Governor Janet Mills and a delegation of State of Maine officials have completed the first leg of a week-long international mission to Norway and Denmark focused on promoting and positioning Maine as a world leader in the responsible development and deployment of offshore wind.
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The Governor and the delegation of officials -- including Maine International Trade Center President Wade Merritt, Director of the Governor's Energy Office Dan Burgess, and Director of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future Hannah Pingree -- spent the past two days in Norway where they met with local government officials, surveyed offshore wind turbines and other offshore wind supply chain components, and met with Norwegian energy companies interested in expanding operations into the United States.
Governor Mills and state leaders arrived in the City of Bergen, Norway, on Sunday, where they were greeted by the staff of the Norwegian Consulate General in New York. Bergen is home to a growing offshore wind industry and the second largest port in Norway.
On Monday, the Delegation surveyed the Port of Bergen and held meetings with port officials to discuss the operation of the multi-purpose port, which services offshore wind supply chain vessels, their efforts to provide the vessels with clean energy.
Maine's delegation was briefed by Port officials on efforts to electrify the port, providing clean, renewable charging options to ships in port in order to reduce carbon emissions and pollution that had blanketed the city.
While in Bergen, the Maine Delegation also met with Norwegian offshore wind companies that span the supply chain, from production to assembly to delivery of electricity.
Offshore wind companies in both Norway and Denmark have expressed their interest in expanding operations in the United States.
The delegation also traveled to Øygarden to visit the Northern Lights project, the world's first commercial carbon dioxide transport and storage service.
The carbon capture and storage project -- completed less than two weeks ago -- will allow companies to transport and sequester CO2 emissions, helping Europe to meet goals established under the Paris Climate Agreement.
Early Wednesday morning, the delegation flew south to Haugesund. Located on the North Sea, Haugesund is home to the Marine Energy Test Centre (METCentre), which became home to the world's first offshore floating wind turbine in 2009.
After viewing the METCentre Turbines from the shore, the Maine Delegation met with more companies interested in offshore wind and the clean energy economy.
The delegation also toured a manufacturing yard operated by energy company Aibel, where they surveyed an offshore wind converter platform, and then met with leaders from the City of Haugesund.
On Thursday, Governor Mills and the Maine Delegation traveled to Denmark, where they were expected to meet with the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy, & Utilities, members of the Danish Parliament, and U.S. Ambassador to Denmark to discuss Maine's climate goals and Danish climate initiatives.
The Governor and delegation participateed in an offshore wind roundtable discussion with members of the Danish Confederation of Industry in Copenhagen, Denmark's largest business organization representing approximately 20,000 companies in Denmark.
The Governor visited Energinet, the Danish national transmission system operator for electricity and natural gas, to discuss interconnectivity of renewable resources. In the afternoon, they toured the Port of Esbjerg -- the world's largest offshore wind port, and Denmark's largest port.
The delegation met with Esbjerg Mayor Jesper Rasmussen to discuss challenges and opportunities associated with leading a seaport city with a large offshore wind presence. The delegation and Mayor Rasmussen discussed how Esbjerg has supported the responsible growth of offshore wind while supporting its significant fishing industry.
On Friday, the delegation visited a wind test center in Esbjerg that takes advantage of ideal wind conditions to test wind turbines where they discussed offshore wind supply chain logistics and then met industry leaders in Give for a conversation about energy storage.
On Saturday, the delegation will return home to Maine. ■