Maine offshore wind port study announced

Maine Governor Janet Mills has announced that Maine state agencies will conduct an assessment of port opportunities related to the offshore wind industry.

State and federal waters off the Maine coast have significant potential for siting offshore wind electric generation projects. A 2009 report by the Maine Ocean Energy Task Force identified significant offshore wind resources off the coast of Maine, with a technical capacity potential quantified in a January 2020 report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as 94,498 megawatts -- roughly three times as much generating capability of all types as is installed in all of New England, or 36 times greater than Maine's electric energy demand.

In 2019, in pursuit of these opportunities and in an effort to address climate change, Governor Mills launched the Maine Offshore Wind Initiative, a state-based initiative to identify opportunities for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine, and determine how Maine can best position itself to benefit from future offshore wind projects. The Initiative's mandates include consideration of opportunities for job creation, supply chain and port development, and offshore wind’s impact on Maine’s energy future, as well as promoting compatibility between potential future uses and existing uses in the Gulf of Maine to inform offshore wind siting considerations and minimize any impact on Maine’s commercial fishing and maritime industries. 

On March 11, 2020, as part of the Initiative, Governor Mills announced that the Maine Department of Transportation, Governor’s Energy Office, and Department of Economic and Community Development will lead a Port Infrastructure and Market Potential Assessment study. The study will build on a 2017 report on the Mack Point Terminal in Searsport and associated intermodal commodity shipping infrastructure, to identify and assess short-term and long-term port opportunities related to offshore wind.

According to a press release, the new study will review current characteristics of the Mack Point terminal site, analyze possible offshore-wind-related users of the port, and identify any necessary capital investments and structural improvements. The study will also consider supply chain opportunities in the offshore wind sector, such as the assembly of foundations and turbines, as well as the workforce needed to support these activities in Maine.