New plan would accelerate offshore wind power in the Gulf of Maine

KNOW, 1 TO 3 INCH EVERY EVERY WEEK WOULD BE FINE.” FOR MAINE’S TOTAL COVERAGE, I’M MILES HOOD IN AUGUSTA TODAY – A NEW PROPOSAL FROM A DEMOCRATIC SENATOR AND ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS TO GREATLY EXPAND OFF-SHORE WIND POWER IN MAINE. PHIL HIRSCHKORN IS WALKING US THROUGH THE SPECIFICS. (PHIL S/U OPEN) THE STATE ALREADY HAS A PLAN TO DEPLOY A DOZEN OFF-SHORE, FLOATING WIND TURBINES. NOW, RENEWABLE ENERGY ADVOCATES ENVISION HUNDREDS OF TURBINES IN THE GULF OF MAINE. (VO 1) THE PROPOSED OFFSHORE TURBINES – LIKE THE MODEL DEVELOPED AT U-MAINE, SEEN HERE – WOULD FLOAT AND BE TETHERED TO THE OCEAN FLOOR THEY COULD BE 500 FEET TALL THE PLAN ENVISIONS AS MANY AS 400 TURBINES BY 2035, 12 YEARS FROM NOW THEY’D MATCH THE OUTPUT OF A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT AND GENERATE ENOUGH ELECTRICITY TO POWER ABOUT A- MILLION HOMES (SOT SEN. MARK LAWRENCE, (D), , CHAIR, COMMITTEE ON ENERGY, UTILITIES & TECHNOLOGY, 15:33 :42) – IF CG IS TOO LONG, JUST GO WITH BILL SPONSOR) “AN INDUSTRY THAT WILL STRENGTHEN MAINE’S EC ONOMY, PROVIDE GOOD PAYING JOBS FOR MAINE PEOPLE, TAKE SIGNIFICANT STEPS IN REDUCING ENERGY PRINCE VOLATILITY, AND CONTINUE OUR PROGRESS IN ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE.” (:13) (VO 2) ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY TURBINES CAN CO-EXIST WITH FISH AND WILDLIFE IN FAR OFF FEDERAL WATERS. STATE WATERS – THE FIRST THREE MILES OFF-SHORE, WHERE 75% OF LOBSTER FISHING OCCURS – ARE ALREADY OFF- LIMITS TO WIND POWER. (SOT SARAH HAGGERTY, CONSERVATION BIOLOGIST, MAINE AUDUBON, 15:46:32) “IF MAINE DOESN’T TAKE THE INITIATIVE TO HELP STEER OFF-SHORE WIND DEVELOPMENT OFF OUR COASTS, THEN SOMEONE ELSE WILL.” (:05) (VO 3) PRIVATE COMPANIES WOULD FINANCE THE TURBINE TOWERS…AND RECOUP THEIR COSTS FROM ELECTRICITY RATE PAYERS. THE TURBINES POISED TO SUSTAIN HUNDREDS OF UNION CONSTRUCTION JOBS. (SOT, JASON SHEDLOCK, PRESIDENT, MAINE STATE BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION TRADES COUNCIL, 15:48:31) “A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT AND A STRONG MIDDLE CLASS CANNOT BE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.” (:06) (NEW SOT, ALYSSA MCGLYNN, UNIV. OF MAINE GRADUATE STUDENT, 15:41:18) “IT’S AN INVESTMENT IN CREATING LASTING, DIVERSE, INDUSTRY JOBS FOR MAINERS, AN INVESTMENT FOR ATTRACTING STUDENTS LIKE MYSELF TO COME HERE AND STUDY AND STAY HERE IN MAINE.” (:08) (NEW VO 4) MAINE SENATE REPUBLICANS, SAYING THEY SUPPORT RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT, WERE SKEPTICAL OF THE CONSUMER BENEFITS. (NEW SOT, SEN. TREY STEWART, (R) MINORITY LEADER, 16:29:25) “I’D SAY I’D WANT TO KNOW WHAT RATES ARE GOING TO BE, AND I’D WANT TO KNOW WHAT THEY MEAN WHEN THEY SAY, ‘THE INTERESTS OF THE RATE PAYERS.’ 16:29:35 (NEW SOT SEN. LAWRENCE, 15:34:24) “THE ENERGY PRICE SPIKES IN ELECTRICITY IN MAINE THIS PAST YEAR ARE OVERWHELMINGLY DUE TO OUR RELIANCE ON FOSSIL FUELS.” (:10) PARTICULARLY NATURAL GAS.” (:12) (PHIL S/U CLOSE) PROPONENTS ENVISION A BIDDING PROCESS… STARTING IN TWO YEARS WITH THE STATE’S PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION… SOLICITING BIDS FROM COMPANIES INTERESTED I

New plan would accelerate offshore wind power in the Gulf of Maine

Aiming to mitigate climate change and curb electricty prices

Updated: 6:32 PM EST Jan 24, 2023

With twin goals of lowering electricity bills and mitigating climate change, a Democratic state senator and environmental groups unveiled a proposal on Tuesday to greatly expand offshore wind power for Maine. The state already has a plan to deploy a dozen offshore, floating, wind turbines in federally regulated waters, advanced last week by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.Now, renewable energy advocates envision hundreds of turbines in the Gulf of Maine.The proposed offshore turbines, based on a model developed at University of Maine-Orono, would float and be tethered to the ocean floor. They could be 500 feet tall. The plan envisions as many as 400 turbines by 2035, 12 years from now. Their projected output, 2.8 gigawatts, would match the output of a nuclear power plant and generate enough electricity to power about a million homes, the plan’s supporters said.”The stakes are high. The need to move away from fossil fuels for climate change and economic reasons is urgent,” the bill’s sponsor, Democratic Senator Mark Lawrence, Co-Chair of the Committee on Energy, Utilities & Technology, said to reporters at the State House. He described wind power as “an industry that will strengthen Maine’s economy, provide good paying jobs for Maine people, take significant steps in reducing energy prince volatility, and continue our progress in addressing climate change.” Environmentalists backing wind power development, including the National Resources Council of Maine, say turbines can co-exist with fish and wildlife in far off federal waters. State waters, the first three miles off-shore, where 75% of lobster fishing occurs, are already off-limits to wind power.”This bill will put Maine in the driver’s seat,” said Sarah Haggerty, a conservation biologist with Maine Audubon . “If Maine doesn’t take the initiative to help steer offshore wind development off our coasts, then someone else will.” Private companies would finance the turbine towers and recoup their costs from electricity rate payers. The turbines are poised to sustain hundreds of union construction jobs. Jason Shedlock, President, Maine State Building & Construction Trades Council, which represents 6,000 workers in 20 local unions, said, “A clean environment and a strong middle class cannot be mutually exclusive. ” Alyssa McGlynn, a UMaine graduate student working on offshore wind projects, said high wind speeds in the gulf would make the development more fruitful. McGlynn said, “It’s an investment in creating lasting, diverse, industry jobs for Mainers, an investment for attracting students like myself to come here and study and stay here in Maine.” Maine Senate Republicans, while saying they support renewable energy development, were skeptical of the consumer benefits.Republican Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart, said, “I’d say I’d want to know what rates are going to be, and I’d want to know what they mean when they say ‘the interests of the rate payers.’ Because to us, that’s code for, ‘We’re going to try to find some other ways to play some gimmicks,’ rather than look at the most important number, which is what’s the kilowatt hour rate?”Sen. Lawrence said wind power would bring stability to the energy marketplace.”You only have to pay for the construction of the project, and the fuel is free after that,” Lawrence said. “The energy price spikes in electricity in Maine this past year are overwhelmingly due to our reliance on fossil fuels, particularly natural gas.” Wind power proponents envision a bidding process starting in 2025, with the state’s Public Utilities Commission soliciting bids from companies interested in building the turbines. Maine Senate Republicans are proposing their own long-term, energy cost savings in new bills, described in a separate press briefing at the State House on Tuesday grid, arguing it raises electricty prices for others — promoting geothermal and wood pellets for heating, and removing the cap on importing, renewable hydropower to be used in Maine. Matt Harrington, of York County, a member of the Committee on Energy, Utilities & Technology, told reporters, “High energy costs hurt Maine people, and Maine business and are a drag in Maine’s economy. Maine people deserve more than $450 check. They deserve structural reforms that will lower their electricity and heating costs.” $450-dollar energy relief checks – part of a plan proposed by Governor Janet Mills in December and approved by a bipartisan, two-thirds majority of the state legislature earlier this month, are expected to be mailed out to Maine taxpayers starting in February.

Augusta, Maine —

With twin goals of lowering electricity bills and mitigating climate change, a Democratic state senator and environmental groups unveiled a proposal on Tuesday to greatly expand offshore wind power for Maine.

The state already has a plan to deploy a dozen offshore, floating, wind turbines in federally regulated waters, advanced last week by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

Now, renewable energy advocates envision hundreds of turbines in the Gulf of Maine.

The proposed offshore turbines, based on a model developed at the University of Maine-Orono, would float and be tethered to the ocean floor. They could be 500 feet tall.

The plan envisions as many as 400 turbines by 2035, 12 years from now.

Their projected output, 2.8 gigawatts, would match the output of a nuclear power plant and generate enough electricity to power about a million homes, the plan’s supporters said.

“The stakes are high. The need to move away from fossil fuels for climate change and economic reasons is urgent,” the bill’s sponsor, Democratic Senator Mark Lawrence, Co-Chair of the Committee on Energy, Utilities & Technology, said to reporters at the State House.

He described wind power as “an industry that will strengthen Maine’s economy, provide good paying jobs for Maine people, take significant steps in reducing energy prince volatility, and continue our progress in addressing climate change.”

Environmentalists backing wind power development, including the National Resources Council of Maine, say turbines can co-exist with fish and wildlife in far off federal waters.

State waters, the first three miles offshore, where 75% of lobster fishing occurs, are already off-limits to wind power.

“This bill will put Maine in the driver’s seat,” said Sarah Haggerty, a conservation biologist with Maine Audubon. “If Maine doesn’t take the initiative to help steer offshore wind development off our coasts, then someone else will.”

Private companies would finance the turbine towers and recoup their costs from electricity rate payers. The turbines are poised to sustain hundreds of union construction jobs.

Jason Shedlock, President, Maine State Building & Construction Trades Council, which represents 6,000 workers in 20 local unions, said, “A clean environment and a strong middle class cannot be mutually exclusive.”

Alyssa McGlynn, a UMaine graduate student working on offshore wind projects, said high wind speeds in the gulf would make the development more fruitful.

McGlynn said, “It’s an investment in creating lasting, diverse, industry jobs for Mainers, an investment for attracting students like myself to come here and study and stay here in Maine.”

Maine Senate Republicans, while saying they support renewable energy development, were skeptical of the consumer benefits.

Republican Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart, said, “I’d say I’d want to know what rates are going to be, and I’d want to know what they mean when they say ‘the interests of the rate payers.’ Because to us, that’s code for, ‘We’re going to try to find some other ways to play some gimmicks,’ rather than look at the most important number, which is what’s the kilowatt hour rate?”

Sen. Lawrence said wind power would bring stability to the energy marketplace.

“You only have to pay for the construction of the project, and the fuel is free after that,” Lawrence said. “The energy price spikes in electricity in Maine this past year are overwhelmingly due to our reliance on fossil fuels, particularly natural gas.”

Wind power proponents envision a bidding process starting in 2025, with the state’s Public Utilities Commission soliciting bids from companies interested in building the turbines.

Maine Senate Republicans are proposing their own long-term, energy cost savings in new bills, described in a separate press briefing at the State House on Tuesday.

Republicans advocate repealing net energy billing – when solar-paneled homes sell excess power back to the grid, arguing it raises electricty prices for others — promoting geothermal and wood pellets for heating, and removing the cap on importing, renewable hydropower to be used in Maine.

Sen. Matt Harrington, of York County, a member of the Committee on Energy, Utilities & Technology, told reporters, “High energy costs hurt Maine people, and Maine business and are a drag in Maine’s economy. Maine people deserve more than $450 check. They deserve structural reforms that will lower their electricity and heating costs.”

$450-dollar energy relief checks – part of a plan proposed by Governor Janet Mills in December and approved by a bipartisan, two-thirds majority of the state legislature earlier this month, are expected to be mailed out to Maine taxpayers starting in February.