Maine’s floating wind program takes another hit
By
David Wojick
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April 28th, 2025
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The US Energy Department recently suspended a large grant at the University of Maine for research on floating wind technology. The full significance of this suspension will not be known until it plays out, but it is useful to see the context. This research plays a central role in Maine’s massive offshore wind development program, which CFACT has been fighting for some time with sizable success.
Maine averages just a mere 1,500 MW of electricity consumption, but they want to have a crazy 3,000 MW of offshore wind. This target assumes complete electrification of cars, trucks, home heat, etc. – the full transition, which is never going to happen.
Even worse, given the great offshore depths, this has to be floating wind which costs around three times as much as fixed bottom wind, which is already way too expensive. Floating wind is also environmentally destructive with a vast undersea web of anchoring cables.
It also requires a big factory to make the huge floaters that carry the turbine towers. Maine’s objectionable choice of a factory site is Sears Island, the largest uninhabited and undeveloped island on the East Coast. Maine legislator Reagan Paul’s district includes Sears Island and she is adamantly against this project. CFACT has worked closely with her in this fight.
https://www.cfact.org/2025/04/28/maines-floating-wind-program-takes-another-hit/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=maines-floating-wind-program-takes-another-hit&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=maines-floating-wind-program-takes-another-hit
