Will Massive Maine Wind Project Power Bay State?

Above, an artist's impression of what the giant King Pine wind project planned for Northern Maine, may look like. Whether Mass. ever taps into the power produced will be decided this month.

Maine, once a part of Massachusetts, is now in charge of our energy future. For starters, there was the well-known NO delivered by Maine voters in a referendum that scuttled plans to bring Quebec’s environmentally dubious hydro power to Massachusetts. That project now may be back on,  but its fate is uncertain.

In the meantime, though, a Boston-based developer is planning the King Pine wind farm in unincorporated timberlands in Maine’s far north Aroostook County. When or if built, it would be rated at up to 1,000 megawatts, making it the biggest terrestrial wind project east of the Mississippi river.

Its target market is Maine, of course, but also Massachusetts, with its huge power demands.

But getting the electricity to the south will require new infrastructure. That problem is on its way to solution, too.

According to a press release from L.S. Power, the Maine Public Utilities Commission has selected LS Power Grid Maine, LLC to build a new transmission line that will deliver renewable energy from Aroostook County, Maine into the existing New England grid. 

LS Power's plan calls for building over 100 miles of new 345 kV transmission lines and multiple substations to deliver new wind generation from Aroostook County, Maine. These projects will provide significant benefits to Maine and the region, including jobs, tax revenues, and environmental benefits. The location of the new facilities will be determined through an open and transparent siting process.

The Commission conducted a competitive process in accordance with The Northern Maine Renewable Energy Development Program which established certain parameters and criteria for consideration, including the technical and financial viability of proposed projects; use of existing rights-of-way and transmission corridors; and benefits to Maine ratepayers. LS Power's proposal was selected by the Commission as the transmission solution that best met these parameters including being the most cost-effective option.

All good so far. However, according to recent reporting by the Lewiston (Maine) Sun-Journal, whether the project moves ahead successfully depends in large part on decisions pending with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and the office of the Attorney General.

An existing memorandum of understanding between Massachusetts and the Maine Public Utilities Commission has set out the conditions that must be met for the state to cast its lot with L.S. Power. The issues are set forth here.

The long and the short of it is that without both states giving their approval and support – in the case of Massachusetts, committing to a long-term relationship that will absorb some of the costs in Maine – the project won’t be able to move ahead.

And, with recent financial issues raising concerns with existing off-shore wind projects, the Maine project is doubtless getting especially careful scrutiny.

But the waiting should be over soon. Sun-Journal reports the decision must be made by Dec. 31.