Wind power in Maine

There are a number of wind power projects in the state of Maine, totaling more than 900 megawatts (MW) in capacity. In 2020 they were responsible for 24% of in-state electricity production. In 2019, Maine had more wind capacity than the other five New England states combined, at 923 MW.

The largest wind farm is the Bingham Wind Farm in Kingsbury Plantation, with an installed capacity of 185 MW.

Overview


In 2008, then-Governor John Baldacci set a goal for the state of 2,000 megawatts of wind power installed by 2015 and 3,000 MW by 2020. Since 2007 wind power generation has increased more than 16 times from 99 GWh generated for 2007 to 1623 GWh for 2016.

As of the end of 2016, 901 megawatts of wind generation capacity had been installed in Maine and generated nearly 14% of the state's total electricity.

In January 2018, Gov. Paul LePage created a moratorium on all new wind power construction stating, “While out-of-state interests are eager to exploit our western mountains in order to serve their political agendas, we must act judiciously to protect our natural beauty." Gov. Janet Mills ended the moratorium in February 2019 after she was elected governor.

Mars Hill
In 2006, First Wind Holdings, LLC developed the first wind farm in Maine on Mars Hill (46.521°N, -67.81367°W). First Wind installed 28 GE 1.5 MW Wind Turbines at a cost of $85 million along the top and northern section of the mountain. The blades attached to the hub of the turbine are about 115 ft (35 m) long. This is small compared to the wind turbines available in 2024.

Beaver Ridge
The 3 turbine Beaver Ridge Wind Project is located in Freedom Maine(44.49658°N, -69.33369°W). It is owned and operated by Patriot Renewables and was commissioned on November 1, 2008.

Stetson I
The Stetson I wind farm consists of 38 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines, with a total capacity of 57 megawatts, strung along the north-south ridge of Stetson Mountain (45.52611°N, -67.97639°W). It generates approximately 167 million kilowatt-hours (kW·h) of electricity per year and began commercial operations in January 2009. First Wind received $40.44 million from the federal government to complete the Stetson I project which was one of twelve grants made to wind projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus program.

Stetson II
In March 2009, the Maine Land Use Regulation Committee (LURC) approved First Wind's $60 million 25.5 MW Stetson II expansion. Seventeen turbines were installed on nearby Jimmy (45.63°N, -67.97972°W) and Owl (45.59278°N, -67.95944°W) mountains. First Wind was bought by SunEdison and TerraForm Power in November 2014.

Fox Islands
The Fox Islands Wind Power Project (44.094°N, -68.868°W) is a 4.5 MW wind project consisting of three GE 1.5 MW wind turbines, providing power for North Haven and Vinalhaven Island. The $14.5 million project is expected to produce 11,600 megawatt-hours of electricity per year. Approved by a vote of 383–5 on July 29, 2008 by members of the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative, construction began on June 29, 2009, and the wind farm went online on November 17. The project has significantly reduced rates on the island residents, who previously imported all their power from the mainland via a submarine power cable. However, the noise generated by the turbines has caused considerable controversy on the island.

University of Maine
In 2009, the University of Maine at Presque Isle installed a single 600 KW wind turbine on campus (46.66736°N, -68.02017°W) to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions. This turbine produces approximately 680,000 KWh per year and saves the university approximately $100,000 in energy costs each year. The turbine was damaged in a fire in April 2018.

Kibby Mountain
The Kibby Mountain wind farm project—at a capacity of 132 MW —comprises forty-four 3 MW wind turbines strung along the ridges of Kibby Mtn. (45.41867°N, -70.54433°W) and nearby Kibby Range (45.35217°N, -70.57633°W). is expected to generate about 357 million kilowatt-hours (41 MW·yr) of electricity annually. Half the turbines were put online in October 2009, and TransCanada completed the project in 2010. The capital cost of the project is approximately US $320 million. Work on clearing the site began by September 2008. Kibby was purchased by LS Power through its affiliate Helix Generation in 2017.

GSA
Two Northern Power Systems wind turbines were installed at the Jackman Land Port of Entry by the GSA to provide power for the U.S. border station (45.80323°N, -70.39504°W). The two wind turbines produce 200 kW and approximately 400,000 kWh per year. This provides approximately 50% of power required to operate the U.S. border station and saves the station from burning approximately 38,000 usgal of fuel each year. Construction began in April 2010 and the project went online in March 2011.

Spruce Mountain
The Spruce Mountain wind farm consists of 10 Gamesa G90 2-MW wind turbines. The project is located in Woodstock Maine.(44.41994°N, -70.55527°W)

Rollins Wind
In addition to the Stetson and Mars Hill projects, First Wind completed a 60 MW wind farm, with forty 1.5-MW turbines, on Rollins Mountain (45.38724°N, -68.36371°W) and other hills in the Penobscot County towns of Lincoln, Burlington, Lee, and Winn. The estimated cost is US$130 million. First Wind was bought by SunEdison and TerraForm Power in November 2014.

Record Hill
Record Hill Wind is a 50.6 MW wind project in Roxbury, consisting of 22 turbines arrayed along a four mile long north-south ridgeline connecting Record Hill, Flathead Mountain (44.661°N, -70.628°W), and Partridge Peak. The electrical output of the project is estimated to be approximately 160 million kW·h (18 MW·yr) per year.

Bull Hill
A 34.2 MW wind project on Bull Hill (44.72616°N, -68.16963°W) and adjoining hills in Maine Township 16 MD was built by First Wind and put online October 31, 2012. The $78.5 million project consists of 19 Vestas V100-1.8MW wind turbines. First Wind was bought by SunEdison and TerraForm Power in November 2014.

Oakfield Wind
The Oakfield wind project at 148 MW was completed in 2015. The project is located near Oakfield (46.1°N, -68.15°W) and uses 48 Vestas wind turbines.

Saddleback Ridge
The Saddleback Ridge wind project is a 34.2 megawatt, 12-turbine wind project located in Carthage, Maine.(44.60576°N, -70.37584°W) It uses GE's 2.85 MW wind turbines and was developed by Patriot Renewables.

Passadumkeag Windpark
The Passadumkeag Windpark is located on Passadumkeag Mountain near Burlington, ME (45.13204°N, -68.35851°W). It consists of 13 Vestas V112 3.0 series wind turbines with a rated capacity of 3.3 MW.

Hancock Wind
The Hancock Wind project is a project developed by Novatus Energy which consists of 17 Vestas V117 3.0 MW turbines. The project is located in Franklin Maine (44.76473°N, -68.12052°W). Hancock Wind currently has the tallest onshore wind turbines in the United States.

Bingham Wind Farm
The Bingham Wind Farm was developed by Novatus Energy and is located near Kingsbury Plantation, Maine (45.13271°N, -69.69147°W) and consists of 56 Vestas V112 3.3 MW turbines.

Pisgah Mountain
Pisgah Mountain wind farm is owned by Pisgah Mountain LLC and operates five Vestas V90-1.8 MW wind turbines in Clifton Maine (44.77515°N, -68.52228°W). Seven local owners own 51% of Pisgah Mountain LLC and the remaining 49% is owned by SWEB Development USA a subsidiary of WEB Windenergie.

Canton Mountain Wind Project
The Canton Mountain Wind Project consists of eight GE 2.85 megawatt wind turbines with 103 meter rotors on 85 meter towers. It was developed by Patriot Renewables, it is located in Canton Maine (44.51724°N, -70.30241°W), and went online in November, 2017.

Offshore wind energy
Offshore wind energy represents Maine's largest untapped natural energy resource, rated at 156 GW. The University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center has led efforts to develop this resource with its patented floating wind turbine technology, VolturnUS.

In 2008, as a result of the Maine Ocean Energy Task Force, Maine established a renewable ocean energy goal, including the installation of 5 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030.

North America’s first offshore wind turbine was deployed in 2013. The VolturnUS is a floating concrete hull design that can support a wind turbine in waters 45 meters deep or more. In 2013 a 1:8th scale VolturnUS hull with a 65 ft tall turbine was towed into Penobscot Bay near Castine, Maine where it was connected to the grid and tested for 18 months. Following the successful deployment of the VolturnUS Maine Aqua Ventus 1, GP, LLC, is leading a demonstration project off Monhegan Island, ME called New England Aqua Ventus I using the same floating hull and turbine technology.

New England Aqua Ventus I
New England Aqua Ventus I is an up to 12 MW floating offshore wind pilot project that will be anchored off Monhegan Island at the UMaine Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site in Lincoln County. It will use a single 9.5 MW turbine mounted on the VolturnUS floating concrete hull. It is intended to demonstrate the potential for floating wind power on the New England coast. Project participants include the Cianbro Corporation and the University of Maine. In June 2019, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed into law LD 994, sponsored by state Sen. David Woodsome, directing the Maine Public Utilities Commission to approve a 20-year, long-term power purchase contract. That contract was unanimously approved by the Maine PUC on November 5, 2019, and signed by Central Maine Power (CMP) on December 20, 2019. New England Aqua Ventus I is anticipated to be the first commercial-scale floating wind project in the United States.

King Pine
The King Pine wind farm is planned to provide 1000 MW of power in Aroostook County. It is projected to begin construction in 2026 and will double Maine's wind power capacity, producing the equivalent of 27% of Maine's electric usage. Its developer Longwood Energy projects a cost of $2 billion. A new 345 kV tramission line will connect it to the ISO New England grid, and 40% of electricity will be purchased by utilities in Massachusetts.

Redington and Black Nubble
In 2005, Maine Mountain Power (MMP) filed an application with the Maine Land Use Regulation Committee (LURC) for a permit to develop a 30-turbine wind farm on Mount Redington (45.025°N, -70.38867°W) and neighboring Black Nubble (45.032°N, -70.44717°W). After years of contentious debate, the proposal was voted down by the LURC in 2007. The summit of Redington was seen as too ecologically sensitive — a sub-alpine fir habitat providing a home for two rare species, the bog lemming and Bicknell's thrush. Also, the development would have been visible for miles along the Appalachian Trail (AT). A revised proposal, for 18 turbines only on Black Nubble, was put forward by MMP, supported by many environmental groups, but still opposed by Maine Audubon. The project was rejected by the LURC in 2008.

Longfellow
First Wind proposed an installation on Black Mountain (44.584°N, -70.6376°W) in Rumford.

The Longfellow project would have 16 turbines that could produce 40 MW of electricity, enough to power about 17,000 homes in the Northeast. The power would be sold to the New England power grid. The wind turbines would have been built on the west side of the mountain, away from the Black Mountain ski area. The developer placed the project on hold due to the strength of wind gusts in the area.

Hywind 2
In April 2012, Statoil, a Norwegian multinational oil and gas company, received state regulatory approval to build a large four-unit demonstration floating wind farm off the coast of Maine called Hywind 2. Statoil proposed building a 4-tower, 12–15 MW wind farm developed by Statoil North America for placement 20 km off the east coast of Maine in 140 - 158 m-deep water of the Atlantic Ocean. Like the first Hywind installation off Norway, the proposed turbine foundation was spar buoy. The State of Maine Public Utility Commission voted to approve the construction and fund the US$120 million project by adding approximately 75 cents/month to the average retail electricity consumer. Power would have been flowing into the grid no earlier than 2016.

Statoil placed Hywind 2 on hold in July 2013 as a result of new legislation (LD 1472) by the State of Maine. The legislation required the Maine Public Utilities Commission to undertake a second round of bidding with a different set of ground rules; that led Statoil to suspend the project due to increased uncertainty and risk. Statoil ultimately abandoned the Hywind 2 project in Maine and developed Hywind Scotland instead.

Community debate
A statewide poll in Spring 2007 by the Pan Atlantic SMS Group showed that 85% of Maine people supported wind power development.

A 2009 poll conducted by Portland-based Critical Insights shows that 90% of Maine people support the development of wind power as a source of electricity. Nearly nine in ten Mainers agree that "wind power can improve energy security and reduce Maine’s dependence on fossil fuels, and eight in ten agree that wind power will produce jobs and other forms of economic benefits".

In a 2010 statewide telephone poll of 500 registered voters, 88 percent supported wind power in Maine. Calls to residents in seven rural counties, from Aroostook to Oxford, where most wind power projects are built or planned, showed 83 percent support. Survey results show that Maine residents strongly support wind power development, chiefly because it cuts dependence on fossil fuels and creates jobs. The survey was done by Portland-based Pan Atlantic SMS Group for the Maine Renewable Energy Association. Some community opposition has arisen, in the form of litigation against mountain wind farms and an ocean wind turbine proposal, as civic activism, and as development of municipal ordinances.