Maine is poised to launch an offshore wind program that would meet clean energy goals and produce enough power for about 900,000 homes from floating wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine.
The goal calls for requests for proposals to be issued for 3,000 megawatts of electricity from offshore wind turbines by 2040. That’s enough electricity to power about half of Maine’s electricity load.
Approval would put Maine on a path to catch up with other states that already have offshore wind projects. The catch, however, is that the wind turbines would be farther offshore than those projects, and would involve floating turbines. It also includes incentives aimed at ensuring wind power developers steer clear of lucrative lobster fishing grounds.
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management already approved projects that are now under construction off Massachusetts and off New York and Rhode Island, and it gave the green light earlier this month for New Jersey’s first offshore wind to begin construction. Next month, it will hold an auction for leases in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Gulf of Maine is considered a prize when it comes to consistent, powerful winds, but the water is too deep for traditional wind turbines that are anchored to the ocean floor. Maine officials hope companies will license technology from the University of Maine, which has been pioneering precast floating turbines that can be built on land and towed to sea.
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