A U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded offshore wind demonstration project proposed for deployment off the coast of Maine achieved a major milestone on December 9, 2019, when Maine Aqua Ventus I and Central Maine Power Company signed the project’s 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The state’s Public Utilities Commission approved the PPA in November, 2019. This allows the demonstration project to sell its electricity to the Central Maine Power utility, making it the first DOE-funded offshore wind demonstration project to achieve this milestone.

The University of Maine’s Aqua Ventus I project has been in the planning phase since 2012, and securing a power offtake agreement will help the project attract financial investors and continue further development activities.