First Wind Energy Propose New England’s Largest Wind Farm

Blue Sky West, a wholly owned subsidiary of First Wind Energy, has proposed what would be the largest wind farm in New England to the Maine Government. The farm would carry 162 wind turbines and have a capacity of up to 191 MW across several towns in Central Maine.

The proposed construction of the Bingham Wind Project would stretch across Bingham, Moscow, Mayfield Township, Kingsbury Plantation, Abbot, and Parkman, in Somerset and Piscataquis Counties.

The project would also include upgrades to existing roads, new roads, 5 permanent meteorological towers, and 5 temporary, and necessary command and transmission installations.

The total cost of the project is set to come in just under $400 million, and be completed in 2015. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is hosting a public meeting this evening (Monday July 22), followed by a second meeting later in the summer or early fall, for locals to provide input and comment about the project.

Several site-specific environmental studies have been conducted over the past 4 years to assess the natural resources present in the vicinity of the proposed project. The studies found no impeding environmental or ecological hindrances: the nearest active bald eagle nest is approximately 4.95 miles from the nearest proposed turbine; no in-stream work is proposed and therefore would not affect the local Atlantic salmon.