Maine again looks north for onshore wind, but full grid integration will have to wait

by Long Islander

9 hours ago

Consider the source when reading. The second paragraph includes the standard total BS claim about powering X # of homes. (They don't tell you that's a fake theoretical number never attained which means ZERO homes can be powered.) The third paragraph states "Maine has been trying for years to build new renewable generation in its most remote northern counties, Aroostook and Washington, an area with enormous potential wind...." (No, not Maine, just really a handful of insiders hoping to exploit taxpayer and ratepayer funded giveaways and an uninformed population courtesy of the lying media. Also, look at a wind map of the U.S. and it immediately becomes clear that northern Maine's wind "resources" are anything but enormous.)

Maine again looks north for onshore wind, but full grid integration will have to wait

President Trump’s antipathy for wind power is only one obstacle the proposal must overcome. Another involves who will benefit from the project in far northern Maine, where the power will be generated but not used.

By: - February 9, 2026

New wind projects could be coming to Northern Maine — just not new power.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has released a final Request for Proposals (RFP) for up to 1,200 MW of new onshore wind or other renewable generation — enough to power nearly 450,000 homes — plus a new transmission line to carry that power to southern Maine and New England.

Maine has been trying for years to build new renewable generation in its most remote northern counties, Aroostook and Washington, an area with enormous potential wind and biomass resources but one that, due to a historic quirk of grid architecture, is electrically disconnected from the rest of New England.

With the effort facing headwinds ranging from a hostile presidential administration to local opposition to transmission, the destination for the power could become the thorniest issue of all..............................

Continue reading at https://mainemorningstar.com/2026/02/09/maine-again-looks-north-for-onshore-wind-but-full-grid-integration-will-have-to-wait/

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  • Dan McKay

    Can you say Cabal?

     “The directive is clear to get this line built. That is what the legislature wants to see. And we feel like we have flexibility in how to do that to maximize the benefit for Maine consumers,” Bartlett said.

    Bartlett is not only PUC Chairman, he is Maine's NESCOE Manager. NESCOE strong armed ISO-NE into upgrading a transmission line that will cost at least a billion dollars.  Janet Mills appointed Bartlett to both positions.  

    8 hours ago

  • Dan McKay

    Jack Shapiro lies again. Wind and solar get on the grid because they receive out of markets payments through renewable energy credits and investment tax credits. To get these credits they must find a way to get their output to the grid. They bid very obnoxiously low. ISO-NE has shown that these subsidies far exceed the capex costs of wind and solar so they can bid obnoxiously low. They get their output on the grid which provides them additional money. Natural gas, because it is dispatchable generally sets the market price and is pretty much the only resource that places a legitimate bid  to the "stack".

    Jack will not tell you that wind and solar also gets a payment that natural gas has to include in "stack" production costs due to expensive carbon dioxide costs from the RGGI program.

    Jack, as you know, natural gas is able to backstop wind and solar. Can you say the same for solar and wind backstopping natural gas? It looks like oil is backstopping pipeline constrained natural gas at the moment.

    A legitimate EUT Committee would forbid Jack from Public Hearings for his lies.

    8 hours ago