A huge 800 MW wind farm could boost Maine’s onshore wind capacity by 66%

Maine regulators have chosen Clearway Energy Group to build an 800-megawatt wind farm in rural Aroostook County, in the northern part of the state. If completed, it would be Maine's largest wind farm and would boost the state's total onshore wind capacity by about 66%. Avangrid Networks, the parent company of Central Maine Power, would build the new high-voltage transmission line needed to move that power south to the regional grid, since northern Maine currently isn't well connected to it.

Maine plans to buy about 600 megawatts of the wind farm's output, with the rest going to other New England states. Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont are sharing the cost of the transmission line, which means Maine ratepayers would cover less than 11% of that expense. The state estimates the two projects together could save electricity customers between $387 million and $425 million over their operating lifetime, while also creating thousands of construction jobs and generating new tax revenue.

None of this is final yet. The power contract with Clearway still needs to be negotiated and approved, and the transmission plan needs sign-off from federal regulators and the other states involved. Both projects still face environmental review and permitting. Maine tried something similar in 2021, and that earlier effort collapsed when transmission talks fell apart. So while this could eventually mean more wind power flowing into the New England grid, including power reaching homes outside Maine, it will likely be years before any of it is actually built.