Maine’s renewable energy plan calls for the deployment of floating offshore wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine. To build these massive floating turbines, the state needs a new port where they can be manufactured and launched. The requirements for this port are that there be at least 100 acres of flat land adjacent to deep water (at least 35’), and there can be no aerial obstructions between the port and the deployment site in the Gulf of Maine. On February 20, 2024, Governor Mills announced that Sears Island is the state’s preferred site for the port. This presentation will briefly describe the process to date and the implications of this decision.
Rolf Olsen
Rolf retired in 2015 after a long and exhausting career in marketing communications, primarily in the field of arts and culture, but he also spent 10 years in the increasingly challenging realm of healthcare. Born in Seattle and raised in the Connecticut suburbs of NYC, Rolf feels most at home here on the Maine coast, where the cold saltwater appeals to his Nordic heritage. He is vice president of Friends of Sears Island and serves as the organization’s representative on the Offshore Wind Port Advisory Group, the committee of stakeholders convened by the State of Maine to advise on the best location for a proposed “marshalling” port. Rolf and his wife Lorelei (an almost-retired, self-employed accountant) built a small home in Searsport, where they can walk their kayaks on wheeled carts down to the Town Wharf to set off on easy paddling adventures.
Meeting Details
Monday, April 15, 2024
7:00-8:00pm EST via Zoom
Passcode: 264267
Invite your friends!