CENTRAL MAINE • October 17, 2024
It’s heartening to hear about a creative solution to a knotty, long-running controversy over four hydroelectric dams on the Kennebec River. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has offered to buy the dams and is in serious talks with the owner, Toronto-based energy giant Brookfield. It gradually acquired most of Maine’s hydro capacity after paper company owners decided to liquidate assets before shutting down their mills. There is a problem, however. Full dam removal could force the Somerset Mill in Skowhegan to close, the only integrated paper mill in Maine operating under its original design. There are 700 unionized jobs with excellent wages; a $418 million expansion is underway. One can foresee an arrangement meeting the mill’s water needs while maintaining renewable power. ~ Douglas Rooks