RWE-backed US floating wind pilot cleared for takeoff with 'no competing interest' in Maine
Finding by BOEM allows state to proceed with Aqua Ventus research project aimed at gauging ecological impacts and avoiding stakeholder opposition
The US regulator of coastal energy development found no competing interest for a research lease application submitted by the state of Maine, clearing the way for a 150MW research array that may be the nation’s first floating wind project.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) said Thursday it will now move forward with the state’s research application, “which could be used to inform any future commercial offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine, as well as the deployment of floating offshore wind technology nationwide”.
The regulator concluded the lack of competitive interest in the research area was “due to concerns about commercial scale viability”.
'Judicious approach'
In contrast to its New England neighbours Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, which are rapidly pushing largescale commercial development that has stirred opposition by environmentalists and fisheries alike, Maine is opting for a pilot programme to gauge local impacts and stakeholder response.
“The research array is the cornerstone of Maine’s judicious approach to floating offshore wind,” said Dan Burgess, director of Maine governor Janet Mill’s Energy Office.
The state “emphasises cooperation and collaboration with Maine’s fishing industry and environmental community to conduct important research and testing of this new technology and evaluate its potential impacts on existing uses,” said Burgess.
NEAV will deploy VolturnUS concrete floating platforms developed by UMaine that are based on bridgebuilding technology and can be readily produced from local materials.
“Going from the single turbine to 10 turbines, as a researcher array is a very responsible way to move forward and really understand potential repercussions,” UMaine’s Dagher said.
Chris Wissemann of Mitsubishi-owned Diamond Offshore Wind said the state’s approach to “comprehensive research and analysis of floating offshore wind prior to commercial scale development in the Gulf of Maine"” was “prudent” amid mounting opposition.
Dagher said Maine’s approach is “not only more responsible environmentally and ecologically and from a fishing perspective, but also allows us to scale up the technology and the workforce in a responsible manner as well,” Dagher said.
Gulf of Maine interest
The Gulf of Maine could hold 82GW of offshore wind energy, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, most of it in water as deep as 700 metres, requiring floating platforms.
Five companies, including Hexicon, Avangrid, Mainstream Renewable Power, and TotalEnergies, submitted expressions of commercial interest, with BOEM anticipating an auction in the area by 2025.
NEAV is gathering necessary environmental data for BOEM to make a final decision on the area, with expectations of the issuance of a lease within a month.
Dagher said the consortium anticipates installation of the array to begin as early as 2027, with commercial operations before 2030.