Renewable energy developer Longroad Energy has funded and begun construction of the Three Corners Solar project in Kennebec County, Maine. The approximately $200 million project has been in development for five years, and when completed in late 2023 or early 2024, will be the largest solar project in Maine.
Credit: Longroad Energy
“We are pleased to have reached this important milestone and are grateful for the support of the towns of Benton and Clinton, Kennebec County and the residents of the area,” said Matt Kearns, chief development officer of Longroad Energy and a resident of Scarborough. “Two hundred million dollar projects don’t come every day in Maine. The Mills administration is fostering an attractive environment for investment in renewable energy. This project will be an important resource for Maine to help meet clean energy goals and provide significant economic benefits to Kennebec County and the region.
The total output from the project will be purchased by EDF Energy Services through a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA). EDF Energy Services will use renewable energy generated by the project to supply their corporate customer load in New England. This PPA sets the record as the largest corporate PPA in the New England power grid signed to date. Three Corners Solar also contributes to the reliability of the Maine and New England power grid by providing capacity to the ISO-NE system.
“This transaction demonstrates EDF Energy Services’ continued commitment to helping corporate customers meet their power supply needs and sustainability initiatives,” said Deb Merril, president of retail at EDF Energy Services. “We are committed and proud to share our expertise and knowledge of the markets to help our customers navigate this environment and choose an attractive renewable product that allows them to fulfill their purpose.”
In addition to generating approximately $8 million in property taxes for host communities and Maine, Three Corners Solar is committed to many community contributions, including:
- $100,000 ($5,000 per year) to local scholarship programs and charitable organizations during the 20-year operating term of the project.
- $100,000 to Unity College to fund internships and research opportunities for faculty and students in renewable energy.
- $25,000 to the Sebasticook Regional Land Trust to support conservation efforts.
The project conserves approximately 1,875 hectares of mostly forest, protecting high-value wetlands, deer wintering grounds, waterfowl habitat and critical land dwelling.
The project will use Series 6/6+ modules provided by US-based First Solar, single-axis tracker technology from Nextracker and inverters from Power Electronics. The project will connect to the Central Maine Power system.
Longroad’s affiliate, Longroad Energy Services, is the asset manager and operator and will provide long-term project remote monitoring services from a remote operations center based in Scarborough.
News item from Longroad Energy
