Wind Power News: Maine
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Politicians come out against Gulf of Maine offshore wind proposal
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, Reps. Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree, and Maine Gov. Janet Mills have sent a letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), urging them to completely exclude Lobster Management Area 1 (LMA 1) from the Wind Energy Area (WEA) for potential wind power development in the Gulf of Maine. The letter was sent following last month’s release of the draft WEA which excluded much of LMA 1 but identified two Secondary Areas . . . Complete story »
Foreign investors will reap 92 percent of profits from Aroostook County’s King Pine wind power scheme
When the 170-turbine 1,000 megawatt King Pine Wind Farm in Aroostook County becomes operational near the end of the decade, the majority of the profits from the sale of electricity to New England ratepayers will head to the other side of the planet. That’s because Longroad Energy, the Boston-based developer that will manage the wind farm, is 92 percent owned by large foreign investment funds, including one controlled by a foreign government, according to financial records reviewed by the Maine . . . Complete story »
The “clean energy future” is roiling both friends and foes
The problem boils down to this: If lawmakers want to ramp up renewables as fast and cheaply as possible, they’ll need to bulldoze or build over some places that people treasure. If there is anywhere in the country primed to welcome the clean energy transition, it is Penobscot Bay in Maine. Electricity prices there are high and volatile. The ocean waters are warming fast, threatening the lobster fishery. Miles offshore, winds blow strong enough to heat every home and power . . . Complete story »
A fishermen’s alliance fights back against offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine
The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) released an “Offshore Wind Research Summary” on Monday – a compilation of existing scientific research on the environmental impacts of offshore wind power development. An alliance comprised of the Downeast Lobstermen’s Association, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, the Maine Lobstering Union, the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, New England Young Fishermen’s Alliance, New Hampshire Commercial Fishing Association, Responsible Offshore Development Alliance all signed on to the NEFSA letter urging . . . Complete story »
Maine must hit pause on offshore wind turbines
You wouldn’t buy a house without an inspection, so why would we fill the Gulf of Maine with wind turbine superstructures without understanding how they interact with the marine environment? Offshore wind energy features too many unknowns to proceed at this point with widescale ocean industrialization. That’s why my organization, the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) has joined with partner organizations to call on state and federal authorities to reset our renewable energy policy. The state of Maine is . . . Complete story »
Farmers roll out tractors, trucks in central Maine to protest proposed transmission corridor
Albion – About 30 farmers from Albion, China and Palermo drove their tractors or trucks Wednesday to the Albion Town Office to protest a proposed transmission corridor that they say could decimate their livelihoods. The Aroostook Renewable Gateway Project, proposed by LS Power Grid Maine, a subsidiary of Missouri-based LS Power, would extend transmission lines across some 150 miles to tap into northern Maine’s robust wind power resources. Aroostook County lacks a connection to New England’s electric grid, but the project . . . Complete story »
Maine Governor opposes labor standards for offshore wind energy
Labor groups fear offshore wind could go the same way as solar: low wages and temp workers. Maine Gov. Janet Mills is threatening to veto legislation governing how the state builds and operates offshore wind projects, citing concerns over pro-union labor provisions. The Democratic governor championed an earlier version of the bill, but said this past week that she opposes a commitment to use project labor agreements (PLAs), prehire deals that set a floor for wages and can help build . . . Complete story »
Four whales die in 4 days: Wind farms creating ‘death zone’ at sea says ex–Greenpeace boss
Drilling foundations for offshore wind turbines and sound pulses used to prepare for the 900-foot towers may be creating a “death zone” for whales, a former Greenpeace chief claims. Patrick Moore, a co-founder of Greenpeace and its ex-president in Canada, believes the acoustic systems used by vessels surveying the ocean floor harm the marine mammals’ sense of hearing – risking their crucial ability to navigate, and leading to more dead whales washing up onshore. His intervention comes after four minke . . . Complete story »
Maine PUC OKs 1-GW Longroad wind farm, LS Power transmission line amid equity and cost concerns
Dive Brief: The Maine Public Utilities Commission Tuesday unanimously approved a 1,000-MW wind farm to be built by Longroad Energy and a 345-kV transmission line planned by LS Power to deliver electricity from the project to ISO New England. With Massachusetts utilities preparing to buy up to 40% of the wind farm’s output and similar capacity on the power line, Maine ratepayers will pay about $1 billion for the projects, with a typical residential ratepayer seeing a $1 per month . . . Complete story »
Wind energy developer files to scrap power agreements
Declaring that the largest offshore wind farm in the state’s pipeline “cannot be financed and built” under existing contracts, Commonwealth Wind on Friday asked Massachusetts regulators to scrap the agreements the company reached with utilities and reopen a new round of bidding. Commonwealth Wind filed a motion with the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) seeking dismissal of the power purchase agreements it reached with utility companies in May, which would render them moot, and a reopening of the process of . . . Complete story »
