Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §3132, as amended by PL 1997, c. 710, §6, is further amended to read:

§3132. Construction of generating facilities prohibited without

prior order of the commission

An electric utility may not construct any generating facility or transmission line covered by subsection 1, 1-A or 2 or rebuild or relocate any transmission line as investigated by the commission under subsection 3 unless the commission has issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity approving construction.

1. Construction of generating facility. Whenever any electric utility or utilities proposes propose to erect within this State a permanently installed generating facility of more than 1,000 kilowatts or any transmission line capable of operating at 100 kilovolts or more, the construction of which is required to carry the capacity or energy produced by the generating facility, the following provisions apply.

A. The utility or utilities shall file with the commission, no less than 3 months in advance of submitting its petition for approval of the proposed facility or lines, a notice of its intent to file the petition.

The notice of intent to file shall must inform the commission of the location, size, type of facility, estimated cost and proposed construction schedule of the generating facility or lines, together with such other facts and details concerning the proposed facility or lines as the commission by rule prescribes.

B. The petition for approval of the proposed generating facility or lines shall must contain such information as the commission by rule prescribes.

C. The petition for approval shall must be set down for public hearing.

D. The commission shall issue its order within 15 months after the petition is filed with the commission unless the period is either extended by agreement of all the parties or by the commission upon its determination that the party seeking the extension would, because of circumstances beyond that party's control for which it has no reasonable substitute, be unreasonably disadvantaged unless the