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Constellation NewEnergy
to offer “green power” to Maine customers.
YARMOUTH, ME – Maine
Mountain Power announced today that Constellation NewEnergy,
a leading retail
supplier of electrical power in Maine and New England, has
agreed to buy all of the output from its proposed 90-megawatt
Redington Wind Farm near Sugarloaf Mountain, a major milestone
in the development of the renewable energy project.
Under the contract, Constellation NewEnergy will buy all
of the electricity and renewable energy credits produced
by the wind farm for 10 years. Constellation NewEnergy
will then sell the power to medium and large-sized business
customers, giving first priority to customers in the local
area. Schools, hospitals and colleges are likely customers
for the wind-generated power.
“This is a milestone contract for wind energy in
New England,” said Harley Lee of Maine-based Endless
Energy, which is developing the project with California-based
Edison Mission Group. “Our region has lagged behind
other parts of the country in the use of wind energy. A
major reason has been the lack of a power marketer willing
to sign long-term contracts. Constellation NewEnergy has
really stepped up to the plate here and provided a key
ingredient for wider use of wind energy in the region.”
Under the agreement, Constellation
NewEnergy will first offer the power to Maine customers
in the immediate area. “We
wanted to offer this power first to customers who live
near the wind farm and then to other Maine customers," said
Lee. "Constellation NewEnergy agreed with this concept.”
Bruce McLeish, director of origination
for Constellation NewEnergy’s New England region, said customers who
sign up for this power will pay a fixed price for a decade
and won’t experience the price volatility that is
often seen with power generated by fossil fuel plants.
“That’s one of the key advantages of wind-generated
power, and we’re pleased to pass on those benefits
to our customers,” McLeish said. “Customers
will have the opportunity to buy flexible renewable power
products that have varying percentages of wind power from
the Redington Wind Farm."
Redington is currently seeking a permit from the Maine
Land Use Regulation Commission, with construction expected
to begin next year. Once completed, the project will generate
enough electricity to serve approximately 44,000 households,
and will reduce air emissions in the region by 860,000
pounds (430 tons) every day.
Last December, Endless Energy entered into an agreement
to develop the Redington project with Edison Mission Group,
which has a current wind energy portfolio of 477 megawatts
at 10 projects in four states.
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