PUC approves Weaver Wind power contract

Courtesy / Novatus Energy The Maine Public Utilities Commission is calling for proposals to provide renewable energy or energy credits, in accordance with targets set in new legislation.

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By Staff

The Maine Public Utilities Commission has unanimously approved a 20-year contract that calls for a 72.6-megawatt wind energy farm in Hancock County to provide power for Emera Maine, the electric utility serving 159,000 customers in the northern part of the state.

The contract directs Emera to purchase power from the Weaver Wind project being developed in Eastbrook and Osborn by Longroad Energy Partners, according to July 12 news release.

"The contract price of 3.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, increasing at 2.5% per year, is very competitive and provides a valuable renewable resource for Maine," commission Chairman Philip Bartlett said in the release.

The 22-turbine Weaver Wind farm is expected to be operational by December 2020, the commission said.

Plans for a similar project have failed twice in recent years, first because of environmental concerns about the turbines and then in 2015, when a developer filed for bankruptcy. Longroad Energy, based in Boston, bought the development rights in 2016. The state Department of Environmental Protection began reviewing the project last year before approving it in May.

The Weaver Wind agreement is the second renewable energy contract approved this year by the PUC, and the second for Hancock County. In February, the regulators OK'd a deal at similar terms with Three Rivers Solar, a 100-megawatt solar power farm planned for property in the Unorganized Territory.