Wind Energy

NH wind farm gets backing from US DOE

A proposed wind farm in northern New Hampshire is getting some big support from the U.S. Department of Energy. The department is guaranteeing the bulk of a nearly $169 million loan for the wind power project in Coos County, which is expected to be the largest in the state.

Wind turbines project sponsors BAIF Granite Holdings, LLC and Freshet Wind Energy LLC expect the project will fund nearly 200 construction jobs. The wind farm is expected to generate enough electricity to power nearly 20,000 homes. The majority of the power will be sold to Central Vermont Public Service and Green Mountain Power based in Vermont.

The loan guarantee will support a 99 megawatt (MW) wind power generation project that will be New Hampshire’s largest wind farm, with 33 Vestas V90 3.0-MW wind turbines.

The Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office administers three separate programs: the Title XVII Section 1703 and Section 1705 loan guarantee programs, and the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program. The loan guarantee programs support the deployment of commercial technologies along with innovative technologies that avoid, reduce, or sequester greenhouse gas emissions, while ATVM supports the development of electric vehicles.

To date, the Department has issued loans, loan guarantees or offered conditional commitments for loan guarantees totaling nearly $40 billion to support more than 40 clean energy projects across the United States, including several of the world’s largest concentrating solar power generation facilities, three geothermal energy projects and the world’s largest wind farm.

www.lpo.energy.gov