The company proposing to build a windfarm on Black Mountain near Rumford says initial studies show that winds on the mountain might be too strong for turbines to handle. Officials from First Wind say the studies call into question the viability of the proposed Longfellow wind farm, according to the Lewiston Sun Journal.
At a Rumford Board of Selectmen meeting last night, First Wind Vice President of Business Development Matthew Kearns said while Black Mountain meets minimum siting requirements for wind turbines, the wind is very turbulent, the paper reports. Kearns said the discovery is prompting First Wind to reconsider going ahead with the project.
First Wind has been considering constructing a 40-megawatt wind farm on Black Mountain and North and South Twin mountains. Kearns said Black Mountain is key to the project. He ways if it turns out not to be a viable site, turbines would not be erected on the other two sites.
Kearns said if the company can find turbines able to handle Black Mountain's winds it might go ahead with the project, but develpment permit would not be sought until the end of 2010, according to the paper.
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