BOEM review finds offshore wind leasing activities won’t harm environment in Gulf of Maine

Turbines from Dominion Energy’s wind project off Virginia Beach. (Photo by Sarah Vogelsong/Virginia Mercury)

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released its final environmental assessment of the wind energy area in the Gulf of Maine Friday.

In its review, the agency found that leasing activities such as surveys and installing meteorological buoys in the Gulf of Maine will not have significant impacts on the environment.

The agency did not look at the impacts of installing offshore turbines, however, which would be assessed in a separate environmental review if a leaseholder submits a project proposal, according to BOEM.

“We are committed to ensuring that future offshore wind development proceeds in a manner that reduces potential impacts on other ocean activities and the surrounding ecosystem,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein.

The Gulf of Maine is slated to have eight commercial lease areas off the coast of Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, which have the potential to generate 15 gigawatts of clean energy to power more than five million homes, according to BOEM.

In late May, BOEM also offered the state of Maine one research area lease for up to 15 square miles in federal waters about 30 miles southeast of Portland. It will include up to 12 floating turbines to help inform how floating offshore wind operates and interacts with ecosystems in the water. The state and federal government reached a lease agreement for the research array in August.

The state’s Offshore Wind Research Consortium has identified research priority areas for the array, which include environmental questions such as which bird and bat species may be at risk from floating wind turbines.

Stephanie Watson, offshore wind program manager for the state, told Maine Morning Star that she hopes the information learned from the research array can help inform the commercial-scale projects to come.

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