Maine Wind Farms Move Forward After Years of Delays

Northern Maine is sitting on a goldmine of clean energy, and after years of frustration, it's finally getting tapped.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission closed bidding this week on large-scale wind and solar farms in Aroostook County, with awards expected later this month. The project aims to deliver at least 1,200 megawatts of renewable power to New England homes, enough electricity for hundreds of thousands of families.

This isn't Maine's first attempt. The commission tried issuing a similar request in 2021 but abandoned those plans in 2023 when the costs ballooned and landowners along the proposed 140-mile transmission route pushed back.

So what's different now? Maine isn't going it alone anymore.

This time, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont are joining forces to share the costs of building new transmission infrastructure. That teamwork could be the key to finally unlocking Aroostook County's "fantastic wind resource," according to Eliza Donoghue, executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association.

Northern Maine has its own electric grid connected to New Brunswick, Canada, rather than to the rest of New England. Without transmission lines running south, all that wind power has nowhere to go.

The collaboration comes at a perfect time. New England needs more electricity as demand rises, and wind farms are cheaper to build and operate than new fossil fuel plants. Once turbines go up, they keep generating power every time the wind blows.

Wind is strongest at night and in winter, exactly when New England needs energy most and costs run highest. During peak demand, the region relies on expensive oil-burning "peaking" plants that drive up energy bills for everyone.

The Ripple Effect

Dozens of energy companies are watching this project closely. The commission's online docket includes interest from local firms and major international players like Italy's Enel, France's Engie, and Norway's Equinor.

Jack Shapiro, climate and clean energy director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, calls it "the biggest opportunity that we have for low-cost renewable energy in the medium term." The shared regional approach means costs and benefits spread across New England instead of burdening Maine alone.

The 2021 Maine Legislature passed a bill requiring "prompt and effective use of the renewable energy resources of northern Maine." After years of planning and collaboration, that goal is within reach.

Both the commission and clean energy advocates say this time really is different, thanks to regional cooperation and advances in renewable technology that have made these projects more feasible than ever before.

After so many years of trying, northern Maine's wind is finally ready to power New England's clean energy future.

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