CHAIN OF PONDS TOWNSHIP – Another wind energy project for a mountain in Maine may be in the works.

A subsidiary of TransCanada Corp. has submitted an application to gather wind and weather data on Sisk Mountain by installing up to four meteorological poles there, state regulators said Wednesday.

The 3,245-foot mountain in far northern Franklin County spans portions of Chain of Ponds Township and Kibby Township in the Boundary Mountains and is not far from the border with Quebec Province.

“We have very recently submitted an application for up to four meteorological towers to assess the wind. This is a very preliminary step and does not necessarily mean that we will seek approval to construct an additional project,” TransCanada Media Relations spokeswoman Cecily K. Dobson said.

TransCanada Maine Wind Development Inc. is in the process of building a $320 million, 44-turbine commercial wind energy facility on Kibby Mountain and Kibby Range in the nearby Kibby and Skinner townships.

Catherine Carroll, executive director of the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission, said TransCanada’s application for the meteorological testing poles has been received and, barring any unforeseen problems, she expects the application to be processed within a matter of weeks.

The application requests that the poles remain up for about a year.

The application also cites the possibility of installing 14 wind turbines to generate power along the ridgeline of Sisk Mountain.

It would be a possible extension of TransCanada’s permitted Kibby wind power site, if the the company decides to move forward with the project, Carroll said.

Job fair

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, more than 150 people attended TransCanada’s open house and job fair in connection to the construction of the Kibby wind energy facility, Tobey Williamson, a spokesman with Portland-based Barton and Gingold public relations firm.

There was information available on the construction progress and plans for the coming season, he said.

“Many local people came to learn about the construction progress and plans, but most of the attendees seemed to be there to talk to the human resources professionals from TransCanada, Reed & Reed, Cianbro, Sargeant and Vestas,” Williamson said. “The CareerCenter in Wilton also had representatives there, as we wanted to be able to provide additional information about available work in the area.”

That project is expected to offer 250 temporary jobs during construction and about 10 to 12 permanent jobs.

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