FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — The town of Fort Fairfield and the Aroostook Partnership are working to find new opportunities for the soon-to-be-demolished ReEnergy biomass plant property on Cheney Grove Road.
New York-based ReEnergy closed the Fort Fairfield biomass plant last November and the Ashland biomass plant this month. While there have been no plans announced for the Ashland facility, ReEnergy is planning to demolish the Fort Fairfield plant this summer.
ReEnergy has shown several interested parties the Fort Fairfield site in recent weeks, said ReEnergy CEO Larry Richardson in a press release. The company also wants to hand off control of the site post-demolition and is considering transferring the property to the town or other local non-profit entity.
Meanwhile, the town of Fort Fairfield and the Aroostook Partnership, a public-private economic development group, are aiming to find a new use for the site.
“We are diligently working together as a team to determine the most appropriate entity to redevelop this parcel and create new jobs and tax revenue,” said Fort Fairfield Town Manager Andrea Powers in a press release.
“This parcel has a rail spur; has the potential for compressed natural gas; is close to an airport and Interstate-95, and is fewer than four miles from the Trans Canada Highway,” Powers said. “It also is located in a Municipal Tax Increment Financing District, Empowerment Zone, and Pine Tree Zone. We look forward to finding a new corporate citizen to make its home in the lovely Town of Fort Fairfield.”
Paul Towle, CEO of the Aroostook Partnership, said he is “encouraged that we’re all working together on solutions to address the closure of an important Aroostook County economic asset in Fort Fairfield.”
The Fort Fairfield biomass plant on Cheney Grove Road opened in 1987 as a 37-megawatt plant generating electricity from lumber mill residues and wood chips. The plant produced enough power for about 34,000 homes and most recently employed 21 people before closing in November.
According to Fort Fairfield officials, ReEnergy paid approximately $140,000 in 2018 in real estate and property taxes. The property’s assessment will change following the demolition and removal of equipment.
