MAINE PUBLIC • July 25, 2025
A Maine company plans to build the state's first pumped storage hydropower facility in Oxford County.Western Maine Energy Storage filed a preliminary permit with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to evaluate the potential of constructing a 500 megawatt development in Dixfield. Hydropower storage works by shifting water through turbines between two large reservoirs, said company spokesperson Tom Brennan. It's a technology with a long track record in the U.S. and across the world. Brennan said, "What it essentially is is a water battery." Western Maine Energy Storage said its system would include two 100-acre reservoirs connected with an enclosed pipe to deliver water to a powerhouse with two turbines. The company wants a four-year permit to examine the feasibility of the plan, conduct environmental studies and complete engineering plans.