AUGUSTA (AP) – A $60 million expansion of the newly commissioned Stetson wind farm in eastern Maine has won the approval of a Maine regulatory panel’s staff, setting the stage for a final vote.

The Land Use Regulation Commission’s staff endorsed the 17-turbine project near Danforth in Washington County. The project would expand the company’s 38-turbine Stetson Mountain wind energy facility, which began commercial operations earlier this year.

The staff vote sets the stage for a final vote by the commission, which meets Wednesday in Bangor. First Wind of Massachusetts is the builder of the completed and proposed Stetson wind projects.

Stetson II would be rated to produce up to 25.5 megawatts of pollution-free energy at maximum capacity.