Maine officials have identified a preferred site for an offshore wind farm that would be the nation’s first floating offshore wind research area.

The administration of Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is working with the University of Maine and New England Aqua Ventus on the planned research array. Administration officials have said the project will contain up to 12 turbines.

The Mills administration released the specifications of its preferred site for the project on Monday. The site is a 16-square-mile area in the Gulf of Maine located about 30 miles off the Maine coast.

Members of the state’s commercial fishing industry have expressed concerns about locating offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine.

Mills signed off on a prohibition of offshore wind projects in state waters this month in a bid to ease those concerns.

The administration said it’s taking comments on the siting proposal through the end of the month. The project is also subject to a federal review because it’s in federal waters.

Map from maine.gov