Mills opens public comment on offshore wind plan
VolturnUS is UMaine's patented floating concrete hull technology that has been awarded 43 patents in the U.S. and abroad. (University of Maine image)
Maine initiated its next step in the process of procuring offshore wind by asking for public input to inform future planning.
According to a news release Wednesday from the Governor’s Energy Office, the state issued a Request for Information (RFI) that will be open until June 21 for members of the public to comment on the state’s plan for offshore wind development. The document has more than a dozen questions the public can respond to about implementation, fishery protection, ports and more; however, it is not soliciting actual offshore wind project proposals at this time.
“Public input gathered through this RFI will shape Maine’s first offshore wind solicitation, a key milestone in the development of responsible offshore wind for the State and the region,” said Dan Burgess, director of the Governor’s Energy Office.
The RFI is the public’s opportunity to weigh in on the state’s plan to install 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine by 2040, as outlined in state statute. There will be more opportunities for public input throughout the design process, which is scheduled to end by July 2025.
Responses may be published on the Governor’s Energy Office website.
The public has already been speaking out about port location
While the RFI that opened Wednesday asks about multiple elements of offshore wind, the decision surrounding where to place a new port to support the construction of and access to the turbines drew significant feedback during the legislative session that wrapped up last week.
Sears Island in Searsport was chosen by the Mills administration as the preferred site for a designated port. The state owns the land, but it is protected under the Natural Resources Protection Act, which prohibits new or expanded structures on coastal sand dunes.
Residents of Seasport have been divided on the issue. Some welcomed the potential economic benefits as the town has grappled with 500 lost jobs from a closed paper mill. Others are opposed to developing the natural landscape and are pushing the state to consider other locations.
The Maine Legislature passed a bill needed to continue the permitting process for Sears Island; however, the bill does not guarantee that the offshore wind will be built there. It just ensures that it will continue to be an option, despite the presence of a sand dune that could be damaged.
The RFI includes a section of questions titled “Ports and Workforce,” which includes one question about how the state should incentivize investments in ports to support offshore wind. It specifically asks for comments on the availability of ports.
There is also an open-ended question at the end of the RFI where people can add other comments they’d wish to share about Maine’s procurement of offshore wind.
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