Working to support the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT), VHB conducted an environmental and permitting review of four potential locations for an offshore wind port in Searsport, Maine. This evaluation informed a Port Infrastructure and Market Potential Assessment that considered the viability, estimated cost, and timeline of creating such a port, a first-of-its-kind facility for floating wind turbines in the U.S.
VHB considered multiple resource issues, including land uses, recreation, fisheries, threatened and endangered species, and navigation within the framework of the structure and berth requirements for an offshore wind facility. The team identified and detailed the environmental permits required to construct this port infrastructure, including triggers for each approval. VHB also completed a multi-variable assessment of each site based on environmental, regulatory, and existing landscape factors.
VHB’s experience on this project and others gives our team a unique perspective when it comes to understanding the supply chain, or lifecycle, of an offshore wind project. From initial development review, site selection and permitting, through the construction and operation of wind turbines, VHB works with local, state, and federal authorities and with clients to understand the critical links needed to get turbines onto a potential site.
