BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 23, 2024
The top Aroostook County lawmakers who have championed a stalled transmission line linking a massive wind farm to the regional grid are backing a study that could further slow the project. The early stages of connecting the King Pine Wind Project in Aroostook County to the grid hit several snags last year, culminating in the Maine Public Utilities Commission killing the transmission line plans in December, citing cost uncertainties. The project was also hampered by opposition in the central Maine communities that the line would cross. Their allies in the Legislature are pushing for a pause in the project so the state can study its options before putting it back out to bid. Some of the transmission line’s most ardent supporters are also behind it, although the company seeking to build the wind farm is against it.