https://renewablesnow.com/news/maine-seeks-input-ahead-of-3-gw-offshore-wind-solicitation-855961/?utm_medium=email

Maine is seeking public input to underpin the future planning that the US state will need to make to achieve its goal of deploying up to 3 GW of offshore wind turbine capacity by 2040.

The feedback will be collected through a Request for Information (RFI) issued by Governor Janet Mills on Wednesday. The input will help the New England state conduct the first commercial offshore wind solicitation for the Gulf of Maine, with the responses to be used by state agencies to evaluate solicitation designs and the most appropriate approach for implementation.

Submissions under the RFI will be accepted by June 21, 2024.

“Public input gathered through this RFI will shape Maine’s first offshore wind solicitation, a key milestone in the development of responsible offshore wind for the State and the region," said Dan Burgess, Director of Maine Governor’s Energy Office.

In March, the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) designated a Final Wind Energy Area (Final WEA) in the Gulf of Maine that holds the potential to accommodate 32 GW of capacity. The area is located offshore Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire and is suitable for floating wind generation.