Kibby Mountain
Encyclopedia
Kibby Mountain is a mountain
located in Franklin County
, Maine
, about 3.5 miles (6 km) east of the Canada-United States border
.
Kibby Mountain is flanked to the southeast by Spencer Bale Mountain.
Kibby Mountain stands within the watershed
of the Kennebec River
, which drains into the Gulf of Maine
.
The north side of Kibby Mountain drains into the East Branch
of the Moose River, thence into the South Branch
of the Moose, the Moose River
, and the Kennebec River.
The west side of Kibby Mountain drains into Caribou Flow, thence into the South Branch of the Moose River.
The southwest end of Kibby Mountain drains into the Middle Branch of Kibby Stream, thence into Spencer Stream and the Dead River, another tributary
of the Kennebec.
The southeast side of Kibby Mountain drains into the West Branch of Spencer Stream.
was proposed for the mountain and neighboring peaks. The project was subject to much public debate and was revised repeatedly.
TransCanada Corporation's third proposal, in 2006, was for 44 3-megawatt (MW) wind turbine
s strung along the ridges of Kibby Mountain and nearby Kibby Range.
While still opposed by the advocacy group Friends of the Boundary Mountains, other environmental groups including the Appalachian Mountain Club
, Maine Audubon, and Natural Resources Council of Maine announced their support for the project in 2007.
Among other conditions, TransCanada agreed not to develop wind facilities on approximately 1324 acres (535.8 ha) of land above 2700 feet (823 m) near the project area.
On January 15, 2008, Maine's Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) unanimously approved TransCanada's preliminary development plan and rezoning request for 2367 acres (957.9 ha).
The commission rejected another, smaller wind power
project on Black Nubble
but concluded that the Kibby mountains have "relatively low use by the public, and these mountains have not been designated as having regionally scenic significance."
The LURC gave final approval on July 10, 2008.
The wind farm — at a capacity of 132 MW, New England's largest — is expected to generate about 357 million kilowatt-hours (41 MW·yr) of electricity annually.
Half the turbines were put online in October 2009, and the remainder in 2010.
The capital cost of the project has grown to approximately US $350 million.
An expansion, of perhaps 45 MW, is under consideration.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
located in Franklin County
Franklin County, Maine
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 30,768. Its county seat is Farmington.Franklin County was established on 9 May 1838.-Geography:...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, about 3.5 miles (6 km) east of the Canada-United States border
Canada-United States border
The Canada–United States border, officially known as the International Boundary, is the longest border in the world. The terrestrial boundary is 8,891 kilometers long, including 2,475 kilometres shared with Alaska...
.
Kibby Mountain is flanked to the southeast by Spencer Bale Mountain.
Kibby Mountain stands within the watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Kennebec River
Kennebec River
The Kennebec River is a river that is entirely within the U.S. state of Maine. It rises in Moosehead Lake in west-central Maine. The East and West Outlets join at Indian Pond and the river then flows southward...
, which drains into the Gulf of Maine
Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...
.
The north side of Kibby Mountain drains into the East Branch
East Branch Moose River (Maine)
The East Branch Moose River is a short tributary of the South Branch Moose River in Skinner , Maine.From its source on Kibby Mountain, the river runs northwest to its confluence with the Moose River's South Branch....
of the Moose River, thence into the South Branch
South Branch Moose River (Maine)
The South Branch Moose River is a tributary of the Moose River in Franklin County, Maine. Its source on Caribou Mountain is about from the Canada – United States border, in Skinner . From there, the river winds generally north for to its confluence with the main stream of the Moose River in...
of the Moose, the Moose River
Moose River (Maine)
The Moose River is an river in Maine. Its source is in Beattie , on the Canada – United States border, which runs along the height of land between the watersheds of the Kennebec River in Maine and the Chaudière River in Quebec...
, and the Kennebec River.
The west side of Kibby Mountain drains into Caribou Flow, thence into the South Branch of the Moose River.
The southwest end of Kibby Mountain drains into the Middle Branch of Kibby Stream, thence into Spencer Stream and the Dead River, another tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Kennebec.
The southeast side of Kibby Mountain drains into the West Branch of Spencer Stream.
Kibby Wind Power Project
In the mid 1990s, Kibby Mountain entered the public spotlight when a wind farmWind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
was proposed for the mountain and neighboring peaks. The project was subject to much public debate and was revised repeatedly.
TransCanada Corporation's third proposal, in 2006, was for 44 3-megawatt (MW) wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s strung along the ridges of Kibby Mountain and nearby Kibby Range.
While still opposed by the advocacy group Friends of the Boundary Mountains, other environmental groups including the Appalachian Mountain Club
Appalachian Mountain Club
The Appalachian Mountain Club is one of the United States' oldest outdoor groups. Created in 1876 to explore and preserve the White Mountains in New Hampshire, it has expanded throughout the northeastern U.S., with 12 chapters stretching from Maine to Washington, D.C...
, Maine Audubon, and Natural Resources Council of Maine announced their support for the project in 2007.
Among other conditions, TransCanada agreed not to develop wind facilities on approximately 1324 acres (535.8 ha) of land above 2700 feet (823 m) near the project area.
On January 15, 2008, Maine's Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) unanimously approved TransCanada's preliminary development plan and rezoning request for 2367 acres (957.9 ha).
The commission rejected another, smaller wind power
Wind power
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....
project on Black Nubble
Black Nubble (Redington Township, Maine)
Black Nubble is a mountain located in Franklin County, Maine.Black Nubble is flanked to the southeast by Mount Redington. Redington stands just north of the U.S. Navy Survival Escape and Evasion Training Facility ....
but concluded that the Kibby mountains have "relatively low use by the public, and these mountains have not been designated as having regionally scenic significance."
The LURC gave final approval on July 10, 2008.
The wind farm — at a capacity of 132 MW, New England's largest — is expected to generate about 357 million kilowatt-hours (41 MW·yr) of electricity annually.
Half the turbines were put online in October 2009, and the remainder in 2010.
The capital cost of the project has grown to approximately US $350 million.
An expansion, of perhaps 45 MW, is under consideration.