First Wind Holdings LLC has received preliminary permit to construct its proposed 62-turbine, 206 MW Bingham wind project in Maine.
On August 27, 2014, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection granted preliminary land-use permit to First Wind Holdings LLC’s proposed Bingham wind project. The $398M project, to be developed by First Wind’s subsidiaries Blue Sky West LLC and Blue Sky West II, would generate up to 206 MW of wind power.
Blue Sky West proposed to construct 62 wind turbines comprised of Vestas or Siemens SWT turbines, which are rated to produce 3.0 MW or 3.3 MW of power. The proposed project includes a 17-mile, 115 kV transmission line to deliver power to an existing substation owned by Central Maine Power Company in Parkman. It is estimated to provide an approximate average output of up to 546,373 MW-hours per year. In February, Blue Sky was awarded a long term power purchase agreement in a joint procurement by Unitil, NSTAR Electric, National Grid, and Western Massachusetts Electric Company.
Maine Net Electricity Generation by Source, May 2014 (EIA)
In 2013, more than 50 percent of Maine’s net electricity generation came from renewable energy resources including seven percent from wind. Maine had the lowest average electricity retail prices in New England at the end of 2013.
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