See the Offshore Wind Advanced Technology Demonstration Program web page to learn more about the University of Maine’s project, which has received nearly $13.7 million in DOE funding.

Detailed history: DOE’s Advanced Technology Demonstrations Program for Offshore Wind began in 2012 with the selection of seven projects to receive $4 million each in Budget Period 1 to complete preliminary engineering, design, site evaluation, and planning phases of their offshore wind demonstration projects.

In 2014, three of these projects—Dominion, Fishermen's Energy, and Principle Power—were selected to proceed to Budget Period 2, with the Energy Department allocating an additional $6.7 million for each project to complete the final engineering design, permitting, installations, and operations and maintenance plans, and secure a power off-take agreement. In total, these projects have each received $10.7 million.

In addition, two of the projects that were not selected for Budget Period 2 in 2014 were identified as alternate projects: the University of Maine (UMaine) and the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo). These projects would be eligible to enter the demonstration program if funding became available, either by Congress appropriating additional funding or due to the discontinuation of a demonstration project in the program. The Department continued supporting these projects to help them continue to advance their designs and address technical shortcomings. Each alternate project received $3 million in funding in 2014 and $3.7 million in 2016, bringing them each up to $10.7 million total as alternate projects 2012–2016.

In May 2016, the Energy Department evaluated the full portfolio against established milestones to determine whether any of the three demonstration projects—Dominion, Fishermen's Energy, or Principle Power—should continue as part of the Offshore Wind Advanced Technology Demonstration program, and whether either or both of the alternates—the University of Maine or LEEDCo—should be onboarded into the Demonstration program.

Through this evaluation, the Department decided that the Atlantic City Wind Farm developed by Fishermen's Energy, Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation's (LEEDCo's) Icebreaker project, and the University of Maine's New England Aqua Ventus I project had demonstrated significant progress toward being successfully completed. The Department continued to support these projects by fully onboarding the University of Maine and LEEDCo projects into the demonstration program, and through a short-term extension requiring Fishermen's Energy to secure a power offtake agreement before the end of 2016. Fishermen's was unable to secure the required power offtake agreement, and is therefore not qualified to move into the next budget period or receive additional funds from DOE for this project.

In 2018, the Department moved $3 million in funds that had been allocated for Budget Period 3 into Budget Period 2, bringing the total funding for the University of Maine and LEEDCo to nearly $13.7 million each. 

In October 2023, LEEDCo sent DOE a request for mutual termination of the award, and is therefore not qualified to move into the next budget period or receive additional funds from DOE for this project.

If all Budget Period 2 criteria are completed, UMaine will be eligible to receive an additional $10 million for Budget Period 3 and $13.3 million for Budget Periods 4 and 5, bringing the total for all 5 performance periods up to approximately $50 million, with a go/no-go project review occurring between each performance period.