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Blades rotate on a wind turbine on Maine's Stetson Mountain in July 2009. Photo by Robert F. Bukaty of the Associated Press.

‘Different this time’: Wind farms and transmission lines poised to come to northern Maine

The Maine Public Utilities Commission has tried to encourage the development of large-scale renewable energy projects in Aroostook County for years. That saga may finally reach a resolution as the commission closes its latest round of bidding today and says it may begin making awards this month.

The commission, which regulates electric and other utility services, issued this latest request for proposals in December 2025 for both renewable energy generation — such as wind and solar farms — in northern Maine, as well as new transmission infrastructure needed to get at least 1200 megawatts of power to the New England grid, enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes.

This is the second time in five years that the Public Utilities Commission has issued a request for proposals, or RFP, for renewable energy in Aroostook County. The commission made selections following a 2021 request for proposals but ultimately ended the procurement process in 2023 without finalizing the deals. Even before 2021, energy companies have tried to develop projects in the region for years.

A new book, “Owning the Green Grid,” takes a deep dive into how states’ renewable portfolio standard laws — which require a certain percentage of electricity sold in the state to come from renewable sources — have shaped the U.S. electric grid in recent decades.

Maine has had a renewable portfolio standard since 1999, which Gov. Janet Mills updated last year to require 90 percent renewable energy by 2040. (Electricity suppliers can also buy and trade renewable energy credits to help meet this standard.) Inside Climate News’ Dan Gearino recently interviewed Joshua Basseches, the author of the new book, about these influential state policies.

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