AUGUSTA — The Maine Land Use Regulation Commission will decide Wednesday if a public hearing should be held on TransCanada’s proposed expansion of a commercial wind energy project in northern Franklin County.

TransCanada Maine Wind Development Inc. has requested a public hearing and intervenor status on a proposed 45 megawatt energy development in Chain of Ponds Township.

The company filed a development application to install 15 additional wind turbines to expand the Kibby Wind Power Project in Kibby and Skinner townships.

Twenty-two of the turbines in the original approved 44-turbine facility were installed last year with the remainder planned to be installed this year.

The expansion project calls for the additional 15 turbines to be installed on the ridgeline north of Sisk Mountain in Chain of Ponds and Kibby townships, with the northern most turbines to be located adjacent to the Canadian border. All of the new proposed turbines would be located above 2,700 feet in elevation in a mountain area protection subdistrict.

The Commission is scheduled to decide the matter at 11 a.m. on Feb. 3 at Maine Forest Service Bolton Hill Facility, 2870 North Belfast Avenue in Augusta.

LURC staff is recommending a hearing.

The commission’s meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. with discussion slated at 10 a.m. on the draft guidance on expanding expedited wind areas.

TransCanada had submitted a rule-making petition last year asking LURC to add a specific parcel of land to the wind power expedited permitting area to add additional towers in Chain of Ponds and Kibby townships. However, TransCanada revised the location of the development, but retained the request to expand the expedited permitting area as proposed.

The requested expansion of the expedited permitting area would have the effect of changing the review criteria and process for future wind power development proposals in the expansion area, according to information on LURC’s Web site.

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