BY DIETER BRADBURY

Portland Press Herald

Gov. John Baldacci and the state's congressional delegation asked U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Friday to allocate $20 million to fund a wind research center in Maine.

The proposed National Deepwater Offshore Wind Research Center would include a facility at the University of Maine and a coastal and offshore test center.

"Maine has what it will take to develop the technology and build the large, floating structures that will be needed for an offshore wind industry," Baldacci and the delegation said in a written statement after meeting with Chu in Washington, D.C. "This is an opportunity for Maine to lead the nation in developing a new source of clean, renewable energy."

In addition to the $20 million, which would come from the federal economic stimulus, Baldacci and the delegation asked Chu to support an additional four years of congressional funding.

The U.S. Department of Energy received $113 million for wind energy development under the economic stimulus, including $93 million allocated specifically for advanced wind research.

The federal money would boost efforts by state government, the university and the private sector to capitalize on the Gulf of Maine's potential as a site for offshore wind energy projects.

Habib Dagher, director of UMaine's Advanced Structures Composites Center, estimates that winds within 50 miles of the coast could generate as much energy as 40 nuclear power plants.

The center has begun developing composite materials suitable for use in offshore wind turbines, which must be built to withstand harsh conditions.

Several international companies have been considering sites in the Gulf of Maine for locating offshore platforms to test turbine designs.

Maine faces competition from other states with wind resources for the federal money to support research and development ventures.

Massachusetts, for one, has been told it will get $25 million in DOE stimulus funding for a wind technology test center.

The Bay State will supply another $13 million to the wind center from a state energy trust fund.

Other states that have seen government or private investments in offshore wind energy development include New Jersey and Rhode Island.

Despite the competition, Dagher expressed confidence in Maine's prospects for federal support. He attended Friday's meeting and made a presentation to Secretary Chu.

"He really understood what we were saying, asked very intelligent questions and was very engaged," Dagher said.

The Legislature voted this week to streamline the state permitting process and designate five wind power test sites offshore. Baldacci included $7.5 million for wind power research in the bond package he submitted to lawmakers for approval.

Dagher said it was important that legislators endorse the package and send it to referendum, to demonstrate Maine's commitment to supporting the wind research center.

"We've asked the secretary to match that amount," he said. "It would be critical to pass it at this time."

U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, D-2nd District, who attended Friday's meeting, said the wind center would create jobs while supplying vital renewable energy.

"I believe that we made a strong case for our state during our meeting with Secretary Chu," he said.

The three other members of the delegation, Republican U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, and 1st District Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree also attended the meeting.

The DOE will review Maine's funding proposal under its Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program. So far, the department has distributed about $46 million of the total $4 billion it received for all energy programs under the stimulus, according to recovery.gov, the federal Web site for tracking stimulus spending.

Meeting participants said there was no timeline for DOE to act on Maine's proposal.