Are NH and Maine poised to become the ‘Saudi Arabia of wind energy’? Advocates say yes.

CONCORD — The Gulf of Maine could be the Saudi Arabia of wind energy, said New Hampshire state Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, in advance of a press conference on the state and offshore wind.

On April 30, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced a proposal by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for the first offshore wind energy auction in the Gulf of Maine. The sale would include eight lease areas off the coasts of Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, totaling nearly one million acres, with the potential to generate 15 gigawatts of energy – nearly half of the amount of energy that powers the current electric grid servicing the region. 

On Thursday, New England for Offshore Wind, Granite Shore Power, New Hampshire business leaders, and state elected officials were scheduled to hold a press conference to urge the state to “get engaged” in the procurement and development of offshore wind power.

“We felt that it was time to lift this back up in terms of the opportunity that New Hampshire has to be part of a burgeoning industry,” said Rob Werner, New Hampshire state director of the League of Conservation voters and a member of New England for Offshore Wind. “Not only for environmental reasons in terms of decarbonizing our economy and addressing climate change, but also in terms of economic development, jobs in the region.”

The push for wind energy comes after the announcement that Schiller and Merrimack Station power plants will be converted into “renewable energy parks.” Granite Shore Power, the company that owns both plants, is supporting the offshore wind energy movement and will play a role in its development, according to Werner.

What’s the deal with offshore wind power?

Offshore wind power is a form of renewable energy where the force of the winds at sea is harnessed and transformed into electricity.

In 2016, Block Island Wind Farm, located off of Block Island, Rhode Island, became the first project in the United States to deliver offshore wind power to the grid. In March, the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm opened off Montauk Point in New York. In Europe, there are several offshore wind farms in places like the United Kingdom, Denmark, and the Netherlands. In addition to the Gulf of Maine, the DOI proposal also included a wind energy auction off the coast of Oregon.

Offshore wind farms can create a large amount of clean energy: the proposed offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Maine has the potential to power 5 million homes. It also does so far away from where people live, meaning there is little local impact. Watters said the proposed offshore wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine would be too far away for people to see.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said in a press release these projects are part of the administration’s commitment to develop clean energy and create jobs. In New Hampshire, Werner and Watters see offshore wind as an economic windfall.

“I think there’s so many opportunities; it’s not only the developers that you know, would be putting in the actual turbines in the Gulf of Maine,” Werner said. “There’s a supply chain aspect to it, and economic development aspect to it in terms of jobs, in terms of electricians and welders and professionals of all types as this industry grows.”

The wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine are likely to be floating, rather than be attached to a big pole like those on land. They’d be attached to the ocean floor by a cable.

Offshore wind farms face opposition from fishermen

Fisheries and lobstermen have voiced opposition to the offshore wind farms. Watters said fishermen are worried about “any loss of bottom” in terms of where they can fish. He said they took those fears into account and excluded areas that are prime fishing grounds. But in Maine, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association has pushed back against any industrialization of the Gulf of Maine.

Environmental organizations, too, are worried about the impact the farms could have on birds and marine life. But Werner said groups like the National Wildlife Federation and Audubon have been part of the conversations since the beginning.

“There really is a way to create a balance. Part of the reason that those organizations came to the table in the first place, was the realization of the impact of climate change. In the Gulf of Maine, the waters are warming more rapidly than almost anywhere else, affecting wildlife,” Werner said. “You can arrange and create a situation for offshore wind development that takes into consideration bird migration patterns and things of that nature.”

Public meetings to be held on offshore wind project

The conversation isn’t over yet; throughout the next couple months, there will be a 60-day public comment period on the proposed sale. BOEM will host three in-person meetings where the public will have the chance to discuss the auctions with BOEM scientists and other employees, as well as five virtual meetings directed at different stakeholders, like commercial fishing and environmental organizations.

The first in-person meeting is scheduled for May 28 in in Portland, Maine. The second will be the following day, May 29, at the Urban Forestry Center in Portsmouth from 5 to 8 p.m. The third is set for May 30 in Danvers, Massachusetts.