US' largest floating wind project off Maine advances with federal review - Recharge
US' largest floating wind project off Maine advances with federal review | Recharge
The US’ largest floating wind project, the 144MW New England Aqua Ventus (NEAV) under development off coastal Maine, sailed ahead with availability of its federal draft environmental assessment (EA) for a research lease.
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), regulator of energy development in US waters, will publish the EA in the Federal Register, the nation’s journal of record on 21 July, initiating a 30-day comment period.
The EA is a preliminary evaluation of potential development impact, and its approval would greenlight the lease sale, not the actual project.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: hydropower
Hydropower — electricity generated by turbines capturing energy from moving water — was for many years the primary contributor of renewable energy to the U.S. electricity grid. Its growth was rapid into the 1970s, and since then has offered a stable supply of power, while a declining share of all generation. For many years, hydropower was seen as clean energy and an unalloyed good, but a greater understanding of the impact of dams on ecosystems and wildlife has led to the removal of some dams. As of 2019, hydropower trails wind as a renewable source of power generation.