Wind Power News: Maine
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Electricity grid operator expecting more demand and renewables in New England
New England’s electricity grid is in for major changes, according to a yearly report from ISO New England, the organization that manages the region’s grid. The report says decarbonization will become the way of life in New England, with heating and transportation becoming electrified through technology like heat pumps and electric vehicles. That will increase regional demand for electricity. At the same time, the grid, which now predominantly runs on natural gas, will shift towards renewable energy. All New England . . . Complete story »
Study: Offshore wind development could reduce surf clam catch revenue by as much as 15%
Offshore wind farms could reduce the catch of Atlantic surf clams in the mid-Atlantic, according to a new study from Rutgers University. The research published last week (here and here) was funded by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Rutgers associate professor Daphne Munroe found that the leases for wind projects could reduce surf clam revenue by 3-15% in the area from Virginia to Massachusetts. The fishery is worth more than $30 million annually. The study did not include . . . Complete story »
Paul LePage opposes wind-energy farm that would be sited about 30 miles off Maine coast
Former Gov. Paul LePage says if reelected in November, he would not proceed with Gov. Janet Mills’ application to the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to site a wind-energy farm about 30 miles off Maine’s coast. “My minimum is 40 miles out. If you’re out 40 miles or 50 miles I’ll be all supportive. In the fishing waters I will not support windmills,” he says. LePage spoke at an event in Windham, where his candidacy was endorsed by Associated . . . Complete story »
Request for offshore wind power contract raises ratepayer concerns
The developers of a planned offshore wind energy research array have asked state regulators to approve a 20-year electricity supply contract with terms they say are essential to their investing $1.2 billion in a project that could help launch a new renewable energy industry in Maine. But Public Advocate William Harwood said this week that while he supports the state’s renewable energy ambitions, he’s concerned that the power contract could add to the bills of struggling Maine electricity customers if . . . Complete story »
Federal regulators uphold controversial grid proposal that could slow clean energy
Despite months of protests by clean energy activists and official pleas from public figures including Elizabeth Warren, federal regulators approved a plan by the region’s energy grid operator that could slow the development of clean electricity for two years. The decision, handed down by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ( FERC), late Friday night, affirms a plan by ISO New England to wait two years to remove a mechanism that makes it harder for clean energy projects to enter the . . . Complete story »
New England task force convenes to plan the next phase of offshore wind development
Last year, President Joe Biden announced plans to start leasing areas of the Gulf of Maine to offshore wind energy developers by 2024. On Thursday, May 18, the federal Bureau Of Ocean Energy Management convened a task force of officials from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and tribal governments to consider the next phase in the push to stand up a new “green” industry off the shores of Northern New England. Leases for wind projects have been stacking up the past . . . Complete story »
Conservation groups call for federal review of offshore wind impact on Gulf of Maine ecosystems
A wide coalition of New England conservation groups is calling on federal regulators for a rigorous review of the potential effects of offshore wind-farms on Gulf of Maine ecosystems and fisheries. And they want that effort made before specific wind sites are proposed – which the feds did not do when planning wind-lease areas in southern New England. Some 18 groups from Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine signed on to the effort, ranging from the New England Aquarium to the . . . Complete story »
Environmentalists don’t want Sears Island to become a wind industry hub
Midcoast environmental groups want to keep the pressure on the state as they advocate against building a floating offshore wind assembly, manufacturing and launching facility on Sears Island. Stephen Miller, the executive director of the Islesboro Islands Trust, announced Wednesday morning that his organization has hired a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm to analyze Searsport offshore wind facility options on Sears Island and on Mack Point on the mainland. Meanwhile, to bring more attention to the issue, the Friends of Sears . . . Complete story »
Boothbay planning board eyes workshops for possible solar, wind power ordinances
The Boothbay Planning Board agreed to schedule workshops to review land use ordinances on renewable energy structures. Board members made their decision following a Feb. 16 request by local fisherman Eben Wilson and business owner Alison Evans who voiced concerns the town had no control over the New England Aqua Ventus project in East Boothbay. NEAV is s a partnership between Maine Prime Technologies – a business arm of the University of Maine – and two wind industry companies. Diamond . . . Complete story »
Conservation group stunned by proposal for wind facility on Sears Island
The local nonprofit managing conserved land on Sears Island said it was blindsided by a proposal commissioned by the Mills administration to use part of the island as a hub to assemble massive floating wind turbines. The group wants the state to pursue an alternate location. “It just felt like we should have known that Sears Island was one of the two places that they were focusing on. We didn’t have a clue,” said Susan White, president of Friends of . . . Complete story »
