Is Maine finally about to make wind power happen?

Maine's utility regulators moved on Tuesday to select an 800-megawatt wind farm proposal and a 1.2-gigawatt transmission line plan from bids received earlier this year, per Canary Media. The decisions bring the state's long-running effort to develop utility-scale wind in its northern reaches closer to reality.

The regulator's choices cover both generation and the infrastructure needed to move that power to customers. The 800 MW wind farm and the 1.2 GW transmission line were selected from a competitive bid process, though Canary Media does not name the winning developers or disclose the financial terms of either selection.

Maine has been attempting to build out utility-scale wind in the northern part of the state for nearly two decades, according to Canary Media. The region has long been identified as a strong resource area for wind generation, but the projects have faced persistent obstacles — regulatory, political, and logistical — that have repeatedly delayed progress.

Tuesday's regulatory action represents an incremental step rather than a final approval. Regulators chose preferred proposals from among competing bids, but the projects would still need to clear further permitting and contracting hurdles before construction could begin. Canary Media notes that the state's history with this effort spans roughly 18 years, underscoring how frequently prior attempts have stalled before reaching the construction phase.

The available source material does not detail next steps in the regulatory process, name a projected construction start, or identify specific competing bidders that were passed over. Further reporting will be needed to assess the timeline and likelihood of these projects reaching commercial operation.