Wind Farm Site In Western Maine Gets Key Equipment
The Associated Press
03/18/09 - 11:26 AM EDT
By GLENN ADAMS
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The final sections of a crane that will erect 410-foot windmills began arriving at Kibby Mountain in western Maine, where New England's largest wind farm is scheduled to be completed next year.
Last September, Canadian energy company TransCanada Corp. began construction on the $320 million project that will power up to 50,000 single-family homes.
Kibby Mountain is set to be a 132-megawatt, 44-turbine project with towers exceeding 400 feet once the blades reach their peak.
That project, among others, is part of Gov. John Baldacci's goal to have 2,000 megawatts of wind power installed by 2015 and another 1,000 megawatts by 2020. Of that, 300 megawatts could come from offshore development.
On Tuesday, four tractor trailers began hauling the final parts of the nearly $4 million crane that, when assembled, will weigh 457 tons.
"It's a very important step. The project doesn't get built until this step is taken," said Jack Parker, president of Reed & Reed, contractor for the wind power project.
Built in Manitowoc, Wis., the crane sat in pieces in Woolwich, where contractor Reed & Reed Inc. stored the materials until it was time to set the windmills.
On Tuesday, four low-bed trucks began the 143-mile journey from Woolwich to Kibby Mountain. Fourteen truckloads had already been delivered to Kibby Mountain.
The timing of delivery is important. Truckers have to beat Maine's "mud season" — in late March and early April — when the ground becomes too soft for the heavy load.
Kibby Mountain may boast the next biggest and most powerful wind farm, but for now that claim goes to a wind farm that opened two months ago by First Wind, a Newton, Mass., company.
First Wind completed a 38-turbine wind farm along Stetson Mountain's long, low ridgeline of 600 to 1,200 feet. It was First Wind's second Maine project.
First Wind's Mars Hill development had been New England's largest commercial wind power project until the company completed the Stetson project. Together, the two will produce just under 100 megawatts of power.
A similar crane to that being assembled at Kibby Mountain placed windmills at Stetson. Parker said the cranes, specially designed for windmill construction, are the only ones of their kind in New England.
The towers at Stetson stand 262 feet tall, but with blade diameters at 253 feet, the turbine can reach 389 feet tall, the company said.
"There's a lot of wind power work coming into the state of Maine and New England," said Jack Parker, president of Reed & Reed. "We want to make sure we have the resources available to continue our leadership role in this field."
