Additionally, the Department of Energy today announced an additional $8 million in recovery act grant funding for the University of Maine project. This grant announcement comes following a meeting that Senator Collins arranged in June with University of Maine Professor Habib Dagher, Governor Baldacci, and the rest of the Maine delegation, to discuss "renewable energy and energy efficiency demonstration projects in the State of Maine, which could serve as a national model for the green energy economy."
This grant will be matched by $14 million in additional investment from other federal funding sources, the University, state government and industry to fund research and development of floating offshore wind turbine platforms. Over 30 public and private partners, from the University of Maine and Maine Maritime Academy to Bath Iron Works and Cianbro Corporation, joined together to form the consortium that is being awarded this grant.
"This is a great day for Maine, the University of Maine, green energy and for jobs in our state," said Senator Collins. "The University of Maine is on track to become a national leader in offshore wind technology. I am delighted that I was able to secure $5 million for UMaine's Deep Offshore Wind project in the Energy and Water Appropriations bill. The University has already made great strides in this research which has the potential to diversify Maine's energy supply, reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil, and create thousands of new jobs," said Senator Collins.
"Maine is the ideal location for deepwater offshore wind research because the state has some of the strongest and most consistent winds in the nation off our shore. Deep, offshore wind production, out-of-sight from land, could provide an affordable source of renewable electricity directly to the country's population centers on each coast. In addition, it would diversify Maine's energy supply so that people could switch from using home heating oil to heat pumps, and it would create thousands of new jobs."