DERBY, Vt. – A developer has withdrawn his proposal to build two industrial-size wind turbines on northern Vermont dairy farms near the Canadian border.

Chad Farrell of Encore Redevelopment in Burlington said he pulled the plug on his project proposal in Derby because of rising costs and opposition that reached into Canada.

He filed a motion Friday with the Vermont Public Service Board to withdraw his application while keeping the right to reapply for one of the turbines in early 2013.

Farrell said he believes the projects have merit and meet the standards required for obtaining a certificate of public good from the Public Service Board. “However, the mounting costs of defending these projects and continuing to develop both turbines have put the entire project at risk,” he said.

Farrell announced his proposal last summer with cautious optimism because of a lack of vocal opposition and initial community support for the two farmers who would benefit financially from the project. The plan called for two 425-foot windmills, each of which could produce enough electricity for about 900 homes.

But opposition mounted in both Vermont and across the border in the Canadian town of Stanstead. Seven different groups of Canadian residents were seeking to intervene in the process, and critics said one of the turbines would be too close to Canadian homes under Quebec standards, which require wind turbines to be at least 1,640 feet from homes.

Jean Rousseau, a member of the Canadian Parliament for the Stanstead area, told the Caledonian-Record that Encore’s decision to withdraw its application is a “first win,” but said he’ll be watching to see what happens.

Leslie Cadwell, an attorney representing Encore Redevelopment, said the company will move forward on a plan to build a turbine on the Grand View Farm property.