BOEM grants Maine the first US floating offshore wind research lease for a 144 MW project

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has granted the State of Maine the nation’s first floating offshore wind energy research lease, covering 15.2 square miles located 28 nautical miles offshore on the US Outer Continental Shelf. This lease could enable the deployment of up to 12 floating offshore wind turbines, generating up to 144MW of renewable energy.

The research array will facilitate in-depth studies on the viability of floating offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine, assessing its environmental impact, supply chains, and job creation potential. The data gathered will be made public to inform future commercial offshore wind projects.

The State of Maine will collaborate with the University of Maine and Diamond Offshore Wind to develop the array. Construction won’t begin for several years, as the lessee must first submit a research activities plan, which will undergo an environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act.

This development is part of broader efforts by the US Department of the Interior, which has approved nine commercial-scale offshore wind projects since 2021, with a combined capacity of over 13GW. These initiatives are supported by the US Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office, which announced $48.6 million in funding for offshore wind research and development in July.