Negotiations on what could have become the first floating offshore wind array in the U.S. have halted amid the uncertainty that has gripped the country’s offshore wind industry.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission on March 28 granted the request of Pine Tree Offshore Wind to suspend talks on a contract to support construction of a research project with up to 12 turbines with a capacity of up to 144 MW.
The move is the latest setback for the state of Maine’s long-running ambitions to exploit the windy waters off its coast for environmental and economic benefit through installation of wind turbines and creation of a new commercial/industrial sector:
-
- The depth of the Gulf of Maine dictates that floating turbines be used there, and floating wind technology still is in development.
- The state lost out on a $456 million federal grant to develop an offshore wind port; also, the chosen site is a nature preserve, and development is strongly opposed by some advocates. (See Maine Chooses Nature Preserve for Floating Wind Port.)
- The first-ever Gulf of Maine commercial lease auction was a lackluster affair, with four of the eight offered lease areas drawing just $22 million in combined winning bids and the other four going unsold. (See Gulf of Maine OSW Auction Results in Four Leases Worth $21.9M.)
- And of course, Donald Trump was elected president on a platform that included halting offshore wind development. Pine Tree is only the latest of several developers to pause their efforts in U.S. waters amid Trump’s efforts to follow through on his campaign pledge.
The state of Maine requested the research lease in October 2021 and designated Pine Tree as its operator. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management executed the research lease (OCS-A 0553) in August 2024. (See Maine Approved for Floating Wind Research Lease.)
The zone totals nearly 15,000 acres roughly 28 nautical miles southeast of Portland.
The Maine PUC opened the docket (Case 2022-00100) for consideration of Pine Tree’s contract in April 2022. In December 2024, Pine Tree requested and received an extension to March 31, 2025, of the deadline to submit a proposed contract supporting the offshore wind research array.
The negotiations apparently were fruitless: Pine Tree subsequently requested they be suspended “due to recent shifts in the energy landscape that have in particular caused uncertainty in the offshore wind industry.”
On March 28, the PUC approved the request for suspension, finding that “good cause exists” and noting that no objections were raised by the other negotiating parties: the governor’s Energy Office, the Office of the Public Advocate, Central Maine Power and Versant Power.
The suspension will continue until Pine Tree requests that negotiations resume.
