CMP News

Central Maine Power Company, 83 Edison Drive, Augusta, ME 04336 (207) 622-NEWS 

Corporate Communications - corpcomm@cmpco.com 

Release: Immediate  

CMP crews make rapid progress overnight following rain and wind storm

AUGUSTA, Maine, Jan. 26, 2010 — Central Maine Power Company (CMP) reports that it has restored power to more than 90 percent of the homes and businesses that lost service after a storm packing torrential rain and high winds came through the area Monday. At 8 a.m. Tuesday, an estimated 1,600 customers were without service. That follows a peak of 20,325 customer accounts just before 8 p.m. Monday when winds gusts of up to 60 miles per hour were reported along the coast.

CMP continues to move crews into the hardest hit communities along the coast, and additional contractors are being brought in to clear fallen trees and limbs and repair downed lines. The company expects to have service restored to all customers by this afternoon.
While the bulk of the damage happened when high winds blew tree limbs and branches into power lines, the company reports animal activity played a part as well.

“A squirrel got into the Freeport substation, causing a lot of damage and disrupting power to hundreds of customers Monday evening,” said company spokesperson Gail Rice. “And crews in our Penobscot Service area reported a beaver had chewed into the base of a tree, sending the tree down onto power lines on Upper Falls Road in Orland.”

Outages by county as of 8 a.m. Tuesday:

CMP Total: 1,632
Androscoggin: 21
Cumberland: 821
Franklin: 7
Hancock: 8
Knox: 53
Lincoln: 161
Oxford: 11
Sagadahoc: 336
Waldo: 214

About Central Maine Power Company (CMP): Central Maine Power Company, a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, is Maine’s largest electricity transmission and distribution utility. The company delivers about 9 billion kilowatt hours annually to more than 600,000 homes and businesses, accounting for nearly 80 percent of electricity delivery in Maine. CMP has been ranked #1 in customer satisfaction three times by J.D. Power and Associates. For more information, visit www.cmpco.com.

— CMP —