A milestone in Maine's transition to alternative energy: State utility regulators have approved Maine's first long-term electricity supply contract with a windpower company.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission yesterday unanimously approved a 20-year contract with First Wind, a subsidiary of Evergreen Wind Power III, which presented a bid for its 60-megawatt Rollins project in Penobscot County.
"This is good news for ratepayers and renewable energy development in Maine," says PUC Chair Sharon Reishus in a statement. "The First Wind contract makes it possible for Maine ratepayers to gain energy supply cost benefits from a renewable energy resource, and the company gets the financial assurance the contract provides to become fully operational."
The PUC says First Wind met the criteria for approval, including energy and capacity benefits, adequate hedging against high energy prices from fossil fuels, and diversity in Maine's energy supply. Under the contract, the energy the Rollins project generates will be distributed by Central Maine Power Company and Bangor Hydro-Electric.