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Shared Offshore Wind Focus Prompts Maine, UK Clean Energy Collaboration


A mutual focus on offshore wind energy has prompted an agreement between Maine and the United Kingdom to collaborate on research and development of clean energy technologies aimed at supporting carbon-neutrality efforts.

Gov. Janet Mills and Kwasi Kwarteng, a member of Parliament and the U.K.’s minister of state at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, have signed a five-year memorandum of understanding to enhance cooperation between Maine and the U.K. It took effect Wednesday.

Both the U.K. and Maine are focusing on offshore wind as a source of renewable energy, and the agreement was sparked when Mills took a trip to Scotland early this year as part of a U.S. delegation to learn about the U.K.’s offshore wind efforts.

Mills has made developing offshore wind a leading part of her climate change and economic recovery policies, and in November announced the state’s plan to develop the nation’s first floating offshore wind research array, in the Gulf of Maine. Offshore wind is also the first point in the U.K.’s 10-point “green industrial revolution” plan.

Mills said the purpose of the research array is to take “a measured, deliberative approach,” engaging the fishing industry’s expertise, and finding a way to minimize potential harm and maximize the economic benefits of offshore wind power. With the agreement, the two governments will cooperate on evaluating the impact of offshore wind on fisheries and the marine environment, workforce development and port infrastructure.

The agreement is expected to benefit researchers and businesses involved in offshore wind production and other renewable energy efforts on both sides of the Atlantic. Specifically, it commits both sides to collaborate on resources to reduce emissions from heating and transportation and advance offshore wind technology, green hydrogen and other renewable resources.

International collaboration is necessary, those behind the agreement said, to foster sustainable growth, support innovation and strengthen the global response to climate change.

The U.K. is a global leader in using offshore wind to reduce emissions, and is looking forward to sharing its experience with Maine, Kwarteng said in a news release announcing the agreement.

Mills said the U.K. “is showing how bold policy goals to create a vibrant, diversified clean energy industry can combat climate change and generate economic growth.”

“By working with our colleagues in the U.K. to develop these industries, Maine can achieve its energy goals, create jobs and preserve and protect our state for future generations as we fight climate change,” she said.

The research array announced last month is part of the ongoing Maine Offshore Wind Initiative announced by Mills in 2019. The state got a U.S. Economic Development Agency grant in October to support long-term planning for offshore wind with fishery, business, environmental and science representatives, as well as assessing port and infrastructure needs and evaluating the supply chain, manufacturing and workforce opportunities.

The state intends to file an application for the research array with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which oversees renewable energy development in federal waters, which begin more than three miles off the coast.

Dan Burgess, director of the Governor’s Energy Office, said, “The relationship with the U.K. offers a tremendous scientific, technical and environmental expertise that will inform Maine’s future in this growing field, and help it co-exist with our important marine industries, especially fishing.”

The U.K. sees Maine as a state that’s doing “exciting work in the field of offshore wind,” said British Consulate-General to New England,  Peter Abbott. “This partnership between the U.K. and Maine sets the stage for a deeper, more ambitious relationship. Maine’s ambitious climate action will resonate with many others and help lead broader reforms across New England and more widely, supporting jobs, encouraging investment and building a green, clean, resilient economy.”

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