U.S. federal ocean regulators have announced the execution of a lease with the State of Maine for almost 15,000 acres located on the outer continental shelf offshore Maine. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management calls the agreement "the nation's first floating offshore wind energy research lease."
According to BOEM, the lease area includes approximately 14,945 acres, an area of sea sufficient to host up to 12 floating offshore wind turbines collectively capable of generating up to 144 megawatts of renewable energy. BOEM says the research lease will let Maine and stakeholders "conduct in-depth studies and thoroughly evaluate floating offshore wind as a renewable energy source" and "evaluate its compatibility with existing ocean uses and assess its potential effects on the environment, supply chains, and job creation."
BOEM issued the Maine lease through a process that began with the State's October 2021 application for a lease. In 2023, BOEM issued a Determination of No Competitive Interest for the area, enabling BOEM to issue Maine the lease. Maine has described the floating offshore wind research array as "a key priority for the State that will help fulfill the objectives of the Maine Offshore Wind Roadmap by advancing critical research and innovation to develop offshore wind responsibly."
As a research lease, the State of Maine or its designated operator Pine Tree Offshore Wind, LLC will engage in research regarding environmental and engineering aspects of the proposed project, to be made public and for use in informing future commercial-scale floating offshore wind projects in the region. According to BOEM, construction activity on the research array is not likely to occur for several years and will require additional permitting.
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