Maine isn’t buying this sales pitch for a new offshore wind port site

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 6, 2024

Sprague Energy is throwing more weight behind a campaign to get the state to reconsider its preferred site for a $760 million offshore wind port, but Gov. Janet Mills’ administration is continuing to shoot down the idea. In February, the state selected the undeveloped Sears Island in Searsport as the best site for the 100-acre port that would be operational by 2029. It beat out the neighboring Mack Point, which is owned by Sprague. Those fighting the selection of Sears Island run the gamut from offshore wind opponents such as Republican lawmakers to conservationists who want that site protected. The Maine Coast Heritage Trust holds roughly 600 acres of the island under a 2007 conservation easement.