Maine selects Clearway's 800 MW wind project and a 1,200 MW Avangrid line

The Maine Public Utilities Commission announced on August 25, 2026 that it will enter contract negotiations with Clearway Energy Group LLC for an 800 MW onshore wind project in northern Maine, and named a 1,200 MW transmission line proposed by Avangrid Networks, Inc. as its preferred project to connect the region to the New England grid. The selections, made under Docket No. 2026-00033, are the first awards under the Northern Maine Renewable Energy Development Program since an earlier attempt fell apart in 2023. The commission estimates Maine ratepayers will see at least $387 to $425 million in net benefits over the life of the project, with the state contracting for approximately 600 MW of the wind output.

What the commission picked

Avangrid, the parent company of Central Maine Power, proposed a line terminating at Haynesville that the commission judged the best of the transmission bids: it uses existing transmission corridors "to the maximum practical extent," and the developer has already secured nearly all rights of way, according to the commission's release.

Clearway's 800 MW project received an award for both energy and renewable energy credits, contingent on the transmission project moving forward. The commission called it the most cost-effective generation proposal for Maine ratepayers. The pairing leaves 400 MW of capacity unclaimed on the line, and the commission says it will issue additional RFPs to fill it.

Maine Public reports the wind project targets commercial timberland in rural, unincorporated southeast Aroostook County; Clearway's Nick Benjamin pointed to existing roads, proximity to a transmission right of way, and reliable wind speeds. At 800 MW it would be the largest wind project in the state, which Maine Public puts at roughly 900 MW of land-based wind today.

An unconnected corner of the grid

The reason an 800 MW wind award comes bundled with a 1,200 MW transmission line is that northern Maine, windy as it is, has nowhere to put the electrons. Aroostook and Washington counties are not connected to the rest of the Maine and New England grid, and the region draws most of its power from New Brunswick, Canada, as Maine Morning Star notes. Commissioner Patrick Scully, quoted by Maine Morning Star, said the disconnect has deprived the region of jobs, tax revenue, and investment.

The legislature created the program in 2021 to fix that. The commission issued its first RFP on November 29, 2021 and terminated that procurement by order on December 22, 2023 without completed contracts, per the commission's program page; Maine Public reports the earlier round collapsed after transmission negotiations failed. The solicitation went out again in December 2025, according to Maine Morning Star, this time with Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, and Rhode Island participating alongside Maine. The five states will share the cost of the line, with Maine responsible for less than 11 percent.

That cost-sharing structure is what distinguishes the second attempt from the first, and the commissioners were open about how unusual it is. "I've not seen anything like this in the US," Scully said in the release, calling the effort a model for other regions. Chair Philip L. Bartlett II said the procurement minimizes costs for Maine ratepayers "by sharing costs with other states commensurate with the value provided."

What happens next

The commission will finalize a power purchase agreement with Clearway for Maine's roughly 600 MW share, subject to its own final review and approval. The transmission line needs approval from FERC; the commission recommended that the New England States Committee on Electricity work with the coordinating states and Avangrid to finalize a Voluntary Agreement for submission there. Permitting and development will take years, and Maine Public notes the generation build depends on the line getting built.

The commission's construction-period projections: more than 2,500 full-time jobs in Maine over four years, approximately $150 million in new municipal and state tax revenue, and more than $2.4 billion in total economic output. Governor Janet Mills, in a statement quoted by Maine Morning Star, called the selections "a historic opportunity to put Maine's energy resources to work for ratepayers."