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Application filed today with Land Use Regulation Commission
YARMOUTH, ME – Maine Mountain Power, LLC – a
new joint development company between Endless Energy
Corporation and Edison Mission Group – announced
today that it submitted an application to the Maine Land
Use Regulation Commission (LURC) for approval to build
the state’s first wind energy farm near Carrabassett
Valley.
The proposal calls for the construction of 30 wind turbines
on Redington Pond Range and Black Nubble Mountains about
four miles west of Sugarloaf Mountain. The 90 megawatt
wind farm will generate about 265 million kilowatt hours
a year—enough to power 44,000 Maine homes.
Endless Energy of Yarmouth and Edison Mission Group
(EMG), a subsidiary of California-based Edison International
(www.edison.com), agreed to form Maine Mountain Power
to develop and finance the project.
“This is a major milestone for us,” said
Harley Lee, President of Endless Energy. “There
is still a lot of work ahead but with Edison Mission
Group’s expertise and resources we are one step
closer to providing Maine with clean, renewable wind
energy.”
Lee said the LURC application and its supporting studies
demonstrate that the project has been designed to fit
harmoniously into the naturally existing environment.
“Our goal is to ensure that there are no undue
effects on existing uses, scenic character, and natural
or historic resources in the area,” he said. “This
project will provide critically needed renewable electricity
through Central Maine Power’s existing transmission
lines.”
Beth Nagusky, Maine’s Director of Energy Independence
and Security, said recently that wind power could be
part of the movement to greater development of renewable
energy sources in Maine. “I think the planets are
aligned for some significant wind projects in Maine,” Nagusky
said.
Edison Mission Group invested in
its first wind energy project in 1998. To date, EMG has
acquired a portfolio
of 316 megawatts of wind energy at nine projects in
Iowa, Minnesota and New Mexico. The company also recently
entered
into a joint development agreement with Midwest Wind
Energy of Chicago, and has a goal of building a wind
power portfolio of up to 1,200 megawatts nationwide
by 2009.
The lack of fuel diversity and dependence on fossil
fuels is a growing concern in Maine and the rest of the
country. Wind generation projects like the Redington
Wind Farm will provide a sustainable alternative to fossil
fuel generation and can decrease reliance on foreign
supplies of energy while also reducing air pollution
and greenhouse gas emissions.
For more information about the Redington Mountain Wind
Farm go to www.endlessenergy.com.
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