BY BETTY JESPERSEN

Staff Writer

The largest wind-power developer in Maine started shipping the giant wind turbines from Searsport to Stratton this week for installation at the Kibby Mountain project.

On Friday, TransCanada will mark the arrival of the turbines in Franklin County and host viewing events along the transportation route. In Farmington, a reception will take place in front of the Franklin County Courthouse on Main Street from noon to 2 p.m. In Stratton, the event will be at the Stratton Community Building on Main Street/Route 27 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Residents are invited to watch as the equipment passes by, including the wind turbine blades, which are about 150 feet long, according to a press release.

Refreshments will be provided and TransCanada representatives will be on hand to answer questions and provide information about the project.

A traffic alert was issued by Maine State Police this week. According to Maine State Police Lt. Donald Pomelow, commander of the Troop C Barracks in Skowhegan, over the next two months, more than 150 loads, some escorted and some not, will pass through central Maine.

The trucks will travel from Searsport to Augusta, up to Sidney and into Oakland on Route 23, out to Route 139 to Norridgewock, then on to U.S. Route 2 into Farmington and Route 27 to Stratton/Eustis. There should be a minimum of five loads per day, Pomelow said.

Twenty-two of the 44 Vestas V-90 turbines arrived by ship in Searsport in early March from the Vestas factories, according to TransCanada. An additional 22 turbines will be transported during the summer of 2010.

The turbines will provide power to the New England electricity grid by late 2009. On completion of the entire project in late 2010, Kibby Wind Power says it will have the capacity to produce 132 megawatts of power, which would meet the needs of 50,000 homes in Maine.