Governor Janet Mills of Maine, has signed into law legislation to advance offshore wind in Maine by procuring up to 3,000MW of offshore wind energy.
The legislation signed incorporates some provisions of a previous bill and this new bill addresses the Governor’s concerns and takes the following steps to advance offshore wind in Maine:
- authorizes the Governor’s Energy Office to establish an offshore wind energy procurement and schedule, to be issued by the Maine Public Utilities Commission, to procure up to 3,000 megawatts of electricity from offshore wind projects by 2040, an amount estimated as needed for Maine to meet its goal of moving to 100 percent clean energy;
- maximizes the opportunity for all Maine workers and employers in the offshore wind industry by allowing all bidders equal opportunity for contracts pursuant to job-quality standards and allows some Maine-based independent contractors to participate;
- enacts new standards to facilitate the construction of a port facility for offshore wind, which is considered critical to unlocking economic investment from offshore wind in Maine. The Maine Department of Transportation is expected to determine a preferred location for an offshore wind port in Maine by 2024.
- protects prime lobstering ground, Lobster Management Area 1, in the Gulf of Maine by giving preference in Maine’s procurement process to offshore wind projects sited outside this critical area for Maine’s fishing industry.
