On August 19, 2024, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced that America’s first floating offshore wind energy research lease will be in Maine. The lease area covers a little under 15,000 acres located 28 nautical miles offshore Maine on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf and could allow for the deployment of up to 12 floating offshore wind turbines capable of generating up to 144 megawatts of renewable energy.
The research array will allow the State of Maine, the fishing community, wildlife experts, the offshore wind industry, and others to conduct in-depth studies and thoroughly evaluate floating offshore wind as a renewable energy source in the region. Research conducted on the array will evaluate its compatibility with existing ocean uses and assess its potential effects on the environment, supply chains and job creation.
“Floating wind opens up opportunities to produce renewable energy in deeper water farther offshore.” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “Signing the Gulf of Maine research lease demonstrates the commitment by both BOEM and the State of Maine to promote a clean energy future for the nation.”
Information gathered from the research lease will inform responsible commercial floating offshore wind development in the future and allow BOEM and Maine to capitalize on innovative technology, while protecting local and national interests and industries.
“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,” said Maine Governor Janet Mills. “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.”
BOEM received an application from the State of Maine for a renewable energy research lease in October 2021. On March 20, 2023, BOEM issued a Determination of No Competitive Interest for the area identified in Maine’s application.
BOEM engaged with the State of Maine Governor’s Energy Office throughout the application review and lease development process to develop a lease that yields high-quality research on offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine.
On May 24, 2024, BOEM offered a research lease to the State of Maine after completing a Final Environmental Assessment and associated finding of no significant impacts.
As a research lease, the State of Maine or its designated operator will propose and conduct research regarding environmental and engineering aspects of the proposed project. This information will be made public and used to inform future planning, permitting, and construction of commercial-scale floating offshore wind projects in the region.
As proposed, the research array will use floating offshore wind platform technology designed by the University of Maine and deployed by its development partner, Diamond Offshore Wind. UMaine’s floating platform, known as VolturnUS, was recently awarded a $12.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for its innovative design.
Construction activity on the research array is not likely to occur for several years. The lessee is first required to submit a Research Activities Plan to BOEM, which will undergo environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act. Additional details on the timing of construction will become clearer as the permitting process progresses.
The Maine Offshore Wind Research Consortium will play an important role in identifying research priorities for the State at the array. Broadly, the Consortium is tasked with creating a common understanding of the local and regional impacts – both positive and negative – of floating offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine and is led by a diverse advisory board with representatives from the fishing community, research institutions, environmental groups, and the offshore wind industry, among others.
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.
Earlier this year, Maine Governor Janet Mills announced Sears Island as the preferred site for a port to construct and service floating offshore wind turbines. The purpose-built port facility will establish Maine’s place in the growing offshore wind industry, become a hub for job creation and economic development, and is welcomed by a strong and diverse coalition of environmental, labor, and economic organizations.
More information about the research lease can be found on BOEM’s website and Maine’s website.
Check out the official Maine Research Array website here: www.maineresearcharray.com
The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) manages development of U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) energy, mineral, and geological resources in an environmentally and economically responsible way.
Read More About Floating Offshore Wind
While most of America’s offshore wind energy development to date has involved conventional turbines that are secured directly to the sea floor in shallow waters near the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico, the deep-water areas further out in the ocean are actually home to two-thirds of America’s floating offshore wind energy potential, including along the West Coast and in the Gulf of Maine. Harnessing power over waters hundreds to thousands of feet deep requires turbines mounted to a floating foundation or platform that is anchored to the seabed with mooring lines. These installations are among the largest rotating machines ever constructed.
Learn more about floating offshore wind and the extraordinary initiatives and research behind it HERE.
Guice Offshore (GO) works with offshore wind companies coast to coast.
“Our growing fleet of Jones Act-compliant, dynamically positioned offshore supply vessels, mini supply vessels and platform vessels is well-positioned to help meet our nation’s conventional and floating offshore wind energy infrastructure installation and service goal deadlines, whether it’s crew transfer, service, cable laying, subsea work like scour protection or equipment transportation,” noted Guice Offshore Vice President of Sales and Marketing David Scheyd.
