The Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved a 1 GW onshore wind project that will be built in the US state of Maine, as well as a 345 kV power transmission line that will link Maine and Massachusetts. The US$2bn King Pine wind project will be built by the US company Longroad Energy and produce about 3.2 TWh/year. Construction is planned to begin in 2026 and commissioning is expected in 2028. The project will comprise 179 turbines and will be located near Houlton, on the US-Canada border.
The transmission project will be developed by LS Power and will have a transmission capacity of 1.2 GW. It will deliver electricity from the King Pine wind project and other renewable energy resources in the northeast of the US to the regional transmission organisation ISO New England. The double-circuit transmission line, which will link Aroostook County (Maine) to Pittsfield (Massachusetts), is also scheduled to start operating in 2028. Massachusetts is expected to buy up to 40% of the wind park’s output and similar capacity on the power line.