State of Maine
10/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/08/2024 14:10
Maine Delegation Concludes Productive Visit to Norway
October 8, 2024
Office of Governor
Governor Mills and Maine delegation meet with local Norwegian government and offshore wind industry leaders during first phase of weeklong international mission to promote and position Maine as a leader in offshore wind development
Haugesund, NORWAY -- Governor Janet Mills and a delegation of State of Maine officials have completed the first leg of a week-long international mission to Norway and Denmark focused on promoting and positioning Maine as a world leader in the responsible development and deployment of offshore wind.
The Governor and the delegation of officials -- including Maine International Trade Center President Wade Merritt, Director of the Governor's Energy Office Dan Burgess, and Director of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future Hannah Pingree -- spent the past two days in Norway where they met with local government officials, surveyed offshore wind turbines and other offshore wind supply chain components, and met with Norwegian energy companies interested in expanding operations into the United States.
"These past several days in Norway have been very productive, providing our delegation with the opportunity to meet with industry and government leaders, to learn from their experiences, and to survey cutting-edge clean energy projects," said Governor Janet Mills. "In each of our meetings, my message has been clear: Maine is a premier destination for offshore wind, we are ready to welcome investment, we are ready to harness the substantial economic and environmental benefits of offshore wind for Maine people, we are ready to support the responsible growth of the industry in conjunction with the continued success of our iconic fishing industry. I look forward to continuing to promote Maine as we travel to Denmark."
Governor Mills and state leaders arrived in the City of Bergen, Norway, on Sunday, where they were greeted by the staff of the Norwegian Consulate General in New York. Bergen is home to a growing offshore wind industry and the second largest port in Norway.
On Monday, the Delegation surveyed the Port of Bergen and held meetings with port officials to discuss the operation of the multi-purpose port, which services offshore wind supply chain vessels, their efforts to provide the vessels with clean energy. Maine's delegation was briefed by Port officials on efforts to electrify the port, providing clean, renewable charging options to ships in port in order to reduce carbon emissions and pollution that had blanketed the city.
While in Bergen, the Maine Delegation also met with Norwegian offshore wind companies that span the supply chain, from production to assembly to delivery of electricity. Offshore wind companies in both Norway and Denmark have expressed their interest in expanding operations in the United States. The delegation also traveled to �˜ygarden to visit the Northern Lights project, the world's first commercial carbon dioxide transport and storage service. The carbon capture and storage project -- completed less than two weeks ago -- will allow companies to transport and sequester CO2 emissions, helping Europe to meet goals established under the Paris Climate Agreement.
Early this morning, the delegation flew south to Haugesund. Located on the North Sea, Haugesund is home to the Marine Energy Test Centre (METCentre), which became home to the world's first offshore floating wind turbine in 2009. After viewing the METCentre Turbines from the shore, the Maine Delegation met with more companies interested in offshore wind and the clean energy economy. The delegation also toured a manufacturing yard operated by energy company Aibel, where they surveyed an offshore wind converter platform, and then met with leaders from the City of Haugesund.
Tomorrow, Governor Mills and the Maine Delegation will travel to Denmark, where they are expected meet with the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy, & Utilities, members of the Danish Parliament, and U.S. Ambassador to Denmark to discuss Maine's climate goals and Danish climate initiatives.
On Thursday, the Governor and delegation will participate in an offshore wind roundtable discussion with members of the Danish Confederation of Industry in Copenhagen, Denmark's largest business organization representing approximately 20,000 companies in Denmark. The Governor will visit Energinet, the Danish national transmission system operator for electricity and natural gas, to discuss interconnectivity of renewable resources. In the afternoon, they will tour the Port of Esbjerg -- the world's largest offshore wind port, and Denmark's largest port. The delegation will meet with Esbjerg Mayor Jesper Rasmussen to discuss challenges and opportunities associated with leading a seaport city with a large offshore wind presence. The delegation and Mayor Rasmussen will discuss how Esbjerg has supported the responsible growth of offshore wind while supporting its significant fishing industry.
On Friday, the delegation will visit a wind test center in Esbjerg that takes advantage of ideal wind conditions to test wind turbines where they will discuss offshore wind supply chain logistics and then will meet industry leaders in Give for a conversation about energy storage.
On Saturday, the delegation will return home to Maine.
In 2023, Governor Mills signed landmark offshore wind legislation that authorized the state procurement of at least 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy installed in the Gulf of Maine by 2040, created opportunities for all Maine workers and businesses in the emerging offshore wind industry, and protected critical lobstering areas from development.
Earlier this year, Governor Mills announced Sears Island as the preferred site for a port to construct and service floating offshore wind turbines. The purpose-built port facility will establish Maine's place in the growing offshore wind industry, become a hub for job creation and economic development, and is welcomed by a strong and diverse coalition of environmental, labor, and economic organizations.
In August 2024, Governor Mills announced that the State and the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have agreed on a floating offshore wind research lease in the Gulf of Maine. The array, which will include up to 12 floating turbines, will inform how floating offshore wind operates and can co-exist with ocean users and ecosystems in the Gulf of Maine. Prior to construction, the research array is subject to environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act, approval by BOEM of a research activities plan, and final approval of a Power Purchase Agreement by the PUC.
BOEM will host a commercial offshore wind lease auction for sites in the Gulf of Maine on October 29, 2024, based on Final Sale Notice (FSN) for the Gulf of Maine issued by the agency earlier this year. The lease areas identified by BOEM in the FSN exclude the entirety of Lobster Management Area 1, as requested by Governor Mills and Maine's Congressional Delegation.
For more information and recent news on offshore wind in Maine, including the research array, please visit maineoffshorewind.org.