A comprehensive outreach process by the Maine Department of Conservation and the Maine State Planning office has concluded, and three sites in Maine coastal waters have been identified as suitable for the demonstration of new offshore wind technologies, and potentially, wave energy technologies.

Governor John E. Baldacci announced December 15 that the three selected areas are off Boon Island near York, off Damariscove Island near Boothbay, and off Monhegan Island in the midcoast. Each site meets the criteria to test components necessary to develop deep-water, offshore wind power, including floating platforms, an- choring systems, and new lightweight blade composites.

If a developer chooses to file a permit application with the Department of Environmental Protection in one of the three demonstration areas, it would need federal permits. It would also be limited to testing a maximum of two wind turbines.
The Monhegan Island site will be a research and development facility for the University of Maine. The University recently received a grant award of $8 million from the US Department of Energy to pursue the project. The University plans three units in successive stages.

Any project that does go forward, including the University’s, is required to monitor the impacts, if any, of offshore wind systems on the environment. The law requires developers to relocate or remove any project that has an adverse effect on the environment.

All three of the sites could be used to test emerging wave energy technology. The Governor underscored the economic opportunity for Maine that site selection for testing purposes advances.

“Thanks to Maine’s unique geography, deep water close to shore, we have a competitive advantage,” Baldacci said. “We want to create good, green jobs in a new research and development industry. We are perfectly situated close to the Gulf of Maine, one of the world’s best wind resources.”

Site maps are available at: http://www.maine.gov/doc/initiatives/oceanenergy/oceanenergy.shtm

Geographic considerations were the first parameters that helped narrow down the search process. A good site has to have a good wind resource, be at least 200 feet deep, and free of obstructions on the bottom. The site search was limited to Maine’s state waters (within three nautical miles from the mainland and islands) so that the state could retain regulatory control. Governor Baldacci praised the extensive public outreach process that followed the initial site selection process.

“Our folks began hitting the road in July, talking with fishermen, conservation groups, public officials and many other stakeholders,” Baldacci said. “About forty meetings were held up and down the coast, so that we could talk to people and identify sites that would cause a minimum of disruption to current users.”

The Governor said state experts started looking in July at areas that totaled 170 square miles, and that the three sites announced today are between 0.7 and 2 square miles each.

Legislation passed unanimously in June mandated that the Department of Conservation and the State Planning Office work together to identify between one and five demonstration sites for offshore wind in Maine’s coastal waters. State agencies were required to identify the sites by December 15, 2009.