Champlain Wind/Bowers Mtn.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT APPLICATON

Champlain Wind, LLC, (a subsidiary of First Wind Maine Holdings, LLC) submitted a permit application (known as the "Bowers Wind Project") to construct a wind energy project of up to 69.1 MW in Carroll Plantation (Penobscot County) and Kossuth Township (Washington County) within the Expedited Area for Wind Energy Development. The portion of the project area within Kossuth Township was added to the Expedited Area by the Commission in an earlier rulemaking that became effective on December 16, 2010. See rule making page for details of the earlier rule making by the Commission in Kossuth.

The Bowers Wind Project would include up to 27 turbines, associated access roads, up to four permanent 80-meter meteorological towers, a 34.5-kilovolt electrical collector system, an electrical collection substation, and an Operations and Maintenance building. The project would be constructed on three ridges in the project area: Bowers Mountain and an unnamed ridge to the south in Carroll Plantation, and Dill Hill in Kossuth Township. The electrical collector line would travel north for approximately 5 miles towards a proposed substation located adjacent to Line 56, an existing transmission corridor owned by First Wind. Champlain Wind's permit application was accepted for processing on March 14, 2011.

The application and other associated documents may be viewed by following the links below.

Questions about this matter may be directed to Fred Todd, Project Planner, Fred.Todd@maine.gov, (207) 287-8786.

DECISION

On Friday, April 20, 2012, at a meeting in Bangor, Maine, the Commission voted to deny this permit application. The basis for the decision can be found in the decision document below.