May 3 - The Port of Eastport, Maine, USA,, has welcomed a shipment of wind turbine blades that could be the first of many as the burgeoning wind energy industry gathers speed.
Most of the blades, which were manufactured in Brazil, are destined for a 40-turbine wind farm on Rollins Mountain in the northern Penobscot County towns of Lincoln, Lee, Burlington and Winn. The wind farm is being developed by Massachusetts-based First Wind.
Local news reports said some blade loads offloaded at the Eastport docks will also be trucked to wind projects in Nova Scotia and Mansfield, Pa.
Christopher M. Gardner, executive director for the Eastport Port Authority, told HLPFI that he hopes the port will handle more wind turbine component shipments in the future. "The strength of our location, facility, stevedoring operation in Federal Marine Terminals and most importantly our labour union have all well positioned us to turn this into an opportunity to be a premier location for this new industry in this region of the United States and nearby Canada," said Mr Gardner.
