A state-owned site on the coast of Maine will serve as the location of an offshore wind port critical to developing the nation's first floating offshore wind power research array, the state's governor said Tuesday.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill last year that aims to see Maine procure enough energy from offshore wind turbines to power about half its electric load by 2040. An offshore wind port to build, stage and deploy the turbine equipment is a major component of that effort. The port is also key for developing the research array, which would include up to 12 turbines on semi-submersible concrete platforms in federal waters.
Mills said Tuesday the state has selected state-owned Sears Island, about 117 miles northeast of Portland, as the preferred site for the port facility. The site would take up about 100 acres (40.47 hectares) of the 941-acre (380.81-hectare) island and is the most feasible place to build the port, Mills said.
The Sears Island parcel "fundamentally makes the most sense and provides us with the best opportunity to responsibly advance offshore wind in Maine, an industry that will create good paying jobs for Maine people and deliver clean, renewable energy to stabilize and reduce energy prices for Maine people and businesses in the long run," Mills said.
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