I am responsible for the daily operation of the Kibby Wind Farm. I was born in Hancock County, graduated from high school on Mount Desert Island, and earned my engineering degree from Maine Maritime Academy. As a fourth generation native, I’m proud to call Maine my home.
After graduating from MMA, I, like so many other Mainers, traveled out of state to find employment. My family endured over a decade of tearful goodbyes at the Bangor airport while I left to earn a living elsewhere.
I missed first steps, first birthdays and numerous other events that fathers shouldn’t have to miss. During these years, I made sacrifices, like so many other Mainers have done, to provide for my family and allow my children the same opportunities I had by growing up in Maine.
In 2006, the first Maine wind farm was placed on the map in Aroostook County. It wasn’t long after this site was operational that I was presented an opportunity to join the turbine maker’s team overseeing the site’s operations and maintenance. This opportunity marked the beginning of my new career in the wind industry.
Since then, I’ve been fortunate to take part in the construction and operation of three other wind farms in the state. I’ve seen Maine companies adapt and change to become leaders in New England for construction and installation of turbines and facility infrastructure. I’ve watched struggling businesses rejuvenate and local communities benefit from these projects.
Opponents of wind power commonly make claims that the jobs related to these projects are insignificant and do not have a lasting effect within our work force. For the hundreds of workers involved in the projects these jobs have put food on the table and paid the bills during rough economic times.
As a person involved with the operations of these wind farms, I’ve also seen the benefits these facilities offer after construction. Road maintenance, snow removal and transmission line maintenance are just a few of the many services required to keep the facilities operating smoothly. It’s local and regional businesses that support these services and provide the necessary resources and material to complete the work.
Many other Mainers at these wind facilities share a similar story to mine: a commercial fisherman who now works as a relay technician; a laid-off mill worker from Millinocket who now is a wind turbine technician; a laid-off textile worker from Guilford who now commissions substations.
These people, like me, have benefited from jobs created from the wind industry. At every wind farm in Maine you will find local full-time employees. They are hard working individuals who’ve been provided a new career during times where other industries have all but evaporated in our state.
The Kibby site currently has 13 full-time employees. These positions were not filled with technical experts from away, but were filled with local people from Kingfield, Strong, New Portland, Carrabassett Valley, Coplin Plantation, Stratton, Rangeley and Eustis. These people have been retrained and have adapted their previous skills to succeed in this new industry. The same is true at Mars Hill and Stetson.
At Kibby we always seek out local and regional companies to provide services and materials necessary to support our operation. As this industry grows in our state, a wide variety of service and material related business opportunities for future and existing companies will be possible. To see how this type of economic growth is achievable, one only needs to travel to places such as Texas and the Midwest. As a state, I would hope that we would continue to make strides to entice manufacturing opportunities that are directly tied to the wind industry as other states have done.
Wind is not a complete energy independence package or a full economic recovery plan, but it is a solid building block that moves us in the right direction. The wind industry has the potential to provide long-term economic growth in our state through construction, service and manufacturing jobs.
Greg Shelton is the operations coordinator for TransCanada’s Kibby operations.