MAINE PUBLIC • December 21, 2023
The Maine Public Utilities Commission on Thursday terminated its deal with LS Power, which had won a contract to build a billion-dollar powerline from southern Aroostook County to central Maine. The powerline was planned to run from Glenwood Plantation to Coopers Mills, connecting the proposed 1,000-megawatt King Pine wind farm to the central Maine electrical grid. Proponents said it would help Maine meet its renewable energy goals. The PUC awarded the contract to LS Power in October 2022, and Massachusetts committed to funding 40 percent of the project two months later. It also received Maine lawmakers' approval. But when LS Power published maps of its proposed route in July, opposition quickly emerged, especially among farmers and other affected landowners along the route. Now, the PUC says it's been unable to negotiate terms of the contract with LS Power, including the actual cost of the project.