Offshore wind project eligible for up to $40M from federal program, media report
The Associated Press, Portland Press Herald, Bangor Daily News, Mainebiz, WLBZ (Channel 2), North American Windpower and Windtech International reported a University of Maine-led offshore wind power pilot project has officially been selected to join a federal government demonstration program. U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the New England Aqua Ventus I floating offshore wind project has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to participate in the Offshore Wind Advanced Technology Demonstration program. New England Aqua Ventus I will now be one of up to three leading projects that are each eligible for up to $39.9 million in additional funding over three years for the construction phase of the program. The UMaine-led project is unique because it’s the only one to use concrete for the floating platforms, according to the reports. The project would put a two-turbine, 12-megawatt project off the coast of Monhegan Island, the AP reported. “We’re going to be embarking a journey to become a leader in a technology that will change energy,” Habib Dagher, director of UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center, told the BDN. The Baytown Sun, The Washington Times, Miami Herald, The Nashua Telegraph, Free Press Online and Maine Public Broadcasting Network carried the AP report. Sen. Susan Collins visited the studio of WABI (Channel 5) to speak about the project.