On February 23, 2023, Maine Governor’s Energy Office released the Maine Offshore Wind Roadmap, a stakeholder-driven comprehensive plan that outlines strategies for Maine to realize the economic, energy, and climate benefits from offshore wind, while preserving Gulf of Maine communities, fisheries, and wildlife. The Roadmap was developed in a robust public process led by an advisory committee with members from State agencies and energy, economic, fisheries, wildlife, science, and environmental leaders in Maine. This process was also informed by several detailed technical studies of the economic, socioeconomic, and energy implications of offshore wind.
Objectives of the Roadmap are organized around five key topics – supporting economic growth and resiliency, harnessing renewable energy, advancing Maine-based innovation, supporting Maine’s seafood industry, and protecting the Gulf of Maine’s ecosystem. The Roadmap is part of the Maine Offshore Wind Initiative, a multi-faceted approach to responsible offshore wind in Maine overseen by the Governor’s Energy Office. The release of the Roadmap comes after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) last month advanced an application by the State of Maine to lease a proposed site in Federal waters in the Gulf of Maine for a Floating Offshore Wind Research Array.