Today, in accordance with LD 1465 (pdf), “An Act To Facilitate Testing and Demonstration of Renewable Ocean Energy Technology,” Maine’s Governor Baldacci announced the final selection of three offshore wind energy demonstration areas in Maine. (The four site finalists were announced in October 2009, as discussed in this previous post.)
One of the three sites, located near Monhegan Island, is designated as the “Maine Offshor Energy Research Center
The other two sites – off Boon Island near York and off Damariscove Island near Boothbay - are available for R&D projects by commercial entities. To obtain a permit for a project in one of these sites, a company must first apply for a general permit for offshore wind energy demonstration project under 38 MRS §480-HH from the Department of Environmental Protection.
With a MDEP general permit approval in hand, the company must then apply for a submerged lands lease from the Department of Conservation. Because these sites are designated for research and development uses rather than permanent, commercial installations, permits for the Boon Island and Damariscove Island sites will good for five years from the date they were granted or three years from the date construction starts (with certain term extensions available); in applying for the permit, applicants must provide a project removal plan that details how they will remove the project at the end of the permit period.
More details about the demonstration areas, including interactive maps of the designated areas, are available at the Department of Conservation site.
This site selection process complements the work of the Ocean Energy Task Force and its recommendations concerning legislation to make near-shore and off-shore sites available for both R&D and ultimately commercial renewable energy projects. The draft final report of the OETF can be found here.
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