An Act Regarding Grid-scale Wind Energy Development
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1342
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology
Sponsors: DION
Amends: 35-A MRSA §3451, 38 MRSA §482

Legislative Document
No. 1342
S.P. 456
In Senate, April 6, 2017
An Act Regarding Grid-scale Wind Energy Development
Reference to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology suggested and ordered 
printed.
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator DION of Cumberland.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  35-A MRSA §3451, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 661, Pt. A, §7, is 
amended to read: 
1.  Associated facilities.  "Associated facilities" means elements of a wind energy 
development other than its generating facilities that are necessary to the proper operation 
and maintenance of the wind energy development, including but not limited to buildings, 
access roads, generator lead lines and substations.  "Associated facilities" does not 
include utility-owned facilities. 
Sec. 2.  35-A MRSA §3451, sub-§§5 and 6, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 661, Pt. 
A, §7, are amended to read: 
5.  Generating facilities.  "Generating facilities" means wind turbines and towers and 
transmission lines, not including generator lead lines, that are immediately associated 
with the wind turbines.  "Generating facilities" does not include utility-owned facilities. 
6.  Grid-scale wind energy development.  "Grid-scale wind energy development" 
means a wind energy development that is of a size that would qualify as a development of 
state or regional significance that may substantially affect the environment as defined 
under Title 38, section 482, subsection 2, paragraph A or paragraph C.  "Grid-scale wind 
energy development" does not include utility-owned facilities. 
Sec. 3.  35-A MRSA §3451, sub-§10-C is enacted to read: 
10-C.  Utility-owned facilities.  "Utility-owned facilities" means facilities that are 
owned and operated by a transmission and distribution utility and that are necessary for 
the interconnection of a wind energy development to the electric grid, including but not 
limited to substations, switchyards, transmission lines and associated corridors and other 
voltage control and reactive power control devices. 
Sec. 4.  35-A MRSA §3451, sub-§11, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 661, Pt. A, §7, is 
amended to read: 
11.  Wind energy development.  "Wind energy development" means a development 
that uses a windmill or wind turbine to convert wind energy to electrical energy for sale 
or use by a person other than the generator.  A wind energy development includes 
generating facilities and associated facilities, but does not include utility-owned facilities. 
Sec. 5.  38 MRSA §482, sub-§8, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 615, Pt. E, §16, is 
amended to read: 
8.  Offshore wind power project.  "Offshore wind power project" means a project 
that uses a windmill or wind turbine to convert wind energy to electrical energy and is 
located in whole or in part within coastal wetlands as defined in section 480-B, 
subsection 2.  "Offshore wind power project" includes both generating facilities as 
defined by Title 35-A, section 3451, subsection 5 and associated facilities as defined by 
Title 35-A, section 3451, subsection 1, without regard to whether the electrical energy is 
for sale or use by a person other than the generator.  "Offshore wind power project" does 
not include utility-owned facilities as defined in Title 35-A, section 3451, subsection 
10-C. 
SUMMARY 
This bill specifies that associated facilities constructed for wind energy development 
do not include utility-owned facilities and utility-owned facilities are not part of a wind 
energy development or offshore wind power project.