On Oct. 21, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) rejected a $456 million grant request to build offshore wind turbines and install them on floating platforms in the Gulf, a move that would make a controversial contribution to renewable energy development off the coast of New England. The project took a huge financial hit. [emphasis, links added]
The decision marks a setback for Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D), a group of environmental groups and, oddly, the Biden-Harris administration who are also enthusiastic supporters of offshore wind plans.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced more than $4.2 billion in grants for 44 green energy projects across the country. Transportation Department officials did not say why the Maine program was not included among the recipients.
Unlike traditional offshore wind power installations, which have giant turbines anchored to the seafloor, The Maine project is designed as a port and the turbines will be assembled in what is essentially a shipyard.
The turbine is then transported and installed on a floating offshore platform and secured to the seafloor using flexible anchors, chains or steel cables.
However, the Maine plan encountered strong local resistance from the beginning.
After some debate, backers of the plan settled on state-owned Sears Island, which is “the largest undeveloped, uninhabited island on the East Coast of the United States,” according to state Rep. Regan Paul. , an island accessible via a causeway”.
“Sears Island has long been considered a peaceful place, home to rich wildlife, migratory birds, plant resources and historic sites,” said Paul, who led the opposition to the plan. “We have an abundance of Wabanaki here. [tribal] history and historic sites dating back to the Revolutionary War.
Floating wind turbines are still in the experimental stage, Maine has not yet conducted a thorough assessment of the environmental and economic impacts of the Sears Island project.
A September 2023 report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows what could happen along the coast of Maine and anywhere else such projects are being considered.
While the report focuses on the impacts of floating wind turbine development on the West Coast, its conclusions serve as a warning for plans like this in Maine.
NREL research shows Communities likely to be affected by the Wind Harbor development will face “different environmental, health, educational, economic and accessibility burdens, which may affect the extent to which they benefit from the new or expanded port and job opportunities…”
This finding is echoed in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's (BOEM) recent assessment of the Vinyard wind project off the coast of Massachusetts.
BOEM concluded that the Wind Harbor upgrade would increase revenue and create some jobs, but Resulting in the diversion or reduction of commercial and recreational fishing opportunities, potential harm to wildlife, increased vessel traffic and noise, visual impairment of daytime and nighttime waterfront scenery, and disturbance of cultural resources.
The commercial viability of offshore wind, whether fixed or floating, has been called into question due to the failure of numerous projects along the Atlantic coast.
The Biden administration pledged to install 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2030, but deployment has fallen far short of expectations.
Currently, there are only two operating industrial-scale wind power facilities in the United States—one in Massachusetts and one in Rhode Island.
In addition to ongoing inflation, supply chain bottlenecks and high interest rates are driving up the already huge upfront costs of offshore wind.
While some states, including Maine, are eager to continue participating in the hunt after the Department of Transportation rejected the Sears Island grant, Offshore wind's contribution to the “clean energy transition” may still face delays.
For residential and commercial electricity customers in Maine, The proposed Sears Island project will result in higher utility bills.
The current fixed-bottom offshore wind cost is $95 per MWh, while Floating wind turbines $145 per megawatt hourAccording to Blackridge Research & Consulting.
Both are intermittent and the part-time energy they generate can never meet the needs of the full-time economy.
Paul, whose coastal district would see a wind harbor, was backed by local residents in her opposition to the plan and was assisted by the Washington-based Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT).
Her arguments go far beyond money, providing a comprehensive examination of today's government-backed energy transition.
“Climate has been changing since the Earth began to rotate, and it will continue to change long after we emerged,” she pointed out. “No climate crisis can justify these extremely destructive actions in Maine because Maine’s carbon emissions account for only 0.000098% of the world’s carbon emissions.“
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