Rural Aroostook wind power project takes big step forward

Note that Maine PUC chair Phil Bartlett was on Governor Baldacci's wind task force, which was created to begin the onslaught of Maine's countryside with feckless wind power and put money in the pockets of insiders. https://www.windtaskforce.org/page/the-expedited-wind-law

Longroad Energy is the gang from First Wind - Paul Gaynor, Michael Alvarez, Peter Keel and Charles Spiliotis.

The investors listed on their website include a couple of New Zealand concerns, one owned by the New Zealand government. https://www.longroadenergy.com/about-us/investors/ Who would have thought that New Zealand would have a say in the destruction of Maine?

The PUC chair said "the influx of renewable energy into the regional grid will also place downward pressure on electricity prices, benefiting consumers in Maine....". After all the grotesque wind projects already installed across Maine, I wonder whether the commissioner has looked at his electricity bill lately.

Note that the NECEC, the Canadian hydro line that could affect the fortunes of this Aroostook wind power disaster is currently on fast track for trial in April 2023 and prompt trial...

Emphasis in bold mine.

by Lori Valigra

Maine regulators named the winners Wednesday of bids on a renewable energy project that would bring electricity to underserved areas in the northern part of the state, but it still is not clear how much ratepayers will be asked to pay for it.

LS Power Base of New York won the transmission portion of the bid and Longroad Energy’s King Pine Wind of Massachusetts won the power generation bid. The two provided the lowest combined bids for the Northern Maine Renewable Energy Development Program that is planned for Aroostook County.

Maine Public Utilities Commission Chair Philip Bartlett said the project could develop significant amounts of renewable generation in northern Maine at a competitive cost. There also are economic benefits.

“Such projects would provide substantial economic development benefits, property taxes, construction jobs and many other benefits to a part of our state that could surely benefit from these investments,” Commissioner Patrick Scully said.

All three commissioners agreed on the bidders. However, they could not rule on whether the project is in the public interest until they get more information on who will pay for the project and how much Maine ratepayers might have to absorb. And that could depend on whether and how much Massachusetts is willing to kick into the project.

With the $1 billion Central Maine Power Co. hydropower corridor stalled and in legal jeopardy, the Massachusetts energy regulators who hold the keys to the project are preparing alternatives, including the Aroostook project, in the event of its potential defeat.

Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Aroostook, the major backer behind the project, lauded the commission’s decision. He said renewable energy projects in northern Maine, which includes Aroostook County and part of Piscataquis County, face significant cost challenges due to the lack of connection to the New England power grid.

“We are on the cusp of making what sometimes seemed like a pipe dream, a reality,” he said.

The Aroostook project would carry output from a 1,000 megawatt wind power facility. Bartlett said the cost of the transmission line is about $2.8 billion, although the wind power project is expected to provide a savings of $1.08 billion. That would bring the project’s net cost to $1.8 billion over 20 years.

Bartlett said the combination of the projects is significantly less expensive than the other bids received. The projects will provide benefits to Maine and the region, including jobs during construction, property tax revenue for communities and environmental benefits from new renewable energy displacing fossil fuel.

“The influx of renewable energy into the regional grid will also place downward pressure on electricity prices, benefiting consumers in Maine and throughout New England,” he said.

Still, the project is costly and Maine is looking for partners to shoulder some of the burden. Massachusetts has statutory authority to consider procuring some or all of the Aroostook project. But that state is on a different timeline than Maine and has until the end of the year to decide if it wants to support the project.........................

See the following link for the full article and RFP document:

https://www.bangordailynews.com/2022/10/26/business/rural-aroostook...

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Request for Proposals for Renewable Energy Generation and Transmission Projects Pursuant to the Northern Maine Renewable Energy Development Program

https://www.maine.gov/mpuc/regulated-utilities/electricity/rfp-awar...

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