The Maine Department of Conservation has chosen four areas in state waters where developers may soon test offshore wind turbines.

Officials have narrowed down a list of possible sites to areas off Boon Island in York County, Damariscove and Monhegan islands in Lincoln County, and Cutler in Washington County. One of the sites will be set aside for the University of Maine, which earlier this month was chosen to receive $8 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to fund offshore wind technology. Commercial developers will be limited to testing two deep-water, offshore wind turbines at each of the four draft sites.

Legislation in June mandated that the conservation department and the State Planning Office identify up to five offshore wind demonstration sites. The agencies will accept public comments on the proposed sites until Nov. 30, with a Dec. 15 deadline to finalize the list.