PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 24, 2023
Proposed legislation unveiled Tuesday would call for the purchase of offshore wind-generated electricity in amounts that could supply every home in the state, and then some. Wind turbines that would float in the Gulf of Maine are still in development and not yet a reality. But a coalition of conservation and labor advocates—including the University of Maine, Natural Resources Council of Maine, Maine Audubon and the Maine State Building & Construction Trade Council—have high hopes for the bill, which would require the Public Utilities Commission to procure 2.8 gigawatts of wind energy over the next 12 years, enough output for 980,000 homes. The PUC has overseen similar procurements ordered by the Legislature, including those for solar projects.