In 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) whittled down the list of offshore projects it was actively supporting from seven to three, focusing on a trio of projects backed by the developers Fishermen’s Energy, Dominion Resources and Principle Power.

Projects backed by two other developers – the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation’s (LEEDCo) and the University of Maine – were named as “alternates” but not immediately eligible for the same amount of grant funding.

But