{"id":356,"date":"2025-09-27T08:04:06","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T12:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/brunswick-dam-fish-passage\/?p=356"},"modified":"2025-09-27T18:47:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T22:47:55","slug":"the-nature-conservancy-negotiates-deal-to-return-free-flowing-conditions-on-the-lower-kennebec","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/brunswick-dam-fish-passage\/news\/the-nature-conservancy-negotiates-deal-to-return-free-flowing-conditions-on-the-lower-kennebec\/","title":{"rendered":"The Nature Conservancy negotiates deal to return free flowing conditions on the lower Kennebec"},"content":{"rendered":"

Press release:<\/em><\/p>\n

The Nature Conservancy and Brookfield Reach Deal for Four Lower Kennebec River Dams<\/strong><\/p>\n

Agreement creates historic opportunity for collaborative community process to restore the river and strengthen the region\u2019s economic vitality<\/em><\/p>\n

BRUNSWICK, MAINE \u2013 On September 15, 2025, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Brookfield signed a purchase and sale agreement for the four dams on the lower Kennebec River in Maine. These include the Lockwood, Hydro-Kennebec, Shawmut, and Weston dams.<\/p>\n

This agreement is the result of a multi-year discussion between TNC and Brookfield.\u00a0As the buyer, TNC and its partners seek\u00a0to return free-flowing conditions to the lower Kennebec River through a mix of dam decommissioning, removal, and other efforts, partnering with communities to ensure the region\u00a0benefits both economically and ecologically from the restoration process.\u00a0Simultaneously, Brookfield plans to continue owning, operating, and investing in the state to produce low-carbon energy for years to come.<\/p>\n

Any decommissioning process will take multiple years. During that time,\u00a0Brookfield has agreed to continue to maintain high-quality operations at each of the four facilities under long term operating agreements, and municipalities will continue to receive property tax payments. TNC has initiated discussions with riverside municipalities and intends to work closely with towns to manage the impacts of this process, and to leverage the economic, cultural, and health benefits it will bring to communities.<\/p>\n

TNC and its partners are 100% committed to developing a solution with Sappi that fully addresses the Somerset Mill\u2019s long-term water system needs. We understand the vital role of the Somerset Mill for the forest products industry and the state\u2019s economy. We believe it will be possible to protect the mill\u2019s future AND achieve river restoration goals on the lower Kennebec.<\/p>\n

A new non-profit organization\u2014the Kennebec River Restoration Trust\u2014is currently being formed to take ownership of the dams, oversee operations of the hydroelectric facilities, and manage the multi-year restoration process in close collaboration with local communities. Additional information about this new organization, its leadership, staffing, and advisory groups will be shared in the coming months. For now, information about this effort is available at nature.org\/kennebec<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“The vision of The Nature Conservancy and our partners is for a free-flowing river on the lower Kennebec, accomplished in a way that both restores the river\u2019s ecological health and strengthens the region\u2019s economic vitality,\u201d said Kate Dempsey, State Director of The Nature Conservancy in Maine<\/strong>. \u201cAchieving these twin goals will take time and thoughtful collaboration with local communities. We\u2019re grateful to Brookfield for working with us to find a mutually beneficial solution to restoring balance to the Kennebec River, and to all the partners who have come together to make this once-in-a-generation opportunity possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are delighted to partner with TNC and look forward to collaborating with them and other stakeholders over the coming years,\u201d said Stephen Gallagher, CEO of Brookfield Renewable N.A.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cAs this process advances, Brookfield remains committed to ensuring that Maine homes and businesses continue to benefit from reliable and clean hydropower on the Kennebec River and throughout the State. Hydropower is critical to Maine\u2019s energy system and to achieving Maine\u2019s clean energy goals, and we are proud to continue as a significant partner in meeting these needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSkowhegan\u2019s position as a leading destination for outdoor recreation has never been stronger, and this news can enhance that, while also improving community access to the Kennebec River,\u201d said Kristina Cannon, President and CEO of Main Street Skowhegan<\/strong>. \u201cImportantly, the River Park will not be harmed by these changes\u2014in fact, removing the Weston dam through a thoughtful community process could create an even greater opportunity to design world-class whitewater features by focusing on sections of the river with the most natural drop and velocity. I am also committed to working alongside all partners to ensure that the Somerset Mill remains strong, because our vision is for both a thriving mill and a thriving recreation economy to support Skowhegan\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Kennebec River is a key contributor to Maine\u2019s renewable energy and climate goals,\u201d said Eliza Donoghue, executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association<\/strong>. \u201cBrookfield\u2019s ongoing commitment to owning, operating, and investing in its hydropower facilities farther upstream ensures the Kennebec will continue producing critical renewable energy for Maine and the region for years to come, while balancing the needs of people and nature on the lower river through the involvement of The Nature Conservancy and its partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Atlantic Salmon Federation applauds TNC and Brookfield on this landmark agreement,\u201d said John Burrows, Vice President of Operations for the Atlantic Salmon Federation<\/strong>. \u201cFully restoring and reconnecting the Sandy River with the Gulf of Maine is essential to ensure that healthy wild Atlantic salmon populations will thrive in this river for generations to come. The benefits of the continued restoration of the Kennebec River span beyond salmon and will also result in tremendous, long-lasting economic, social, and ecological benefits for the people and communities of the Kennebec Valley and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Press release: The Nature Conservancy and Brookfield Reach Deal for Four Lower Kennebec River Dams Agreement creates historic opportunity for collaborative community process to restore the river and strengthen the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1798,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/brunswick-dam-fish-passage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/brunswick-dam-fish-passage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/brunswick-dam-fish-passage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/brunswick-dam-fish-passage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1798"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/brunswick-dam-fish-passage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/brunswick-dam-fish-passage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/brunswick-dam-fish-passage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/brunswick-dam-fish-passage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/brunswick-dam-fish-passage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}