Skowhegan discusses public forum on Weston Dam sale

DAILY BULLDOG • September 29, 2026

More than a year after Brookfield Renewable sold the Weston Dam to The Nature Conservancy, the Skowhegan Select Board remains unclear about the transfer’s status and its potential effects on the town. The sale cleared the way for The Nature Conservancy to pursue the decommissioning and removal of the Weston Dam and three other hydroelectric dams on the lower Kennebec River. Brookfield will operate the dams while The Nature Conservancy conducts a broader study of the dam system and gradually transfers operational oversight to the Kennebec River Restoration Trust, a nonprofit the parties formed when they completed the sale. That transfer will happen before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approves a decommissioning plan, an intensive regulatory process that could take most of a decade.