KIBBY TOWNSHIP — TransCanada will hold a grand opening celebration on Friday, Oct. 16 to mark the start of operations for the Kibby Wind Power Project on Kibby Mountain in Kibby and Skinner townships.

“The project is on time and on budget,” officials announced. Almost half of the project’s 44 turbines are now operational, and are now providing energy to the New England power grid.

The transmission line is complete, connecting the wind development to Central Maine Power Company’s substation near Stratton.

When the second phase is complete, the 132 megawatt Kibby Wind Power Project will be the largest wind power development in New England.

To celebrate this landmark, on Friday, Oct. 16 the company will host a grand opening from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The public is invited to arrive at the Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel by 11:30 a.m. A bus will then transport everyone to the project site on Kibby Mountain for the luncheon and ceremony.

It is anticipated that the crowd will hear from representatives from the State House.

Guests will arrive back at Sugarloaf by 3 p.m.

“TransCanada is excited to be part of the community, here in Franklin County,” says Alex Pourbaix, president of Energy and executive-vice-president of Corporate Development for TransCanada.

With the project going online, this expands the company’s portfolio owning or having an interest in energy infrastructure across the continent, Pourbiax explained in a release.

TransCanada plans to have half of the 44 turbines in service this year, with the remaining turbines going on line in 2010.

The corporation, reports claim, has spent more than $75 million on materials, labor and services in Maine, with nearly $6 million spent here in Franklin County.

The project has also supported approximately 300 construction jobs, 90 percent of which have gone to Maine residents.

Eight people, mostly from Franklin County, now have fulltime jobs maintaining the turbines and overseeing local operations.