UPC Wind, a leading North American wind power company, will participate in a full review by the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) today and tomorrow around its proposed 57 megawatt (MW) Stetson Wind Project, which will be situated on a ridge in Washington County, Maine. The Commission is holding hearings as a final step in the process of considering UPC Wind’s petition to rezone an area of the ridge where the proposed wind project will be sited. The project enters the public hearing with support from environmental groups such as Maine Audubon, Natural Resource Council, Appalachian Mountain Club and Conservation Law Foundation. The project has also garnered regional endorsements from local officials and groups including the Washington County Commissioners and the Sunrise County Economic Council. “We look forward to the opportunity to provide additional information to the Commission on our proposed Stetson Wind Project,” said Paul Gaynor, President and CEO of UPC Wind. “Since we announced this proposed project earlier this year, we have been encouraged by the support that we have received from many of Maine’s leading environmental organizations along with members of the surrounding Washington County community.” UPC Wind carefully selected the proposed site based on a number of factors including 1) the ridge’s location provides an excellent source of wind; 2) the site has no residential property currently closer than 2,500 feet; and 3) minimal environmental impact. The ridge, which had historically been used for logging, provides existing roads that will be improved during construction, and roughly one-thirds of the needed transmission lines will be in the same area as existing electric lines. Throughout the permitting process, UPC Wind through its subsidiary, Evergreen Windpower, has been working closely with statewide and regional organizations as well as state and local officials to carefully consider their input in the design of the project. UPC Wind has also been working to reduce the environmental impacts of the project, including meeting with representatives of Maine Audubon, which originally filed for intervener status in the Commission’s hearing process, but withdrew their request after working closely with project representatives to address their concerns. “We support the project because Evergreen Windpower has worked with us to substantially reduce the ways the project could harm rare wildlife and natural areas already threatened by global warming,” stated Jennifer D. Burns, Staff Attorney for Maine Audubon, in a recent letter to the Land Use Regulation Commission. “Stetson is a wind-power project that really can be a long-term clean-energy solution in Maine, because it will be done right.” The project also received support from other environmental groups including the Natural Resource Council, the Conservation Law Foundation, and the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). In written testimony submitted to the Commission, the Appalachian Mountain Club stated, “The AMC has conducted extensive analytical research aimed at understanding the relationship between potential ridgeline windpower development sites and natural resource values of recognized national, regional or state significance. Based on this research, as well as AMC’s board-adopted windpower siting policy, we have concluded that Stetson Mountain is an appropriate site for windpower development.” With the promise to provide revenue and new jobs for the surrounding area, the project has also received endorsements from key community leaders including early support from Chairman Christopher Gardner of the Washington County Commissioners. Recently, the Sunrise County Economic Council (SCEC), a local economic development council which facilities the creation of jobs in Washington County, also endorsed the Stetson Wind Project. Additional momentum for this week’s LURC hearings came from ISO New England, the independent systems operator responsible for maintaining and operating the grid, which allows for interconnection of the project with the existing grid. In a letter to UPC Wind, Stephen G. Whitley, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of ISO-NE, indicated approval of the project plans for implementation. The Stetson Wind Project will: - Consist of the construction and operation of 38 state-of-the-art GE 1.5 megawatt (MW) wind turbines. With about 5,000 GE 1.5MW turbines in service in the U.S. as of today, they are considered the most reliable in the wind industry.
- Employ hundreds of people during the design, engineering and construction of the facility, with the potential for local employment on road, foundation and electrical line construction work.
- Produce approximately 150 million kilowatt-hours (MWh) of clean electricity annually – enough to power about 27,500 homes per year. Generating that amount of electricity using oil and gas would emit 107,500 metric tons of pollutants; the Stetson Wind Project will emit no pollutants.
About First Wind
First Wind is based in Newton, Massachusetts. First Wind is an American-owned company, with a proven track record of developing, owning, and operating well-sited, community-friendly wind farms that increase energy independence. For more information on First Wind, please visit www.firstwind.com.
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For more information, contact:
John Lamontagne
Director, Communications
First Wind
617-964-3340
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