Dixfield considers wind farm moratorium
Interest in developing a wind farm on Colonel Holman mountain in Dixfield is prompting the town to consider a six-month moratorium on wind-energy projects.
Selectmen set into motion a vote on the moratorium this week and also appointed an ad hoc committee to draft an ordinance regulating the development and construction of wind turbines, according to the Sun Journal. Patriot Renewables, an energy company based in Massachusetts, received a building permit last month to erect a meteorological tower on the mountain to gauge wind speed and other data in preparation for a potential eight- to 20-turbine wind farm.
Officials said a moratorium would allow the town to study the impact of the proposed development, valued at between $36 million and $40 million. Patriot Renewables operates a three-turbine, 4.5 megawatt wind farm in Freedom and has tentative plans to build a 12- to 19-turbine project along a ridge in Carthage, and a roughly 12-turbine project in Woodstock, according to the paper.
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