Interview: Plainfield to vote on micro hydro

(Host) With Town Meeting Day coming up next week, we're examining an interesting question folks in Plainfield will face. Do voters in Plainfield, population about 1,300, want to borrow $200,000 for the development of a micro-hydro dam?

The town has received a Clean Energy Development Fund Grant for necessary project equipment-but there are conditions, as we'll hear.

Green Mountain Power is interested in working with Plainfield on the project. The turbines would generate 345,000 kilowatt hours per year, and instead of paying for electricity, the town would pay for debt service for 20-years.

Select-board member Claudia Clark says the numbers make financial sense for the town, but there's no way to predict the potential obstacles that could come up in the permitting process.

Click listen to hear the entire interview.

The town will hold a public information meeting at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Plainfield Town Hall, located on Route 2.

Photo is an artist's rendering of what the proposed hydro project would look like.