AUGUSTA, Maine — Sprague Energy is throwing more weight behind a public-relations 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 and features warehouses, liquid tanks and industrial docks.
The Mills administration telegraphed its decision for weeks ahead of time, noting that Sears Island is state-owned and would cost less to develop. Sprague’s effort is notable as it is a fossil fuel company joining environmentalists as part of a varied group of opponents to the other site.
“We’re not hearing that the state is seriously looking at this alternative,” Jim Therriault, vice president of materials handling at Sprague Operating Resources, said. “I think that’s why we’re making a much more public effort.”
On Thursday, the Massachusetts-based company issued a news release outlining its plan. Next week, the company will give reporters a tour of the facilities on Mack Point. The state can afford to wait until the fall to finalize the port site because federal wind leases for the Gulf of Maine will not be auctioned off until then, Therriault said.
The preference for Sears Island goes back to a 2021 study for the state that cited advantages over Mack Point, including costs of construction as well as ease of navigation. But Sprague argues that the state is underestimating the costs of dredging and building a new rail approach on Sears Island, redoubling its promise to set aside 100 acres for the port.
The Maine Department of Transportation shot down the idea in a statement, restating the findings of the study and noting that the need for lease payments to a private landowner at Mack Point, which would make for “a more expensive and inferior port facility.”
“If we are to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and help create more stable and affordable energy prices in the future, investing in clean energy infrastructure must occur,” department spokesperson Paul Merrill said.
Mills, a Democrat, is trying to position the state as a national hub for the emerging offshore wind industry by deploying technology developed over the last two decades at the University of Maine. Yet it remains a touchy political subject. For example, the influential Maine Lobstermen’s Association and allies oppose any wind development in the Gulf of Maine.
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.
Sears Island has long been eyed for development. A succession of governors worked into the 1990s to put a port there. Mills has faced roadblocks as well. Her plan to waive dune protections to clear the way for a port initially failed in the Maine House of Representatives in April, but she convinced members to reverse themselves in a vote one week later.
Sprague has embraced environmental arguments against Sears Island. In a statement attached to its news release, Rolf Olsen, president of Friends of Sears Island, said Mack Point “has thrived as an industrial site for more than a century” and is “a far better and less disruptive” location for the port.
