The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is making available its Final Environmental Assessment (EA) of an offshore wind research lease in the Gulf of Maine.
On May 29 BOEM will publish the “Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Assessment for a Wind Energy Research Lease on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Maine” in the Federal Register.
After carefully considering alternatives described and analysed in the Final EA, as well as comments from the public and cooperating and consulting agencies on the Draft EA, BOEM said it found the issuance of a wind energy research lease within the proposed lease area offshore Maine, and related site characterization and site assessment activities, would have no significant impact on the environment.
As a result, under the National Environmental Policy Act, it is not required to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in order to issue a wind energy research lease offshore Maine.
Upon completion of the Final EA and finding of no significant impacts, BOEM offered the research lease to Maine on 24 May 2024.
The state has 30 calendar days to accept, reject or request modifications to the lease.
Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of the Interior has approved the nation’s first eight commercial-scale offshore wind energy projects.
BOEM has held four offshore wind lease auctions, including sales offshore New York and New Jersey and the Carolinas, and the first-ever sales offshore the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts.
It is exploring additional opportunities for offshore wind energy development in the US, including in the Gulf of Maine and the US Central Atlantic coast.
The Department also continues to take steps to evolve its approach to offshore wind to drive towards union-built projects and a domestic-based supply chain.
“Floating wind technology can make offshore wind a reality in the Gulf of Maine,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein (pictured).
“BOEM will continue to work in partnership with the State of Maine as we move forward to facilitate the responsible development of offshore wind in this region, as well as the deployment of floating offshore wind technology nationwide.”
In October 2021, state authorities requested a research lease for the purpose of researching floating offshore wind energy technology and its deployment.
The research site lies 28 nautical miles off the coast of Maine, roughly southeast of Portland, and if developed would comprise up to 12 floating offshore turbines capable of generating up to 144MW of renewable energy.