In late May, the Spanish-based energy company Iberdrola announced that it was canceling its proposed “Wild Meadows” wind project in Danbury and Alexandria. The project would have placed twenty-three 492-foot wind turbines along forested ridgelines a few miles south of Mount Cardigan. The project had spurred intense and well-organized opposition in surrounding communities.
Iberdrola had announced in February that it was “pausing” the Wild Meadows project while it worked on outstanding issues at an existing 24-turbine wind farm it operates in Groton. In a press statement on the project’s cancellation, Iberdrola said “our experience with (the Groton) situation combined with the current political and regulatory climate in New Hampshire leave us no choice but to end our efforts to develop and invest $150 million at the potential Wild Meadows wind farm.”
The Forest Society announced in January 2014 that it would formally oppose the Wild Meadows project going through the state siting review process until comprehensive wind siting rules were in place. At the time, the Society’s President/Forester Jane Difley said "New Hampshire's landscapes are a critical part of our state identity and economy, and our permitting processes are inadequate. Our board of trustees believes that there is a role for wind power in the state's energy future, but that we should not be permitting new large-scale wind projects before establishing siting guidelines as well as other changes to the way the SEC handles applications and accommodates community values and input."
Read the Union Leader’s story: http://www.unionleader.com/article/20140527/NEWS05/140529161