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Mack Port Terminal under offshore wind review

By: Tom Russell 12/03/2020 State Office of Maine

General Ports

Maine Governor Janet Mills has announced that her Administration will examine the Mack Port Terminal site for opportunities to support offshore wind activity. The announcement follows Governor Mills’ visit to Scotland last week as a member of a U.S. state, and a federal delegation organised by the United Kingdom government to learn more about offshore wind.

An assessment, called the Port Infrastructure and Market Potential Assessment, will be led by the Maine Department of Transportation (Maine DOT), the Governor’s Energy Office, and the Department of Economic and Community Development as a part of a Maine Offshore Wind Initiative. It will utilise the 2017 Searsport Intermodal Commodity Study as a foundation and identify and assess short-term and long-term port opportunities related to the offshore wind industry.

The review will, at a minimum, consider current site characteristics, provide an analysis of potential port users and identify structural improvements or capital investments that may be needed. Additional analysis will also be undertaken to review offshore wind supply chain opportunities such as foundation and turbine assembly and the workforce needed to support these activities in Maine.

“Offshore wind is poised to become a $1 trillion industry by 2040, creating thousands of good-paying jobs, providing clean renewable energy, and spurring economic growth. With our existing port infrastructure and proximity to both European and east coast markets, Maine is well-positioned to become a leader in the offshore wind industry just as Scotland has,” said Governor Mills. “Searsport has been critical for the delivery and deployment of onshore wind in New England for years. My Administration will evaluate how the Port can do the same for offshore wind. I look forward to the results of this assessment and charting a path forward for this industry in Maine.”

In addition, Aqua Ventus, the project slated to be the first floating offshore wind project in the country, is also planning for approval to use the Port to assemble the hull that will be towed out to the demonstration test site off Monhegan Island. In June of 2019, Governor Mills signed into law LD 994, a Resolve sponsored by Republican Senator David Woodsome, directing the Maine PUC to approve the contract for Aqua Ventus, which was done in late 2019. The University of Maine has estimated that Aqua Ventus will produce nearly $152 million in total economic output, and more than 553 Maine-based direct jobs during the construction period, including jobs for design and construction. Operations and maintenance of the facility will create an additional direct economic output of approximately $16 million over 20 years.

Over the past year, Maine has made progress in moving forward renewable energy and offshore wind, including lifting the wind moratorium, passing legislation requiring the PUC to approve the contract for Aqua Ventus, and joining with New Hampshire and Massachusetts on the federal Gulf of Maine Renewable Energy Task Force to examine opportunities for offshore wind. The Task Force, led by the federal government, seeks to identify potential opportunities for renewable energy leasing and development sites in federal waters off the coast of Maine.

As a part of the Maine Offshore Wind Initiative, the state will also soon be launching an initiative to engage directly with the commercial fishing industry to facilitate communication and solicit input to ensure any potential development considers the fishing industry and other maritime interests.

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Mack Port Terminal under offshore wind review

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