NEW GLOUCESTER, Maine,
Jan. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/
-- Central Maine Power (CMP), a subsidiary of Iberdrola
USA, EDP Renewables (EDPR), and
Emera Maine, a subsidiary of Emera
Inc. (TSX: EMA), announced today they have reached agreements that
will enable clean energy from a new wind project in northern Maine
to reach southern Maine and New England. The agreements
advance the first of several transmission projects CMP and
Emera Maine are jointly pursuing to
address transmission congestion issues affecting the overall
development of renewable generation in the region.
The focus of the agreements is EDPR's use of a portion of a key
transmission corridor known as the Bridal Path, between
Houlton and Haynesville in Aroostook County, Maine. Under the agreements,
Emera Maine and CMP are providing
EDPR with an option to purchase a portion of the Bridal Path
corridor to develop a new transmission line, with Emera Maine and CMP having buy-back rights to
purchase EDPR's development in the corridor. The project is being
advanced as part of the transmission infrastructure needed to
deliver energy from EDPR's Number Nine Wind Farm to the ISO-New
England electric grid.
"Our companies have the corridors, the expertise, and the
resources to create and deliver solutions for New England's
renewable energy goals," said Sara
Burns, president and chief executive officer, Central Maine
Power. "These agreements among our companies allow EDPR to move
ahead with a significant wind project, and are a key step toward an
optimal transmission solution for the further development of
northern Maine's abundant energy resources."
The Number Nine Wind Farm, which is currently under development
at a site west of Bridgewater,
Maine, will have an installed capacity of 250 megawatts.
EDPR already has contracts with electric utilities in Connecticut for the clean energy from the
Number Nine Wind Farm, and is in the process of securing necessary
permits and approvals for the project. The agreements with CMP and
Emera Maine will allow EDPR to move
forward in the coming weeks with a formal application to the Maine
Department of Environmental Protection.
"Making use of an existing transmission corridor makes sense,"
said Bill Whitlock, executive vice
president at EDPR. "The Bridal Path corridor is ideal. It enables
development of the wind farm and the economic benefits that it will
bring to the local community, and makes environmental sense as
well. We're pleased CMP and Emera
Maine are working with our company to make this happen."
Last year, Emera Maine and CMP, a
subsidiary of Iberdrola USA,
announced an agreement to work together on development of
transmission solutions to enable cost effective collection of wind
energy in northern Maine. The Memorandum of Understanding signed by
the two companies is consistent with regional initiatives to
diversify New England's electricity generation portfolio, and is
intended to facilitate improved access to new renewable energy in
the North, where ISO New England has indicated further renewables
development is challenged by transmission related limitations.
"The Houlton to Haynesville line and other transmission
investments we are jointly assessing with CMP can create
significant long term value for customers in Maine and the New England region," stated
Gerry Chasse, president and chief
operating officer, Emera Maine.
"Together these projects will address current and future
transmission constraints, and create reliable and economic paths to
market."
Iberdrola USA is the
U.S. subsidiary of global energy leader Iberdrola, S.A. The
Iberdrola USA companies employ
about 5,000 people with operations in 24 states from New England to
the West Coast, providing electricity generation, transmission and
distribution, natural gas storage and distribution, and energy
services. For more information, please visit our website:
www.iberdrolausa.com. Follow us on Twitter: @IberdrolaUSA
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SOURCE Iberdrola USA