By the associated press

AUGUSTA, Maine – The Maine Public Utilities Commission has selected bids for six new solar projects and one existing wind farm project as part of its mandatory shift to clean energy.

The solar projects announced on Tuesday will contribute 100% of their production to supplying Central Maine Power and Versant Power customers and the existing wind project will contribute 50% of its production, the Portland Press Herald reported.

Helix Maine Wind Development LLC, located in the Boundary Mountains in Franklin County, is the wind project. PUC selected two bids each for solar projects from Glenvale LLC and Walden Renewables and awarded Swift Current and C2 Energy Capital LLC each one solar project.

“Initial prices range from 2.8 cents to 3.9 cents per kilowatt hour. These awards, combined with the economic and environmental benefits the projects will bring, are a positive outcome for Maine, â€said PUC Commission Chairman Philip Bartlett.

The projects will sign long-term contracts with CMP or Versant Power that the commission will approve and review annually, the commission said in a statement.

Legislation passed in 2019 required Maine to increase the amount of renewable energy in its supply to 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2050 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change. .

In September, the PUC approved 17 renewable energy projects for long-term contracts, which represented the largest renewable energy purchase in Maine history.

The commission noted the offers in the selection process that gave the most weight to competitive rates, the newspaper reported. Job creation, community benefits and avoided emissions were also factored into the rating.

More information on the new round of projects will be released by the PUC, but early estimates were that the projects would create 175 full-time jobs during construction and 14 full-time jobs per year in operations, the newspaper reported.