The decision by Whiting residents to make the town's ordinance governing wind turbines more restrictive has apparently not caused the wind energy company that has been eyeing a possible project in the area since 2010 to drop its plans.
     At a special town meeting on April 11, about 30 residents unanimously approved amending the Wind Energy Ordinance, increasing the setback from 3,700 feet to one mile and adding a 400-foot height restriction for wind turbines. Other changes strengthen the fire protection portion of the ordinance and add requirements for future removal of towers and for taxing the facility.
     Atlantic Wind LLC, a subsidiary of Iberdrola Renewables, still has meteorological towers in the area and is "still interested in understanding the wind resource," says Paul Copleman, a spokesman for Iberdrola Renewables, a division of Iberdrola S.A., the fourth largest utility company in the world. "We're still actively developing the site and maintaining leases. This is one project we're continuing to evaluate the opportunities at." He says there is no timeline for when a decision to proceed with permitting might be made. Along with local permits, the company would need to obtain permits for the project from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
     Concerning the changes in Whiting's wind energy ordinance, Copleman comments, "We're not far enough along to know what the project might look like or the technology." When plans are further developed, then the company would "take a closer look at what might be feasible. At this point we're not far enough along to know."
     As for the change in the ordinance to limit the tower height to 400 feet, Copleman notes that with Iberdrola's latest project in North Carolina the top of the blade will reach 492 feet. However, he adds, "At every site you have to evaluate the technology options for what's the best fit for the wind resource, for the landowners and certainly the best fit for the community."
     With the one-mile setback requirement that is now in the ordinance, Copleman says the company doesn't yet know what a possible layout might look like to determine whether the setback requirements would cause an issue.
     Atlantic Wind has entered into 24 lease and easement agreements with property owners in Trescott, Whiting, Cutler and Jonesboro. The 4,450 acres being leased in Whiting comprise 13% of the town's total acreage.
     At the April 11 special town meeting, it was pointed out that the town's planning board had worked for some time to update the original ordinance that was enacted in 2010. The board had dedicated a number of meetings to exploring the issue and had reviewed ordinances from a number of other Maine towns before deciding on its recommendations. A survey had been conducted last spring in Whiting that showed that the number of respondents in favor of or against wind energy in the town was nearly tied. During the meeting, maps showing area land that has been leased by Atlantic Wind were viewed and explained by the town's code enforcement officer.
     In addition to Whiting residents, residents of the nearby unorganized territories of Edmunds and Trescott attended the special town meeting. Interested individuals from other area towns who are considering changes to their wind energy ordinances were also in attendance.