Gov. Janet Mills on Wednesday signed into law an offshore wind-power development bill she sees putting Maine in a global leadership role.
The measure, LD 994, was sponsored by state Sen. David Woodsome, R-Waterboro.
It requires Maine’s Public Utilities Commission to approve the contract for the Maine Aqua Ventus project at the University of Maine, a first-of-its-kind demonstration project of offshore wind in the United States.
“With the innovative work being done at the University of Maine, our state has the potential to lead the world in floating offshore wind development,” Mills said in a news release. “This long-overdue bill will move us in that direction.”
Wednesday’s move puts offshore wind development back on track after numerous false starts and delays going back to 2010 under Mills’ predecessor, Gov. Paul L. LePage.
Commending UMaine for its national R&D leadership around wind power and composite materials, Woodsome said: “The Aqua Ventus program is one more area where Maine can take the lead in the kind of research that could yield results that impact the world.
Separately on Wednesday, Mills announced that Maine has accepted an invitation to join a federally funded Gulf of Maine Intergovernmental Regional Task Force on offshore wind with New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
The task force, which involves governmental agencies, will seek to identify potential opportunities for renewable energy leasing and development on the Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Maine.
Mills also announced plans to create the Maine Offshore Wind initiative, a state-based program to identify opportunities for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine, and to determine how Maine can best position itself to benefit from future projects.
The Maine Aqua Ventus pilot project, supported by $39.9 million in grant money from the U.S. Department of Energy, will deploy floating turbines, designed by the University of Maine, off the coast of Maine.
The turbines are to be assembled in Maine and provide clean energy to the state.