The Maine Public Utilities Commission in the US has voted unanimously to approve a power purchase agreement for the 12MW Aqua Ventus 1 floating offshore wind farm.

Commission chairman Philip Bartlett said: “The commission is pleased to approve this contract which provides (Aqua Ventus) the opportunity to demonstrate the commercial viability of this technology while also providing Maine with a new clean renewable energy resource.”

The two-turbine Aqua Ventus 1 will be the first commercial-scale floating offshore wind farm in the US.

It is being developed by a team lead by the University of Maine, which has designed the floating structures for the project.

A prototype of the project is pictured.