Governor Janet Mills has announced that the State and the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management have agreed on a floating offshore wind research lease in the Gulf of Maine, a key milestone in the State’s efforts to advance floating offshore wind research and promote responsible offshore wind development.
The research lease site, an area of up to 15 square miles in Federal waters nearly 30 miles southeast of Portland, will host the nation’s first floating offshore wind research array. It will include up to 12 floating turbines and will inform how floating offshore wind operates and can co-exist with ocean users and ecosystems in the Gulf of Maine.
The execution of the research lease reflects a priority of the Maine Offshore Wind Roadmap, a stakeholder-driven comprehensive plan that offers detailed strategies for Maine to realize economic, energy, and climate benefits from offshore wind, in conjunction with communities, fisheries, and wildlife of the Gulf of Maine.
Clean energy from offshore wind offers an historic opportunity for Maine to create good-paying jobs, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and fight climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions. This lease between the state and BOEM to support the nation’s first research array devoted to floating offshore wind technology is the result of extensive engagement with stakeholders and communities across our state to establish Maine as a leader in responsible offshore wind, in balance with our state’s marine economy and environment.
For more information and recent news on offshore wind in Maine, including the research array, go to: maineoffshorewind.org.
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