SOUTH PORTLAND — The Maine coast could become home to a pilot project to create the country's first deepwater, floating wind farm.
A task force formed by the federal Bureau of Energy Management met Thursday to consider a commercial lease for a test project on the outer continental shelf, roughly 12 miles from the nearest land, in deep water south of the Boothbay Harbor region.
If the four-turbine project wins approvals and the developer goes forward, it could be operating in 2016 and generate as much as 12 megawatts, equivalent to the power needs of about 18,000 homes.
The meeting was scheduled after the Norwegian energy giant Statoil North America Inc. filed an unsolicited application to the federal agency in October.
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