Today, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held the largest offshore wind lease sale the nation has ever seen, offering eight swaths of ocean in the Gulf of Maine. Four lease areas have been sold, paving the way for the potential development of up to 6.8 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity.

Avangrid Renewables, one of the nation’s largest renewable energy developers, has secured two leases totaling more than 223,000 acres. The company says it plans to develop 3 GW of wind power, which could be enough for Maine to meet its goal of installing 3 GW of offshore wind power by 2040, if the project is commissioned enough quickly. Invenergy NE Offshore Wind was awarded two leases totaling nearly 216,000 acres. In total, the four zones, if fully developed, could power 2.3 million homes and businesses in the coming years.

This morning’s sale comes in the middle of a tumultuous period for offshore wind. Supply chain constraints, rising material costs and rising interest rates have all set back the industry over the last few years. Last summer, a lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico attracted low bids. And in September, a sale at Oregon was canceled due to lack of interest.

But today, advocates of offshore wind are celebrating. “This successful lease sale is an important step toward Maine’s goals to combat climate change and build a new clean energy industry centered on our proud maritime and shipbuilding heritage,” Jack Shapiro, director of the climate and clean energy at the Maine Natural Resources Council, said in a statement.

The lease sale puts the Gulf of Maine on track to become one of the premier commercial locations in the United States for floating wind turbines, which provide access to stronger, more consistent winds in deeper waters.

Normally, offshore wind turbines are cemented directly into the ocean floor. This works well in shallow water, but in deeper areas, like the Gulf of Maine, underwater construction becomes difficult. Floating wind is necessary in these places: wind turbines are connected to large floating steel and cement platforms and are moored to the seabed with heavy chains.

There is just one little floating systems around the world, and these only have a limited number of turbines. But the technology could play a critical role in expanding the clean energy source, which is key to many coastal states’ grid decarbonization plans. The Biden administration has set a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030. Currently, it is not on the right track to achieve this. Of the eleven states with offshore wind development goals, only two of them: new York and Massachusetts – currently receive energy from large-scale offshore wind installations.

Floating offshore wind is “just one of many resources we have to use in the toolbox, but in some places, like Maine, it’s the best (energy) alternative to be able to meet their energy goals.” , said Walter Musial, director of offshore wind engineering at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Most of West Coast floating panels will also be needed to make offshore wind energy possible.

The Gulf of Maine, about 200 meters deep, is “the ideal place for floating winds,” Musial said, and also has some of the “most productive winds in the country.”

If plans move forward after today’s sale, the floating turbines could provide onshore electricity not only in Maine, but in a number of New England states. Maine plans to coordinate regional transportation of any offshore wind energy with its bordering states, the Maine Governor’s Energy Office told Canary Media.

Lots of things need to happen first. Before any construction of floating wind farms can begin, Maine must establish a port where all components of the wind turbines and platforms can be assembled. For floating wind power in particular, everything must be assembled on land, not too far from where the array will be located, because the parts are very large and bulky.

Maine has chosen Sears Island as the location for a $760 million port. Last week, federal officials from the Department of Transportation rejected the state’s request for $456 million in funding for the port, leaving the state to look elsewhere for funding.

“The challenge for floating wind is to actually put the infrastructure in place so that we can scale it to the size of the project needed to reduce costs,” Musial said. “This is a global challenge, not just in the Gulf of Maine.”

Meanwhile, in August, BOEM approved plans for the country’s first floating offshore wind farm. lookup table in the Gulf of Maine, which will consist of 12 turbines.

As a result of legislation Passed in 2023, Maine wind projects must meet strict labor standards and have minimal environmental impact. All networks must be built outside of Maine’s primary fishing and lobstering areas – a victory for both fishing communities and the tribal communities who rely on these waters for their livelihoods.

“Maine has a huge opportunity to secure renewable, reliable, domestic energy for the state and region in the form of offshore wind power directly off our coast, and it creates good jobs fighting change climate while we do it,” said Celina Cunningham, deputy director of the Maine Governor’s Office of Energy.

“We need to get this right, and we will continue to build on the stakeholder engagement we have done so far. »