Oct. 5 – Maine Governor Janet Mills and other administration officials will travel to Norway and Denmark this week to speak with government and energy leaders about the offshore wind industry.
During the six-day trip, the group plans to “promote and position Maine as a global leader in the responsible development and deployment of offshore wind energy,” the governor’s office said in a statement.
The delegation will travel to Norway on Sunday to view floating wind turbines in the cities of Bergen and Haugesund and to meet with government and energy officials in those cities.
Later this week they will travel to Denmark to meet with leaders including the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities, and take part in a roundtable discussion with members of the Danish Confederation of Industry. They will also tour an offshore wind port and wind test center in Esjerg, Denmark, to learn how the city has “supported the responsible growth of offshore wind energy while supporting its important fishing sector.”
Mills has touted the state of Maine as a potential leader in offshore wind energy. The idea has been opposed by Maine’s lobster industry, which claims offshore wind development could disrupt fishing grounds.
“Maine is well positioned to unleash the power of offshore wind energy to generate clean and affordable homegrown energy, reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, protect our environment, advance our climate goals and create good-paying jobs in a global industry which is expected to grow. for decades to come,” Mills said in a statement. “I look forward to learning from Norwegian and Danish leaders about their experiences building a successful offshore wind industry while balancing critical maritime interests and industries and promoting Maine, our substantial assets and our hardworking people.”
In February, the state selected Sears Island in Penobscot Bay as the preferred location to build a hub for Maine’s floating offshore wind industry.
Maine also received federal approval in August to install up to 12 floating turbines in the Gulf of Maine as part of a research lease. The project “will inform how floating offshore wind energy works and can coexist with ocean users and ecosystems in the Gulf of Maine,” the governor’s office said.
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