CARIBOU, Maine — A wind energy farm on No. Nine Mountain, west of Bridgewater, is still on track to be built in the near future. Officials from developer EDP Renewables attended the Oct. 1 County Commissioners meeting at the Courthouse in Caribou and updated the panel on the latest plans for the 250-megawatt project.
“We are scrambling to get the project details wrapped up for permitting, which is the biggest hurdle that we see,” Katie Chapman, project manager for EDP Renewables, said. “For the most part, we are ready to go.”
The No. 9 Mountain wind farm, according to Chapman, is similar to other wind-powered operations found in other parts of Maine such as the Hancock wind farm near Eastbrook and the Kibby wind farm in western Maine.
Danielle Thurber of EDP Renewables was also present at the commissioners meeting and expects around $400 million in investment to the county over a period of 20 years.
“We would absolutely like to focus benefits in Aroostook County. In our proposal, we tried to focus on the local communities more central to the project itself. Moving forward, it’s a tall order if we are going to submit our permits in the next month or two,” Thurber said.
Chapman is hoping for an agreement from the commissioners by mid-November. After that, the permit has to go through additional steps through the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Environmental Protection and the Land Use Planning Commission.
“A site in Bingham took around 15 months. I’m hoping that we can be under a year and start construction in 2015. Truthfully, it’s in the agencies’ hands. The latest operation date would be the end of 2016,” Chapman said.
The wind farm will involve erecting 125 turbines that will stretch across five townships and produce about 250 megawatts of energy and approximately 51 miles of generator lead line. When built, it will be the largest wind farm in New England.
Aroostook County Administrator Doug Beaulieu was also very optimistic about the proposed development.
“The County Commissioners are very excited about this project. Our role ties into securing the permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Environmental Protection. We’re hoping for an agreement by mid-November,” Beaulieu said.
Since originally proposing the idea in 2007, EDP Renewables have held six “Meet and Greets” around the county so various community members could ask questions about the project and meet members of the project’s team. The informal sessions were a great way for EDP Renewables to learn more about the area and to get advice from the communities. Chapman encourages anyone with questions to reach out to them at 207-760-7210 or visit them at 541 Main Street, Suite B in Presque Isle.
In other business, commissioners:
• Approved the transfer of part-time corrections officer Russell Socoby to full-time;
• Hired Matthew Crandall of Oakfield, Charles Heath of Stacyville, Richard Michaud of Houlton, Tammey Scott of Linneus and Brandon Spellman, Shanice Gallagher and Gabriel Montes, all of Hodgdon, as part-time corrections officers;
• Appointed Chris Johansen of Monticello as part-time deputy sheriff;
• Signed an Aroostook County Corrections Facility Agreement with Katahdin Valley Health Center for 2014-16; and
• Adopted changes to the personnel policy manual.
During his County Administrator’s report, Beaulieu explained that a plan to add a part-time custodial position was suspended until the next budget cycle. He also said the Unorganized Territory Fund Balance for FY 15 was increased by $115,627.90.
The next meeting of the Aroostook County Commissioners is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 4:30 p.m. in Sinclair.
