An up to 12MW floating wind farm off the US north-east coast of Maine has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with a state utility.
Central Maine Power Company signed the 20-year PPA for electricity generated by Aqua Ventus 1, which will use a floating concrete hull being developed by the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center.
The US Department of Energy, which has backed the pilot, said the PPA was signed on 9 December.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission approved the PPA in November.
Aqua Ventus 1 has been in the planning phase since 2012.
“Securing a power offtake agreement will help the project attract financial investors and continue further development activities,” said the DoE.
Talks between the University of Maine and potential investors in the project have been ongoing over the past several months.