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Catamount backs out of wind project
The Associated Press Nonetheless, Endless Energy
Corp. of The project, first proposed
last year, was planned as a partnership between Catamount Energy, a subsidiary
of Central Vermont Public Service Corp., and Endless Energy Corp. The two
companies had formed Equinox Wind Partners. A contract is already in
place for the Burlington Electric Department to buy 7 percent of the city’s
electricity from the wind farm. The project also has the backing of five
environmental groups, including the Conservation Law Foundation, Vermont Natural
Resources Council and Vermonters for a Clean Environment. And wind farm
developers already have a land lease agreement with owners of the land, the
Carthusian Foundation in But Robert Charlebois,
managing director of Catamount, said his company was leaving to focus on larger
projects. “We prioritize development
dollars and opportunities and, unfortunately, we find it necessary to terminate
funding of this smaller project,” he said. The company will continue
pursuing projects elsewhere in the Harley Lee, president of
Endless Energy, said his company would press ahead with the Equinox project.
“We appreciate Catamount’s contributions to the project and will continue to
build on the joint development progress we have made to date,” he said. Manchester Planning Director
Lee Krohn said Endless Energy has the “knowledge and capacity” to continue
with the project. If completed as planned, it
could produce more than 25 million kilowatt-hours a year — enough electricity
to serve as many as 4,000 homes. Some local residents have
said the 330-foot towers that would make up the wind farm would harm tourism. |