Massive Maine wind farm under consideration

Dec. 8, 2011 - McClatchy - pro.energycentral.com

A task force set up by the federal Bureau of Energy Management is meeting here today to consider a commercial lease for a test project off the Maine coast that could become the world's largest floating wind farm.

The proposed site is located on the outer continental shelf, roughly 12 miles from the nearest land, in deep water south of the Boothbay Harbor region. If the project wins approvals and the developer goes forward, it could be operating in 2016.

The meeting was scheduled after Norwegian energy giant Statoil North America Inc. filed an unsolicited application to the federal agency in October.

Statoil's application is a major development for Maine's ambition to create a deepwater, offshore energy industry. Advocates say wind resources are better offshore, and the sites are far enough away from land to minimize visual impact for coastal residents.

"This is huge," said Paul Williamson, executive director of the Maine Wind Energy Initiative. "If this goes forward and is built within the next five years, it would be the first, commercial-scale floating project in the world."

Maine has created a phased-in approach to developing floating offshore wind.

It is starting with a proposed test model off Monhegan Island in 2012, and a pilot project up to 25 megawatts by 2016. The Maine Public Utilities Commission issued a request earlier this year for

demonstration projects. The PUC has yet to announce the outcome of that process, although it has disclosed that Statoil is among several companies that have made proposals.

Ultimately, the state is trying to encourage development of a commercial-scale wind farm with a capacity of up to 1,000 megawatts by 2020. Additional wind farms are contemplated by 2030, leading to a $20 billion investment in the state and supporting industries to manufacture, install and service hundreds of units.

This scenario depends on researchers being able to drive down the cost of producing power 20 miles offshore with turbines that float on the water, rather than being anchored to the seabed.

Statoil's proposal, called Hywind Maine, could be a first step. In its application, the company says it wants to ultimately develop a full-scale project in the area.

Hywind Maine would have a capacity of 12 megawatts, generated by four, 3-megawatt turbines. According to Statoil's lease application, it is roughly 12 nautical miles from land in 460-520 feet of water. Good wind speeds have been measured in the area.

Maps displayed at today's meeting show the site is close enough to onshore transmission connections to New England's power grid, such as the former Maine Yankee nuclear plant and Mason Station in Wiscasset.

The turbines would be connected to substations by undersea cables.

The company also has identified an inshore location where the floating turbine assemblies could be assembled and towed out to sea. The entire site would be less than four square miles.

Task force members this morning discussed various facets of the application and its potential impacts, such as marine traffic. A U.S. Coast Guard transportation specialist displayed a chart showing dominant, commercial vessel traffic routes and Statoil's site, which appears northeast of routes to and from Portland Harbor.

Statoil currently is testing a 2.3-megawatt floating turbine off the Norwegian coast. A similar test project was launched recently off Portugal.