- Maine Public Utilities Commission approves energy projects for up to 900,000 homes.
- The net cost of the projects is $1.8 billion over 30 years.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) recently approved a pair of energy projects that would generate enough wind power for up to 900,000 homes and construct a new transmission corridor to get the electricity to the regional power grid.
The PUC was required by law to choose the projects to boost transmission capacity and renewable energy in Aroostook County. It chose LS Power Base for a 345-kilovolt transmission project and Longroad Energy’s King Pine for a wind generation project, but it didn’t rule on how much of the cost would be borne by Maine ratepayers.
The net cost of the projects is $1.8 billion over a 30-year period, but officials said they would benefit the state.
An influx of energy into the regional grid would “place downward pressure on electricity prices, benefitting consumers in Maine and throughout New England,” said PUC Chair Philip L. Bartlett II.