Reliable Service
Living in America’s most forested state is incredibly special, but it also presents challenges. CMP is building a smarter, stronger, more resilient grid for Maine. We have invested $3 billion to improve our infrastructure over the last decade – ensuring that Mainers can power on.
- New, stronger power lines that resist fallen trees and branches
- New, sturdier poles that weather Maine’s toughest storms
- New animal guards to keep Maine’s wildlife safe and prevent outages
- Tree care plans to mitigate damage
- New automation to reduce outage impacts
A special message from our President and CEO, Joe Purington
We’re Building the Grid of the Future
As we celebrate our 125th anniversary as a company, many of our customers are using the power we deliver in new and different ways. Whether you’re working from home, powering heat pumps, charging vehicles, or installing systems like rooftop solar, Maine’s power grid continues to evolve from what it was when our company was founded in 1899.
Through this evolution, we continue to prioritize the delivery of safe and reliable power to our customers. From our response to the 2023 Christmas storm, to exceeding our customer service metrics for more than three years running, to being voted one of Maine’s best places to work, our company remains completely committed to our customers, our employees, and to Maine.
As we enter 2024, we are happy to share that customers who utilize the state’s default Standard Offer supply will benefit from lower electricity supply costs this year. Combined with CMP’s delivery prices, the average CMP customer saw approximately a 35% decrease in their monthly electricity bill starting on January 1st.
We are looking and planning forward. As our customers change the ways they use electricity, here are four of our major priorities for the coming year:
- Climate change. Each year we see stronger, more frequent storms, and we are working to improve the resiliency of the power system against this growing threat. At the end of 2023, we submitted a Climate Change Protection Plan to the Maine Public Utilities Commission that outlines ways we propose to identify and quantify risk to the grid.
- Economic growth. We’re seeing rapid economic growth across Maine and are preparing today for the needs of tomorrow to support our thriving communities. We’ve made significant upgrades to our electrical infrastructure and are modeling usage scenarios to anticipate how and where populations will grow.
- Electrification. One of the best tools we have available to combat climate change is electrification. Whether it’s installing more heat pumps in homes, partnering with businesses and organizations to install charging stations, or creating pilot programs to better understand how and when our customers are using electricity, our team is building a smarter, stronger, more modern grid to support the growing and changing demand for electricity.
- Distributed resources, like solar power. We strongly support Maine’s Climate Action Goals and part of that means connecting renewable energy sources to the grid. For example, we’ve interconnected more than 500 MW of solar power to the grid since 2020 – enough to power approximately 100,000 homes – and there’s much more to come.
Change doesn't happen overnight, but by leveraging the national network of our parent company, Avangrid, and our global network, Iberdrola, we are making significant progress towards accomplishing our goals. Our employees have the talent, dedication, and commitment to work with all stakeholders to deliver lasting solutions for Mainers.
At CMP, we are putting our energy into what matters, and as we look forward, we will be collaborating with people across Maine to address these challenges. It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity that we cannot - and will not - miss.
Thank you,
Joe Purington
President and CEO, CMP
Reliability Projects
We're making improvements to better serve our communities.
We know you count on us to deliver the power you need, when you need it, and we take that responsibility seriously. As part of our commitment to deliver safe, reliable service to all of our customers, we are investing in our delivery system that will deliver additional power to fill growing demand, increase reliability, and accommodate growth and economic development in our service areas.
All of our upgrades mean one thing for you: you'll have reliable, high-quality power when you need it.
Electric Projects
Automation Program
Central Maine Power (CMP) is investing in smart technology upgrades to improve service in your community and reduce the length of time customers may experience a power outage. This work is crucial as Maine faces more extreme storms that may potentially impact the state’s energy grid.
Learn more about these improvements and find locations here.
Structure Replacement Program
Central Maine Power (CMP) is investing in transmission line upgrades to continue providing our customers safe, reliable service and strengthen Maine’s energy grid. This is especially important as our state experiences more extreme weather and storms.
Transmission lines, along with substations, are the backbone of CMP’s grid serving large numbers of customers. Our company regularly inspects our lines to ensure each component is performing according to standards.
Substations
Transmission Lines
Other Projects
Operations
Maintenance operations on existing utility equipment and associated land which may include operating, maintaining, reconstructing, inspection, testing, restoring, removing, and repairing.
- Distribution Line Inspections
CMP inspects every pole on our distribution line system for structural integrity once every five years and corrects any deficiencies by replacing poles and cross arms and transferring lines. These inspections and replacements improve system reliability and helps CMP meet regulatory requirements.
Interconnection Projects
CMP efficiently delivers safe, reliable electricity to more than 646,000 homes and businesses from an energy supplier of their choice over our dependable infrastructure. CMP does not generate power.
CMP works with small and large power generators to connect their facilities to our energy grid. Energy generators and developers pay the expenses associated with CMP’s system improvements to facilitate their connection needs. Projects may require a new substation, transmission line, switch yard, or other infrastructure to safely connect to the grid.
- Larger Generation, Energy Storage
- Distributed and Community Generation
Many CMP customers are subscribing to renewable energy programs, including community solar generation, a form of distributed generation. CMP does not develop these generators. We are committed to interconnecting the generators while ensuring a safe, reliable energy delivery grid for our customers. Learn more about CMP’s role in the links below.