Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I N O. V I I I A P R I L 1 8 , 2 0 1 6 16 rest of the wind energy would come from NextEra Energy), which plans to build more than 460 mega- watts of wind power in western Maine: the proposed 216-megawatt Alder Stream wind farm in northern Franklin County and the 245-megawatt Moose Wind farm in Franklin and Somerset counties. "Fundamentally, both [transmission] propos- als are coming out of areas that are really rich with wind resources," Carroll said. "We don't think [SunEdison's fi nancial situation] is going to aff ect the viability of what we are proposing." Lots of competition Patrick Woodcock, director of the Governor's Energy Offi ce and Maine's representative to New England States Committee on Electricity (NESCOE), says the scope and number of wind farm proposals in Maine are very much tied to the demand for clean energy driven by the southern New England states' renewable portfolio standards. But there's also new demand being created by closures of the Vermont Yankee and Pilgrim Station nuclear power plants and older and dirtier coal- and oil-fi red power plants in Massachusetts. In a March 11 E2Tech forum on the New England Clean Energy RFP, Woodcock provided an overview. "We're looking at more than 2,000 megawatts of new wind power projects proposed in Maine," he says, noting that wind developers with nine projects at various stages of development are seeking long-term contracts to supply power to utilities in southern New England. "A big project just a few years ago was 150 megawatts. King Pine is 600 megawatts. is is the Midwest-sized project coming to New England." e combined capacity of those proposed projects is three-and-a-half times the 613 megawatts of installed online capacity at 13 wind farms in Maine, according to the American Wind Energy Association's latest report. Although that puts Maine at the top of the New Eng- land states for developing wind power, it falls far short of ambitious goals set by the state in 2008 to have 2,000 megawatts of onshore wind energy installed by 2015, and at least 3,000 megawatts of installed capacity by 2020. e New England Clean Energy RFP could easily put Maine back on track toward achieving those goals. "In a lot of ways, what we're seeing is a conver- gence of the Renewable Portfolio Standards targets regionally with where the wind resources are in New England," Woodcock says. "Maine certainly has a resource that southern New England wants." Grassroots opposition in Maine As bullish as CMP and Emera Maine are about expanding wind power's footprint in Maine, there's also been strong grassroots opposition by groups such as Friends of Maine's Mountains, Saving Maine and the Moosehead Region Futures Committee to wind power projects tied to their plans. At the heart of those opposing perspectives is a fundamental question about the tradeoff s involved in putting industrial-scale wind farms in some of Maine's most scenic locations. As Tom Welch, former chairman of the Maine Public Utilities Commission, told Mainebiz in a January 2015 interview: "Maine has a good wind resource. e question of whether Maine can and should exploit that wind resource depends a little bit on the question of what Maine should be selling to the rest of the world? If you are selling pristine landscapes, you need to think about where you want to put those wind turbines." Chris O'Neil is policy director of Friends of Maine's Mountains, a nonprofi t created in 2009 that describes itself as "the leading opponent of senseless industrial wind projects that destroy our state's scenic assets, especially if those projects increase the light bills for working Mainers." He sees the New England Clean Energy RFP as a bid by southern New England to "turn Maine into their wind plantation." "If these wind projects are the 'heist' then the transmission project is the 'getaway car,'" he says. O'Neil says his group has helped 36 communities in Maine's unorganized townships and plantations opt » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Equal Housing Lender Member FDIC 9 locations in Southern Maine and New Hampshire 207.324.2285 | 1.888.226.5747 | banksis.com ULTIMATE BUSINESS CHECKING SPECIAL We have the Business Checking Account that works for you - and it's free! We listened to our Business customers and created a checking product that fits the bill. For a list of more account benefits visit our website at banksis.com. • Ultimate Business Checking – The ultimate business checking account available in the marketplace today. 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