DANFORTH, Maine--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Please replace the release dated January 23, 2014 with the following corrected version due to multiple revisions.
The corrected release reads:
FIRST WIND MARKS FIVE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF ITS STETSON WIND PROJECT
Since achieving commercial operations five years ago, the successful Maine project has expanded while generating enough energy to power 21,400 Maine homes
First Wind, an independent U.S.-based renewable energy company, today celebrated the fifth anniversary of successful commercial operations of its 57 megawatt (MW) Stetson I Wind project. Since it began commercial operations on January 23, 2009, the first phase of the Stetson Wind project has produced enough energy to power an average of 21,400 Maine homes annually over the last five years.
“As our largest operating wind project in Maine and New England, the Stetson Wind project has been very successful and an important part of our generation fleet. Since Stetson I went online in 2009, we have successfully expanded it and built three more projects in the state with several other projects in development,” said Paul Gaynor, CEO of First Wind. “We are proud of our track record in Maine and consider the communities where we operate as key partners. Over the last five years, the Stetson Wind project has generated a significant amount of clean energy that has benefited ratepayers throughout New England while reducing the region’s dependence on fossil fuels and furthering local economic development.”
After a successful expansion in 2010, the Stetson Wind project today has a combined generating capacity of 83 MW and remains one of the largest operational utility-scale wind farms in New England. Located in Maine’s Washington County, the two phases of the Stetson Wind project provide significant local revenue, including a total of $4 million in tax payments that will continue to be made to the surrounding communities for the next 20 years.
Below is a summary of some of the notable milestones achieved during the five years of successful commercial operations of the Stetson Wind project:
Operation Highlights
- The renewable power generated has been supplying clean, renewable electricity to approximately 21,400 Maine homes in each year since the first phase of the project went online.
- In March 2010, First Wind completed a second phase of the project, expanding the project capacity by 26 MW from 17 turbines positioned on the neighboring Jimmy and Owl Mountains. When Stetson II is combined with the first phase of the project, the Stetson Wind project has a generating capacity of 83 MW. Combined, the two projects power more than 30,400 homes.
Environmental Benefits
- At Stetson I, based on data recently published by the U.S. EPA’s Emissions and Generation Resource Integrated Database (E-GRID), generating an equivalent amount of electric energy from a traditional fossil fuel burning facility would have required about 1.28 million barrels of oil or 369,000 tons of coal over the five year period, yet has none of the associated toxicity, health, or cost issues.
- Traditional Maine fossil fuel generation sources producing an equivalent annual amount of electric energy as Stetson I would emit annual greenhouse gases (GHG) consisting of about 52,300 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Economic and Community Benefits
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The two phases of the Stetson Wind project provide significant local
revenue including a total of $4 million in tax payments to the
surrounding communities over the next 20 years.
- The property tax revenues fund county infrastructure, conservation and economic development projects.
- Payments from the project’s tax agreement have helped fund economic development projects such as marketing efforts for a seafood pie company, installing high speed internet service in Big Lake Township, helping fund the restoration of a campground on the Machias River in Township 25, and assisting the transition of commercial blueberry land to organic management and production in Trescott.
- First Wind has worked with the Forest Society of Maine to establish the $100,000 Stetson Mountain Fund. The Fund provides recreational opportunities in the Baskahegan Stream watershed.
- The Stetson Wind project sponsors and offers the community several local events and programs including an annual snowmobile rally, the East Grand Adventure Race that traverses the Stetson ridge, and annual scholarships for college-bound high school seniors from the surrounding area.
In addition to the 83 MW Stetson Wind I and II projects, First Wind has three other operational wind projects in Maine including the 42 MW Mars Hill Wind project in Aroostook County, the 60 MW Rollins Wind project in Penobscot County, and the 34 MW Bull Hill Wind project in Hancock County. These five facilities have the capacity to generate 219 MW, enough to supply clean power for the equivalent of more than 95,000 households.
First Wind has invested $600 million in wind projects in Maine. Looking at future investments in the coming years, First Wind has long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) secured for four additional wind projects in development including the 51 MW Hancock Wind project in Hancock County, the 148 MW Oakfield Wind project in Aroostook County, the 48 MW Bowers Wind project in Penobscot and Washington Counties, and the 186 MW Bingham Wind project in Somerset County.
About First Wind
First Wind develops, finances, builds and operates utility-scale renewable energy projects throughout the United States. Based in Boston, First Wind currently operates wind power facilities in the Northeast, the West and Hawaii, with combined capacity of more than 1,000 megawatts (MW) – enough to power about 300,000 U.S. homes each year. For more information on First Wind, please visit www.firstwind.com or follow us on Twitter @FirstWind.
