offshore wind program that will meet clean energy goals and generate enough power for about 900,000 homes from wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine.
The goal is calling for proposals to produce 3,000 megawatts of electricity from offshore wind turbines by 2040. That’s enough electricity to power about half of Maine’s electrical load.
The approval would put Maine on track to catch up with other states that already have offshore wind projects. The catch, however, is that the wind turbines will be further offshore than those projects, and will include floating wind turbines. It also includes incentives aimed at ensuring that wind energy developers abandon the lucrative lobster fishery.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Mark Lawrence, D-York, said he believes the compromise bill needs “policing instead of making sure this is done properly and really benefits the Administration.”
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In Maine, the deadline calls for federal lease sales to be completed next year and the state to release a request for proposal for offshore wind turbines by early 2026.
The Gulf of Maine is considered a prize when it comes to consistent, strong winds, but the water is too deep for traditional wind turbines anchored to the ocean floor. Maine officials hope the companies will license technology from the University of Maine, which has pioneered floating networks that can be built on land and towed out to sea.
“This is a bill that will jump-start the offshore wind industry in Maine,” said Jack Shapiro, director of climate and clean energy for the Natural Resources Council of Maine.
More than a decade ago, the state was ready to host a $120 million wind project led by Norwegian company Statoil, but Statoil backed out after the state reopened the bid to give the opportunity to the University of Maine.
The US may need about 2,000 more powerful turbines to meet its goals of increasing offshore wind. Doing so would significantly reduce its use of fossil fuels, protect the atmosphere and mitigate climate change.
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