Feds mull offshore wind project
Federal officials are considering a proposal from Norwegian company Statoil to build a pilot offshore wind farm south of Boothbay Harbor.
A task force formed by the federal Bureau of Energy Management met yesterday to discuss Statoil's commercial lease request to test a four-turbine offshore wind project, the Portland Press Herald reported. If approved, Hywind Maine would be located about 12 miles from the shore and could be operational by 2016, generating enough power for about 18,000 homes. It would be the country's first deepwater floating wind farm. Statoil is currently testing a floating turbine off the Norwegian coast.
In November 2009, officials from Statoil toured a handful of Maine businesses, including Bath Iron Works and Cianbro Corp., to gauge whether Maine would be an appropriate spot for its next wind power project. It submitted the federal application this October. The company is also one of a handful that responded to the Maine Public Utilities Commission's request for a small-scale demonstration project off Monhegan Island, to be built next year. The PUC is still negotiating with bidders and may announce a winner in the next couple of months.
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