Canton Mountain wind project wins approval

CANTON — An eight-turbine wind project on Canton Mountain received approval this week from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

The nearly $50 million development will likely begin later this year and be operational in 2016, according to Canton Mountain Wind LLC, which is owned by Patriots Renewables LLC of Quincy, Mass.

According to a fact sheet issued by Canton Mountain Wind LLC, each turbine will provide the town with $4,000 in taxes annually and increase the tax base by nearly $50 million.

According to the DEP 75-page draft order, each wind tower would extend 480 feet, including the blade. A 3.6-mile access road off Ludden Lane would connect with the turbines’ access road of 1.3 miles along the ridgeline of Canton Mountain.

The draft order also includes permission for construction of a 3,500-square-foot operations building at Ludden Lane and Canton Point Road.

The project is part of a larger plan that could include similar wind projects in the adjacent towns of Dixfield and Carthage. Those projects are also being developed by Patriots Renewables.

The Massachusetts company has been working with the three towns for several years. Canton was the only one of the three not to request a moratorium on wind energy projects. Several public hearings on the project have been held the past couple of years.

Canton Administrative Assistant Scott Kilbreth declined comment on the project.

Maine Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Erle Townsend could not be reached for comment.

Anyone with comments on the project must submit them to: Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Attention: Erle Townsend, 17 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0017 no later than 5 p.m. on May 19. Comments received after that date will not be considered.