Testing sites outlined for offshore wind

Two sites along the Washington County coastline are among the seven areas being considered to test new offshore wind technologies in Maine. Between one and five sites within the state's three-mile-limit will be selected by December 15 as demonstration areas. At a September 16 public information meeting at the University of Maine at Machias, state officials outlined the process and the criteria for choosing the sites. The meeting also sought to gather information about the two potential sites in the area, which are off Cross Island in Cutler and off Great Wass and Head Harbor islands in Jonesport and Beals.

State Geologist Robert Marvinney of the Maine Department of Conservation outlined some of the economic and environmental reasons that the state is moving forward to develop offshore wind technology, under legislation passed last June. The demonstration projects would not be commercial-scale wind farms but could be up to two wind turbines on anchored floating platforms that would be installed by private industry to develop the technologies for deep-water offshore wind farms. While the planning areas need to have a depth of at least 200 feet, commercial-scale wind farms would be farther offshore, in depths from 200 to 3,000 feet. Leases for the demonstration sites would be for up to five years, but the equipment would be in place only for up to three years. One site will be designated as a wind energy research center operated by the University of Maine. The lease for that area would be for seven years, with equipment in place for up to five years. All equipment will be removed when the leases expire, and industry participants will be required to post a bond beforehand to cover the cost of equipment removal.

While the planning areas are between 15 and 30 square miles, Marvinney said the actual area used would be less than two to five square miles. A 5-megawatt wind turbine might be 300 feet tall and would be virtually invisible from the coast if it was 20 miles offshore.

Among the concerns raised by those at the Machias meeting were possible effects on migratory birds and marine mammals, the impact of storms on the wind farms and the possible displacement of lobster traps. A monitoring program will be set up to study effects on birds and marine mammals, including the effect of sounds from any cable vibrations. Marvinney said more testing is needed on how the wind turbines will stand up to storms, waves and ice.

Linda Mercer of the Department of Marine Resources said there "may be some dislocation of fishing gear," but she noted that each test site would cover about 18 acres or a relatively small area. During August, the state officials met with small groups of fishermen from the Machias area to York County to see if having small areas off-limits to fishing would be acceptable. Marvinney said fishermen have been "making an honest effort to find areas where there is less impact on gear."

Norbert Lemieux of Cutler asked if fishermen would be allowed to lobster or drag around the anchored platforms. Marvinney said there may be 500-foot exclusion zones around the platforms. State law does not require the exclusion zones, but companies can apply for them as part of the permitting process.

Several people expressed skepticism about how long the wind turbines would last in the ocean, noting that a 15-foot wind turbine on Machias Seal Island had blown down in about a year and a half and that an air defense system tower that the U.S. Air Force had set up off the east coast of the U.S. in the late 1950s had ended up being destroyed in a winter storm. "I know what water can do," stated Dwight Whitney Sr. of Jonesboro. "You're going to be picking up those turbines off the bottom in two years for sure."

Whitney urged investing in more hydroelectric power from the state's rivers, since it's a proven technology that generates power 24 hours a day. However, Beth Nagusky, director of the Office of Energy Independence and Security, noted that while hydro is a clean, renewable source of energy, more power can be generated from wind farms than Maine's rivers can produce. Also, she doubted that much more hydro power could be installed in an environmentally responsible manner.

Marvinney said offshore wind farms offer "a huge economic opportunity for the state of Maine," with long-term possibilities for blade design research, the building of platforms, towers, blades and ships and for installing and servicing the wind turbines. Wind blades currently have about a 10-year lifespan, and research by the University of Maine is aiming to help Maine companies with blade manufacturing opportunities.

"Thousands of jobs could be done locally," said Jake Ward of the University of Maine at Orono. The wind farms would be serviced from the state's deep-water ports, and any located Downeast would use either Eastport or Searsport. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a 250-megawatt wind farm would generate about a billion dollars a year in investment, and about 45% of that amount could be supported by local companies and workers.

While onshore wind farms are in the 50 to 100-megawatt range, offshore wind farms will be larger. Some experts are considering that offshore wind could generate 5,000 megawatts through the installation of 1,000 5-megawatt turbines. Maine's peak demand for electrical usage during the summer is about 2,300 megawatts.

Nagusky added that, along with the creation of local jobs, the generation of electricity from wind would help reduce the state's dependence on oil for heating and automobiles, cut back on the exporting of money overseas for fuel oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Senator Kevin Raye of Perry, a member of the state's Ocean Energy Task Force, said that the state is in a race with other states and countries to develop offshore wind capabilities. "We need to move forward quickly," he urged.

For more information on the proposals, visit the website at <www.maine.gov/doc/initiatives/oceanenergy/oceanenergy.shtml>. Comments on the proposed sites should be sent by October 9 to: Dan Prichard, director, Submerged Lands Program, Bureau of Parks & Lands, 22 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0022.