The federal government has issued the nation's first floating offshore wind research lease to the state of Maine.
The lease area covers about 15,000 acres and is located nearly 30 miles off the southern Maine coast. The site would have a dozen floating offshore wind turbines capable of generating up to 144 megawatts of renewable energy. But the main goal of the project is to study the floating wind turbine technology and how it interacts with the environment, the fishing industry and other marine life.
Construction is not expected to start for several years. The state of Maine must first propose and submit a plan detailing the research it would like to conduct at the site.
