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Governor Mills and delegation will return to Maine following a series of productive meetings in Norway and Denmark focused on promoting and positioning Maine as a leader in floating offshore wind development
Copenhagen, DENMARK - Governor Janet Mills and a delegation of State of Maine officials today completed the second and final leg of their weeklong international mission to Norway and Denmark focused on positioning Maine as a leader in the responsible development and deployment of floating offshore wind.
The Maine delegation arrived in Copenhagen on Wednesday following two productive days in Norway. In Denmark, the Governor and a delegation of state officials -- including Maine International Trade Center President Wade Merritt, Director of the Governor's Energy Office Dan Burgess, and Director of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future Hannah Pingree -- met with industry and government leaders to discuss Maine's emerging floating offshore wind industry and shared climate goals.
The Governor and delegation also met with local government leaders, port operators, and business leaders in Esbjerg - the world's largest base port for offshore wind activities - to learn about how the Port of Esbjerg and its operations.
"Our time in Denmark was productive and informative. It provided a valuable opportunity for state officials to meet directly with government officials who value bilateral collaboration and with business and industry leaders who are deeply interested in investing in Maine's emerging floating offshore wind industry," said Governor Janet Mills. "I look forward to using the information and relationships we've gained in Norway and Denmark to help our state responsibly harness the tremendous environmental and economic opportunities offered by offshore wind."
Governor Mills and state officials began their visit to Denmark on Wednesday, first meeting with the Climate, Energy, and Utilities Committee of the Danish Parliament to discuss transmission line capacity, battery storage, and Denmark's ambitious energy goals. Maine's delegation shared the state's ongoing work to embrace clean energy and pursue the vast benefits that offshore wind offers Maine people. While in Copenhagen, the Delegation was briefed by the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Utilities on Denmark's clean energy goals and offshore wind industry. Later, Governor Mills briefed U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Alan Leventhal on Maine's emerging role as leader in floating offshore wind energy, and the state's work to attract investment and increase collaboration with countries like Denmark.
On Thursday morning, Governor Mills and the Maine Delegation convened a roundtable discussion on offshore wind roundtable with members of the Danish Confederation of Industry in Copenhagen, Denmark's largest business organization representing approximately 20,000 companies in Denmark. Businesses and investors have indicated significant interest in expanding their footprint in the United States. The delegation also visited Energinet, the Danish national transmission system operator for electricity and natural gas, to discuss interconnectivity of renewable resources.
On Thursday afternoon, the Governor and delegation toured the Port of Esbjerg - the world's largest offshore wind port, and Denmark's largest port. While in Esbjerg, the delegation met with port operators to learn more about the operation of the Port and Mayor Jesper Rasmussen to discuss how Denmark's largest fishing port has supported and protected its fishing industry.
This morning, the delegation visited a wind test center in Esbjerg that takes advantage of ideal wind conditions to test wind turbines. The delegation concluded the day in the town of Give, where they visited a Danish offshore wind manufacturer to discuss floating offshore wind supply chain logistics.
The delegation now returns home to Maine.
In 2023, Governor Mills signed landmark offshore wind legislation that authorized the state procurement of at least 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy installed in the Gulf of Maine by 2040, created opportunities for all Maine workers and businesses in the emerging offshore wind industry, and protected critical lobstering areas from development.
Earlier this year, Governor Mills announced Sears Island as the preferred site for a port to construct and service floating offshore wind turbines. The purpose-built port facility will establish Maine's place in the growing offshore wind industry, become a hub for job creation and economic development, and is welcomed by a strong and diverse coalition of environmental, labor, and economic organizations.
In August 2024, Governor Mills announced that the State and the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have agreed on a floating offshore wind research lease in the Gulf of Maine. The array, which will include up to 12 floating turbines, will inform how floating offshore wind operates and can co-exist with ocean users and ecosystems in the Gulf of Maine. Prior to construction, the research array is subject to environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act, approval by BOEM of a research activities plan, and final approval of a Power Purchase Agreement by the PUC.
BOEM will host a commercial offshore wind lease auction for sites in the Gulf of Maine on October 29, 2024, based on Final Sale Notice (FSN) for the Gulf of Maine issued by the agency earlier this year. The lease areas identified by BOEM in the FSN exclude the entirety of Lobster Management Area 1, as requested by Governor Mills and Maine's Congressional Delegation.
For more information and recent news on offshore wind in Maine, including the research array, please visit maineoffshorewind.org.