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Maine seeks 30MW of offshore wind and tidal pilots

The state of Maine is aiming to demonstrate the deployment of offshore wind turbines in its waters as a stepping stone to larger projects

The state of Maine has called for initial proposals for offshore wind and tidal energy projects to be developed in state waters.

A Request for Proposals was issued on Wednesday by the Maine Public Utilities Commission, seeking proposals by May 1st, 2011.

The move came came as a result of legislation from state lawmakers put in place this year, which set in place the process to agree long-term contracts to supply renewable energy generating capacity and associated credits from deep-water, offshore wind energy pilot projects or tidal energy demonstration projects.

The legislation allows the Commission to authorize one or more long-term contracts up to a total 30 megawatts output.

This total includes a 5MW limit on tidal generating capacity.

The 25MW of offshore wind capacity could equate to around a half-dozen turbines, depending on the machines ultimately used.

In particular, the Maine legislation aims to support grid-connected wind farms using floating wind energy turbines in the Gulf of Maine, no less than 10 nautical miles from land and at locations with a sea depth of at least 300 feet.

Successful bidders will enter into contracts of up to 20 years in length with one or more of the state’s investor-owned transmission utilities, which include the Central Maine Power Company (CMP), Bangor Hydro-Electric Company (BHE), and Maine Public Service Company (MPS).

Bidders would be expected to plan and install a facility to be operational within five years of winning a contract.

Ambitions

Maine has ambitions to develop up to 5,000MW of offshore generating capacity by 2050, with three prime locations already identified (see this BrighterEnergy.org).

The state has signed on to work with other East Coast states to cooperate on offshore wind development, and also with counterparts over the border in Canada (see this BrighterEnergy.org story).

Maine has also seen the first grid-quality electricity produced by a tidal power project earlier this summer (see this BrighterEnergy.org story).

The request for proposals states that bidders must have the capabilities to move on to develop offshore wind projects of 100MW or more, and must demonstrate commitment to establish manufacturing facilities in the state of Maine.