Posted on December 16, 2009 by Jeff Thaler
On December 15, Governor John Baldacci received from the Maine State Planning Office and Maine Department of Conservation the results of a search process to identify demonstration sites for offshore wind technology located in Maine coastal waters. The team from the State agencies traveled up and down the coast of Maine over the last four months talking with fishermen, citizens, local officials and others to determine the best areas to take advantage of Maine’s amazing offshore resources. Three sites were identified by the process: The sites are off Monhegan Island, Boon Island and Damariscove Island.
The site off Monhegan Island will be used by a consortium led by Dr. Habib Dagher and his team at the University of Maine, to which I am legal counsel. The consortium was recently awarded an $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for this project. The consortium includes more than 30 partners, including private companies interested in offshore wind development. This will be the first deep-water test site in the United States; as Dr. Dagher said, “We have a national responsibility here to lead the country in that direction.”
Maine has been increasingly active in the past several years with wind energy development. There are currently 300 megawatts operating or under construction in Maine, with another 450 megawatts of wind in various stages of development throughout the State. Already, Maine is home to 95 percent of the operating on-shore wind capacity in New England.
The Governor said that the potential of our offshore wind resources is even greater, estimated at 100 gigawatts, or three-to-four times the current peak demand for all of New England.
Maine has the greatest renewable protfolio standard in the country, and has established a bold vision of reducing the State’s consumption of liquid fossil fuels by at least 30 percent by 2030. Maine has set ambitious but achievable targets for development of wind power. A State Task Force on offshore energy, with which I have been involved this year, is prepared to recommend this month that Maine have as a goal the production, by 2030, of at least 5 gigawats of deepwater wind power.
“The willingness to move forward is a significant investment in this State’s future as a leader in renewable energy,” said Governor Baldacci. “Clean energy development will reap investments and jobs right here in Maine.”
The University has the goal for the first demonstration turbine to be operating in the water in 2011. The remaining two sites that are available for demonstrations of offshore wind or wave energy technology are available to developers, who must begin the process by obtaining an expedited permit through the Department of Environmental Protection.
More information, including maps of the demonstration sites, is available at www.maine.gov/doc/initiatives/oceanenergy/oceanenergy.shtml or by contacting Jeff Thaler at jthaler@bernsteinshur.com
Tags: Energy