Federal government awards Maine first lease for floating offshore wind research

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government on Monday released the nation’s first floating wind on the sea research lease for the state of Maine, covering approximately 23 square miles (60 square kilometers) in federal waters.

The state has asked the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to lease a floating offshore wind farm with a dozen turbines that could generate up to 144 megawatts of renewable energy. The farm would operate in waters about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Portland, Maine.

The research array will use floating offshore wind platforms designed by the University of Maine and deployed by partner Diamond Offshore Wind. Construction is not expected to begin for several years, however.

This research is critical to the development of Maine’s wind energy industry.

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed the bill last year, which aims to have Maine get enough energy from offshore wind turbines to power about half of its electricity load by 2040, and the state has chosen where to build, deploy and deploy the turbine equipment. Over the next decade, University of Maine researchers envision turbine platforms floating on the ocean beyond the horizon, stretching more than 700 feet (210 meters) into the air and anchored by mooring lines.

“Clean offshore wind energy is a historic opportunity for Maine to create good-paying jobs, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Mills said.

The state applied for the lease in 2021. The roughly 23-square-mile (60-square-kilometer) federal lease is larger than the state’s requested 15 square miles (39 square kilometers). It will allow the state, the fishing community, oceanography experts and the offshore wind industry to thoroughly evaluate the compatibility of floating wind at sea.

Floating turbines are the only way some states can capture offshore wind power on a large scale. In the United States alone, 2.8 terawatts of wind power blows over ocean waters that are too deep for traditional turbines attached to the ocean floor, according to National Renewable Energy LaboratoryThat’s enough to power 350 million homes — more than twice the number of existing homes in the U.S.

President Joe Biden has made offshore wind energy a key part of his plans to combat climate change.

Since this president began his term, the Interior Department has approved nine of the nation’s first commercial offshore wind projects, totaling more than 13 gigawatts of clean energy — enough to power nearly 5 million homes.