Biden Administrator Offers First Offshore Wind Lease in Gulf of Maine

The Department of the Interior is working on a wind lease in the Gulf of Maine that could lead to the first floating wind project on the East Coast.

The research lease in federal waters, first proposed by Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills in 2021, would allow the state to build a test project for floating turbines and analyze how wind energy affects the Gulf ecosystem.

The Office of Ocean Energy Management said Tuesday that it reviewed the proposal and concluded that issuing the lease “would not have a significant impact” on the environment. The final environmental assessment of the leasing plan was also published in the Federal Register on Wednesday.

“Floating wind technology has the potential to make offshore wind a reality in the Gulf of Maine,” BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein said in a statement. “BOEM will continue to work with the State of Maine in its efforts to facilitate the responsible development of offshore wind energy.”