BOOTHBAY HARBOR

Statoil has decided to close down the Hywind Maine project and “demobilize all activities and
resources,” the company said in a news release.

Changes in the framework conditions in the state, uncertainty around the commercial
framework, and the schedule implications of project delays made the project outlook
too uncertain to proceed, the company said.

Statoil will now focus on the Hywind concept in Scotland, “a project we have matured
in parallel with Hywind Maine during the last three years,” according to Trine Ulla, head of business development for wind for Statoil.

“Regardless of our exit in Maine, we will continue to explore the US offshore wind
market. The US holds several locations with good wind conditions, deep waters and
proximity to load centers,” Ulla said.

Ulla noted that the decision was a difficult one, and that Statoil appreciates the support for the project both at the state and federal levels. “We have been met with enthusiasm and strong support from a broad range of local and federal stakeholders.”

Hywind was to be the world’s first full scale floating offshore wind turbine project. 

Statoil had put its Hywind Maine project on hold this summer after the Legislature, at the urging of Gov. Paul LePage, passed a law that allowed a partnership led by the University of Maine to compete for offshore wind contracts.