A federal offshore wind project in the Gulf of Maine could bring jobs and lower-cost energy to the region, officials said Tuesday.In two years, the federal government will auction off leases to develop wind energy in the Gulf of Maine. A summit held Tuesday in Portsmouth highlighted the economic impacts of the project, as well as concerns some have about what it could mean for the region's fishing industry.The summit brought together people from New Hampshire's nonpartisan Commission to Study Offshore Wind Development and the energy industry."This is a local, homegrown energy source, and it's going to transform things," said state Sen. David Watters, chairman of the commission. "It's really going to mean we'll have cheap, reliable power in the future. I just wish we could get there faster."He said New Hampshire has a port and infrastructure to support a process that brings billions of dollars in construction and supply chain opportunities."This could be the largest industry in the Seacoast for decades to come," Watters said.Fishermen shared concerns about what they said was a lack of federal environmental studies, as well as the size of the turbine units."These are enormous," said David Goethel, of the New Hampshire Commercial Fishermen's Association. "I don't think people realize they're about the size of the Empire State Building. And they float, and each one takes up 4 square miles. That's where the moorings are to keep it from moving, and so those will become no-fish zones immediately.""The state agencies, we're doing everything we can to balance pursuing this great opportunity with protecting the interests of existing activities to make sure those negative impacts are as little as possible," said Mark Sanborn, of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. "It's a balancing act, but it's one I know we can walk."New Hampshire is a part of the Gulf of Maine Task Force, which consists of officials from Maine and Massachusetts, as well. Although the project is under federal jurisdiction, the task force aims to represent the interests of the states and other stakeholders.The first leases will be auctioned in late 2024, but it could be eight to 10 years before wind energy is actually produced by the project.