FARMINGTON — State land regulators are scheduled to deliberate Wednesday on issues regarding TransCanada’s proposal to put 15 more wind turbines on mountains in northern Franklin County.
Maine Land Use Regulation Commission will discuss the project during its meeting that begins at 9:30 a.m. July 7 at the Spectacular Event Center Maine at 395 Griffin Road in Bangor. Its the last item on the agenda.
TransCanada Maine Wind Development Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of TransCanada Corp. in Canada, wants to expand its $320 million, 44-turbine operation on Kibby Mountain and Kibby Range in Kibby and Skinner townships. It proposes to build 15 more turbines on nearby Sisk Mountain, a 3,300-foot mountain in Chain of Ponds and Kibby townships, at an estimated cost of $100 million.
LURC commissioners held a two-day hearing on the application in May that included a site visit to Kibby Mountain to look at operating turbines and constructed roads, and viewing Sisk Mountain from that mountain and other areas in Franklin County.
TransCanada officials said previously they would like to begin the project this year.
Like the 22 turbines erected last year and the other 22 that are in the process of being erected, the 15 new turbines would each have the capacity to generate 3 megawatts. The total height of each tower is about 410 feet. Each blade is 144 feet long and the tower is 250 feet tall.
The construction site for the expansion is proposed to be 178 acres, including some existing roads. The permanent area is 66.4 acres, according to the application.
The primary access road to Sisk Mountain will branch off a private logging road owned by Plum Creek Timber Co. of Seattle, Wash. There would be 4.7 miles of new road built for the Sisk project, including 3.6 miles of ridgeline 34 feet wide.
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