Wind Power News: Maine
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Massachusetts utilities sign deal key to CMP power line project through Maine
Massachusetts utilities signed an agreement Thursday to bring hydropower from Quebec through Maine via a new 145-mile transmission corridor. The agreement is a necessary step for Central Maine Power Co.’s New England Clean Energy Connect transmission project. The Augusta-based company wants to build a transmission corridor to bring renewable power from Hydro-Quebec to markets in Massachusetts, where regulators have adopted strict clean-energy goals. Key to that proposal is the agreement with Massachusetts electric distribution companies to buy the power at . . . Complete story »
Regulators apply brakes to offshore wind power project led by UMaine
HALLOWELL – Longstanding efforts to establish an offshore wind energy industry in Maine suffered a setback Tuesday when state utility regulators voted to reopen a previously negotiated power contract to test a patented technology for deep-water floating wind farms. Since January, supporters of the Maine Aqua Ventus project had expressed concern that action by the Public Utilities Commission to alter a power-rate contract set in 2014 could doom the University of Maine-led venture just as it’s reaching the critical stages for . . . Complete story »
Panel votes to reopen power contract for UMaine offshore wind project
In a move seen as a setback for a pilot offshore wind project under development by the University of Maine, state regulators voted unanimously Tuesday to reconsider the contract terms by which Central Maine Power agreed to purchase electricity from the project. The Public Utilities Commission voted in 2014 to allow the $80 million UMaine Aqua Ventus project to negotiate a price at which CMP would buy electricity generated by the floating wind turbines, to be located off the island . . . Complete story »
Report finds offshore wind could add 2,100 jobs, as regulators mull fate of UMaine project
Maine could use its offshore wind power expertise to boost manufacturing and support 2,100 jobs in that industry, according to a report released late Wednesday. Based largely on advances in floating platforms for wind turbines developed by the University of Maine, the report by the American Jobs Project found that Maine is well positioned to benefit from rising demand for offshore wind technology. The report also cited as strengths interest from cooperative industry associations in the state, a growing network . . . Complete story »
Kittery looks to remove failed wind turbine
KITTERY, Maine – Following a failure of electricity production, mechanical issues and bankruptcy of the installation company, the last chapter of the town’s 2008 wind turbine is likely removal. The 125-foot-tall turbine, at Kittery’s transfer station, was installed in 2008 following voter approval after a concerted effort by town employees, residents and the Kittery Energy Advisory Committee. Colorado-based Entegrity Wind Systems constructed the turbine on a $185,000 bid, with the intention of providing energy for the transfer station and nearby Shapleigh . . . Complete story »
Legislators battle with LePage over CMP’s proposed transmission line
Gov. Paul LePage and Central Maine Power are battling it out with environmental groups, local power generators and a bipartisan group of legislators over a proposed $950 million electrical transmission line from Lewiston to Quebec. The 146-mile New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC), which is a joint effort of CMP and Hydro-Québec, would bring 1,200 megawatts of Canadian hydro power to Massachusetts through the existing regional grid to comply with the Bay State’s renewable energy goals. CMP argues that the . . . Complete story »
Cold snap tested reliability of region’s power grid and arguments against fossil fuels
As Maine and New England shivered through last winter’s historic cold spell, the region’s electric system faced an unprecedented prospect: rolling blackouts. Several troubling circumstances were converging. Natural gas was scarce and pricey. A power line failure sidelined one of New England’s largest power plants. Solar panels were covered with snow and wind turbines were buffeted by storms. The combination forced grid operators to ramp up 1960s-era technology to keep the lights on. For the first time, they strategically juggled . . . Complete story »
Views clash as DEP readies greenhouse gas reduction forced by citizen initiative
AUGUSTA – Maine environmental regulators heard hours of testimony Tuesday on a citizen-initiated proposal that would require the state to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 8 percent annually while imposing new regulations on the trucking and biomass industries. Tapping a little-used section of state law, a grassroots group of attorneys and activists submitted nearly 700 petition signatures from registered voters calling for tougher standards on emissions of carbon dioxide and other climate-warming gases. As a result, the Department of Environmental Protection . . . Complete story »
UMPI keeping options open after wind turbine fire
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – University of Maine Presque Isle officials are reviewing their options for renewable energy after an April 1 fire that destroyed key parts of the campus’ 9-year-old wind turbine. Later this month, a crew with a 300-ton crane will remove the turbine’s nacelle, which houses the generator and other key mechanical components and the location where the fire broke out. Technicians from Vestas, the company contracted to maintain the turbine, have declared the nacelle to be a total . . . Complete story »
How CMP plans to pipe clean energy to Massachusetts through Maine
A $950 million proposal to transmit hydropower 145 miles from the Canadian border through western Maine and to the New England electric grid is moving steadily through regulatory reviews and contract negotiations, despite opposition from groups questioning its environmental and economic benefits to Maine. If approved by Maine regulators this fall, the New England Clean Energy Connect, or NECEC, project would both build new transmission lines, from Beattie Township in Franklin County on the Canadian border to Lewiston, and upgrade . . . Complete story »
