The BOEM has declared that there is no competitive interest for a proposed lease area for floating wind research off the coast of Maine.
The state hopes to build a research site spanning 9700 acres, featuring 12 floating wind turbines capable of producing up to 144MW of clean energy.
In response to BOEM's request for competitive interest in the Gulf of Maine, two qualified entities submitted proposals.
However, after a thorough evaluation, BOEM determined that there was no competitive interest in the proposed research lease area due to doubts about its commercial feasibility. As a result, a lease sale for the site will not be necessary.
The decision by BOEM does not automatically grant the State of Maine a research lease, but it will now proceed to evaluate the state's application.
This includes conducting an environmental review of the potential effects of leasing activities related to the research lease. The results of this research could be used to inform any future commercial offshore wind projects in the Gulf of Maine.
