FARMINGTON – TransCanada will start moving sections of 22 wind turbines through the state Monday from Searsport to Stratton.

TransCanada is in the process of building the $320 million Kibby Wind Power Project in Kibby Township, on Kibby and Kibby Range mountains.

The equipment being moved represents half of the turbines the Canadian energy company plans to erect at the wind power site, which is located northwest of Eustis-Stratton and about 15 miles from the Canadian border. The equipment will be shipped in June and July to the site.

Clearing on the land and work on the roads for the turbines began last year.

TransCanada will hold events to mark the arrival of the turbines at some of the best viewing sites in communities along the travel route.

One will be in Belfast from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Thursday, June 4, at the Reny’s parking lot on Route 3.

In Farmington, another will be held from noon to 2 p.m., Friday, June 5, at the Franklin County Courthouse in the parking lot and grassy area.

From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, another event will be held at the Stratton Community Building on Route 27.

In Farmington and Stratton, TransCanada representatives will pass out blue spruce tree seedlings.

Forty-four towers in all are scheduled to be erected. Twenty-two are expected to be installed this summer and provide power to the New England electricity grid by the end of the year, according to TransCanada.

The 250-foot towers will be moved, four sections to a load, beginning Monday on specialized rigs. The blades will follow, and then the pieces that contain the power generation equipment.

The second phase of turbines is expected to be shipped to the site during summer of 2010. The entire project is expected to be complete later that year, company information states. The wind energy facility will have the capacity to produce 132 megawatts of power, enough renewable energy to meet the needs of 50,000 homes in Maine, according to TransCanada.

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