The Energy Technology Innovation Partnership Project (ETIPP) is a U.S. Department of Energy–led initiative that provides federally supported technical assistance to coastal, remote, and island communities seeking to strengthen energy resilience. Through collaboration with national laboratories and regional partners, ETIPP supports strategic energy planning, infrastructure assessment, stakeholder engagement, and analysis of innovative energy solutions. ETIPP does not provide construction funding.

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Wiscasset applied for ETIPP technical assistance in July 2025 under the Strategic Energy Planning track, seeking support to develop a comprehensive local energy strategy focused on resilience, reliability, and long-term affordability

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Wiscasset’s Proposed Focus

The Town of Wiscasset collaborated with RePower Wiscasset to submit its application in partnership with the Island Institute as the ETIPP regional partner, with support from a broad coalition of municipal leaders, utilities, nonprofit organizations, private-sector stakeholders, and state representatives.
 

The proposed Strategic Energy Plan would focus on:

• Assessing vulnerabilities in the local electrical distribution system

• Strengthening coordination with Central Maine Power

• Evaluating infrastructure needs for planned municipal facilities

• Exploring development of an energy resilience hub

• Advancing energy efficiency and weatherization strategies

• Evaluating clean energy redevelopment potential at Birch Point (Mason Station) and Old Ferry Road

• Supporting local innovation aligned with community energy resilience goals

The application emphasized Wiscasset’s exposure to storm-related outages, aging infrastructure, and the presence of legacy energy assets associated with former power generation sites