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The federal government turned down Maine’s request for a $456 million grant that would cover most of the cost of building an offshore wind port on Sears Island, officials confirmed Tuesday.
The Maine Department of Transportation had applied in May for $456 million from a competitive federal fund focused on multimodal transportation. Following protests from environmentalists, tribes and Republicans, the state picked Sears Island over nearby Mack Point earlier this year for the staging area of the offshore wind port and said the project will cost $760 million.
Transportation Commission Bruce Van Note said Tuesday the application was not successful. It is a notable setback to a project eyed for completion in 2029, but the state is seeking another $130 million from a separate federal program to help. Van Note said the state “knew the grant program would be extremely competitive and that our application was ambitious.”
“We believe the result is a reflection of the fiercely competitive nature of this program and that it does not reflect, or undermine, the widely-recognized need for this port, the strong merit of Maine’s plan or the vast economic and environmental benefits associated with port development,” Van Note said in a statement.
The port would be the first purpose-built one in the U.S. accommodating floating turbines. The cost includes construction of a semi-submersible barge that would lower turbine parts into the water and prepare them for installation. It would be the first of its kind in the country as well.
