The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has reached an agreement with the State of Maine for the nation’s first floating offshore wind energy research lease.

The lease area covers 15.2 square miles and is located 28 nautical miles offshore on the US Outer Continental Shelf.

According to BOEM, the Gulf of Maine lease could allow for the deployment of up to 12 floating offshore wind turbines capable of generating up to 144MW of renewable energy.

The research array will enable the State of Maine, the offshore wind industry and others to conduct in-depth studies on the viability of floating offshore wind as a renewable energy source in the region, assessing its impact on the environment, supply chains and job creation against existing ocean uses.

Data gathered from the research lease will be made public and used to inform future commercial floating offshore wind planning, permitting and construction.

The state will work with the University of Maine and its development partner, Diamond Offshore Wind, to develop the array.

BOEM said that construction activity won’t commence for several years as the lessee must first submit a research activities plan to BOEM, which will undergo an environmental assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Maine governor Janet Mills commented: “Clean energy from offshore wind offers a historic opportunity for Maine to create good-paying jobs, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and fight climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions.”

BOEM received an application from the State of Maine for the lease in October 2021 and completed its review process in May 2024.

Maine is working towards its Offshore Wind Roadmap, which aims to harness renewable energy to drive economic growth, advance state-based innovation, support Maine’s seafood industry and protect the Gulf of Maine’s ecosystem.

On 14 August, BOEM completed its EA of potential offshore wind energy development in Oregon, following the cancellation of its offshore wind auction in the Gulf of Mexico.

These developments are part of the US Department of the Interior’s approval of nine commercial-scale offshore wind projects, planned since the start of the Biden-Harris administration in 2021. The projects will have a combined capacity of more than 13GW.

Major funding for the US’s 2030 offshore wind capacity goals is led by the US Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office, which announced the $48.6m Offshore Wind National and Regional Research and Development Funding Opportunity in July.