AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A $425 million federal grant is breathing new life into a proposal for a wind power project that would provide enough electricity for about 450,000 homes, along with construction of a transmission corridor in northern Maine to get the electricity to the regional power grid.
The 111-mile (179-kilometer) transmission line bringing 1,200 megawatts of renewable energy to Maine and New England homes was one of four projects announced Thursday by the Department of Energy.
The Maine project is required by legislative mandate, but the initial effort fell apart late last year. The Maine Public Utilities Commission restarted the process this year.
The federal funding comes in the form of a capacity contract with Avangrid, the parent company of Central Maine Power, demonstrating a commitment to buy some of the project’s electricity. That will be included Avangrid’s bid on construction of the transmission line component of the project.
It’s unclear how many bidders there might be on the project. Maine has agreed to buy 60% of the energy generated, and Massachusetts would purchase the remainder.
The northern Maine project is touted as providing green energy along with grid upgrades that would eliminate a bottleneck for renewable power projects in northern Maine.
For the proposal, state lawmakers directed Maine utility regulators to choose projects to boost transmission capacity and renewable energy in Aroostook County. The original proposal called for 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy, but lawmakers later amended it to 1,200 megawatts.
The proposal is separate from a 145-mile (230-kilometer) transmission line in western Maine to serve as a conduit for 1,200 megawatts of Canadian hydropower to reach the New England power grid. That project, a partnership between Avangrid and Hydro Quebec, is under construction.
