By Nichola Groom
(Reuters) - President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday said it had finalized an area of nearly 10 million acres in the Gulf of Maine for potential offshore wind development, a major step toward expanding the industry into northern New England.
The announcement was the latest milestone in the government's plan to put wind turbines along every U.S. coastline to help displace fossil fuel for power generation and fight climate change.
In a statement, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said it would kick off a 45-day period for public comment on the area, which sits off the coasts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.
The final "call area" was identified after soliciting feedback from tribes, states, the Department of Defense, fishing and shipping industries and the public. It is nearly 30% smaller than the area BOEM identified in an initial "Request for Interest" last year.
A maritime area claimed by both Canada and the United States and acreage inside Georges Bank, a fishing bank that separates the Gulf of Maine from the Atlantic Ocean, were both removed from consideration.
Based on information it receives, BOEM will likely whittle the area down again into "wind energy areas" to be identified later this year. Following further public comment, the agency may decide to proceed with leasing in those areas.
Energy companies including Orange, Connecticut-based Avangrid (NYSE:AGR) Inc, France's TotalEnergies SE and Germany's RWE AG (OTC:RWEOY) have expressed interest in developing offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine, according to BOEM.
Wind turbines that float on the ocean's surface, an emerging technology, would be necessary for projects in the Gulf of Maine because the depth of the water precludes the use of standard, fixed equipment.
Last year, the administration set a goal to power 5 million homes with floating offshore wind by 2035.