Rhode Island Energy conditionally selects 150 MW from proposed 800 MW Maine onshore wind project

Rhode Island Energy announced on September 8 that it conditionally selected 150 MW of renewable energy from Clearway Energy Group’s proposed onshore wind development in Aroostook County, Maine. The selection was made under Rhode Island’s Affordable Clean Energy Security Act and positions the utility as a participant in a broader, multi-state New England procurement effort. The 800 MW project, if completed, would dwarf any existing onshore wind facility in the region.

Rhode Island Energy conditionally selects 150 MW from Clearway’s Maine wind project

Rhode Island Energy will procure the 150 MW through a long-term power purchase agreement — but nothing is finalized yet. The selection is conditional, meaning RIE must first enter contract negotiations with Clearway Energy Group. After that comes regulatory review, with the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission needing to sign off before the agreement takes effect.

The selection was made under Rhode Island’s Affordable Clean Energy Security Act — the state law directing utilities to pursue cost-effective clean energy procurement. That legislative framework gave RIE both the authority and the obligation to participate in regional efforts like this one.

That geography makes it a plausible location for a development at this scale, even if the distance from major load centers adds complexity to transmission planning.

Multi-state solicitation led by Maine Public Utilities Commission drove the selection

The conditional award didn’t happen in isolation. It came out of a competitive, multi-state solicitation led by the Maine Public Utilities Commission, which sought proposals for up to 1,200 MW of renewable energy resources alongside transmission solutions aimed at strengthening New England’s electric grid.

Rhode Island Energy joined other New England states in evaluating generation proposals as part of a coordinated regional effort — something officials have described as a first-of-its-kind collaboration to jointly pursue large-scale clean energy and transmission solutions.

The structure of the solicitation reflects a growing recognition that energy challenges don’t stop at state borders. Pooling evaluation capacity and aligning procurement goals lets participating states go after projects at a scale that individual state efforts probably couldn’t support on their own.

Completion would make the project the largest onshore wind facility in New England

The scale of Clearway’s proposed development is hard to put in context without some numbers. At 800 MW total capacity, the project would become the largest onshore wind development in New England upon completion — and it wouldn’t be close. It would be more than four times larger than the region’s current largest operating onshore wind facility.

That’s not an incremental gain. It’s a genuine step-change in New England’s onshore wind capacity.

Aroostook County sits in Maine’s far north — rural, sparsely populated, with substantial land area and solid wind resources. That geography makes it a plausible location for a development at this scale, even if the distance from major load centers adds complexity to transmission planning. If the project moves forward, it would significantly expand New England’s renewable energy portfolio and diversify the region’s energy supply mix, which matters for grid reliability as the region keeps reducing its dependence on fossil fuel generation.

Project supports Rhode Island’s climate mandates and regional energy security goals

For Rhode Island Energy, this selection isn’t just about adding megawatts. It’s tied directly to the state’s statutory climate commitments. Rhode Island’s 2021 Act on Climate established binding decarbonization targets, and utilities operating in the state are expected to align their procurement strategies accordingly.

Greg Cornett, president of RIE, framed it in those terms. “We are committed to helping advance a reliable, safe, affordable, and increasingly clean energy future for our customers, while supporting Rhode Island’s 2021 Act on Climate requirements,” he said in the announcement. He also pointed to the project’s potential to strengthen New England’s energy infrastructure more broadly.

Rhode Island Energy serves over 770,000 customers across Rhode Island, delivering both electricity and natural gas, and is a subsidiary of PPL Corporation. With a customer base that size, locking in a long-term renewable energy source at a competitive price through a regional procurement carries real weight for ratepayers.

The project is also framed as a contribution to regional energy security — delivering power generated within New England to customers across multiple states. That “in-region” generation argument is increasingly relevant as policymakers weigh the risks of over-relying on energy sources or infrastructure that cross long distances or pass through potential bottlenecks.

A long-term power purchase agreement

Rhode Island Energy has conditionally selected 150 MW of renewable energy from Clearway Energy Group’s proposed 800 MW onshore wind project in Aroostook County, Maine. The selection was made under Rhode Island’s Affordable Clean Energy Security Act and follows a multi-state competitive solicitation led by the Maine Public Utilities Commission. RIE will pursue a long-term power purchase agreement with Clearway, subject to contract negotiations and approval from the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission. If completed, the 800 MW project would be the largest onshore wind facility in New England — more than four times the size of the region’s current largest operating onshore wind site. The effort is part of a first-of-its-kind regional collaboration among New England states to pursue large-scale clean energy and transmission solutions.

Kelly Lippke

Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.