A subsidiary of First Wind got final approval to build the wind farm permitted by state regulators, based in Boston.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection was supposed to grant the permission for this wind farm in Bingham for a 62-turbine, 186 MW project.
The $398 million project by Blue Sky West and Blue Sky West II has been an issue for wind supporters as well as opponents.
Friends of Maine Mountains, who were opposing the farm expected the project to receive final approval despite the concerns that the DEP had underestimated the amount of money it would require First Wind to have available for decommission the project.
According to DEP’s draft proposal, the company proposed financing the project through a combination of equity investment in First Wind Holdings and a line of credit or loan.
The proposed approval for the project sets out certain conditions for the company to meet, like the purchase of 90 acres adjacent to the Cambridge Wildlife Management Area to minimize the impact on deer wintering areas designated by Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Approval for the project is considered as company’s victory before the Maine Public Utilities Commission.
In July, the commission gave nod to the power company Emera based in Nova Scotia to invest $333 million in a joint venture with the wind farm developer.
After winning an earlier approval, the partnership faced a challenge from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, which asked the three-person PUC to determine whether the partnership violated the Legislature’s intent in deregulating the state’s power industry and requiring power transmission companies to divest of generation assets.
Emera is the parent company of Emera Maine, which owns the transmission networks of the former Bangor Hydro Electric and Maine Public Service.
In May, the company agreed to DEP that money from that partnership could be used to support part of its wind energy projects in Oakfield, Hancock and Bingham.
On installation of the project, company can deliver annual payments of $176,000 to Kingsbury Plantation, $106,000 to Bingham and $20,000 each to the towns of Abbott, Parkman and Moscow as per earlier agreements, to locate the project in and near those towns.
The project is subject to an appeal for 30 days from the date of the decision.
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