Monhegan Energy Info

Who we are

This website was created by the Monhegan Energy Task Force (METF) as a source of information about the Maine Aqua Ventus I (MAV I) project, a 12 MW offshore wind project proposed two miles off of Monhegan Island.

METF was formed to represent Monhegan in communications and negotiations with Maine Aqua Ventus regarding all aspects of the proposed offshore wind project, including the planning, construction, operation, and decommissioning phases.

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Latest news

NEAV is seeking feedback regarding the required navigational aids. You can find more information via the meeting recording and slideshow that is available on the METF website. Please use the form below to send in your feedback by July 13th.

FAQ

Questions & Answers about the Maine Aqua Ventus Demonstration Project and Potential Community Benefits Agreement

Do you have a question about the MAV project?  Is there an answer already out there?

In an attempt to help people understand the MAV project and the potential Community Benefits Agreement being discussed on Monhegan, we have compiled all the Q & A from the past two years and arranged it by topic area. It is still a lengthy document, but hopefully this might make it easier for you to sort through all the information that has already been posted since 2014.

See Q & A Document here: http://www.monheganenergy.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06.22.16-Monhegan-QA-Compiled.pdf

Questions from April 5 Community Meeting

Representatives from Maine Aqua Ventus responded to questions from the community raised at the community meeting held April 5, 2016. Their responses are available here: Questions from the Community, April 5, 2016

Community Questions Answered by SGC Engineering

On May 18, 2016 SGC Engineering provided answers to questions from members of the community.

Click here to view the answers: Community Questions Answered by SGC Engineering

Reimbursement for METF activities

The following post was written by METF Co-Chair Marian Chioffi to explain the payments made to METF by the University of Maine as reimbursement for legal fees, surveying costs, and time/effort.

There’s been a lot of discussion about MAV paying Monhegan.  In our effort to be as transparent as possible about the workings of METF, we thought we should say what money has changed hands and what it was for.

When METF formed in the fall, Tara and I agreed to co-chair the committee.  I don’t think that either of us realized just how much time METF was going to take.  In December, the 2 of us talked about how much time it was taking and that the time we spent on METF was time we didn’t spend doing the things we needed to do to earn a living.  MAV offered to give us a stipend toward the time we were spending, but this didn’t seem right to us.  We decided to ask the town and the power district if they would pay us for the time we were spending.  In looking at this option, it was discovered that Tara could not be paid additional monies from the town since she is Monhegan’s First Assessor.  I went to MPPD and asked if they could pay Tara and me for the time that we were spending on the MAV project.  MPPD agreed to pay us for the time spent.

METF began speaking with MAV in the fall to try and get answers to the questions the community was asking.  METF passed on the notion that Monhegan should not be responsible for any costs associated with this project.  MAV offered to reimburse Monhegan for costs incurred.

In January MPPD submitted a bill to MAV for the following project related expenses:

1. Survey of lots in proposed cable land fall area: $3,400.00
2. Legal review November 2013 – January 2014: $5,434.28
3. M. Chioffi and T. Hire: hours logged toward project November 1, 2013 – January 31, 2014 including community updates, discussions with legal counsel, and communications with Maine Aqua Ventus and the Island Institute — $4,980.00

Total Expenses November 1, 2013 – January 31, 2014 = $13,814.28

This reimbursement check was received in April 2014.

METF will continue speaking with the University of Maine about the test site even though the MAV project is currently on hold.  We will continue to post any financial information here on our site.

Respectfully submitted,

Marian Chioffi

METF Co-chair

Changes to tourism caused by the MAV project

Update: The Tourism Impact Report is available here: Summer 2014 Monhegan Island Tourism Tech Report 6-3-16

The answer to this FAQ was provided by Maine Aqua Ventus. 

Question: How is Maine Aqua Ventus I GP LLC (MAV) planning to characterize the potential changes to tourism caused by the project?

Answer: Maine Aqua Ventus I GP LLC is committed to a three step process to examine potential changes in Monhegan Island tourism caused by the offshore wind demonstration project:

(1) MAV is partnering with University of Maine (UMaine) researchers to examine previous examples of offshore wind energy projects to characterize what is known nationally and internationally about this issue.

(2) MAV is partnering with UMaine researchers to compile information (as provided by Monhegan) related to current Monhegan Island tourism, including capacity, demographics, and seasonality of visitor types.

(3) Finally, MAV is partnering with UMaine researchers to survey Monhegan Island visitors to characterize attitudes related to the project.

The results of these studies will be shared with the Monhegan Island Energy Task Force to identify challenges, concerns, and opportunities generated as a result of the project.

If you have information that may help in this type of analysis, do not hesitate to contact Mario Teisl teisl@maine.edu or Damian Brady damian.brady@maine.edu.

Resources

Documents