CMP Crews Responding to Sporadic Outages Christmas Day - 3 p.m.

AUGUSTA, ME — December 25, 2020 – Central Maine Power (CMP) line crews have been responding to outages across Maine during the Christmas holiday, and while persistent winds continue to cause power outages, crews are responding quickly and keeping the duration of outages relatively short and the number low. Throughout the day, numbers of outages have remained below 10,000 compared to two storms early this month where peak outages were over 90,000 and 100,000 respectively.

“Our employees and contractors were on the job as the wind picked up very early this morning,” said Kerri Therriault, director of Electric Operations. “Outage numbers have fluctuated all day, but the wind has not been as damaging as forecasted, limiting the numbers. We certainly understand any outages are especially problematic on a holiday, we appreciate our customers’ patience, and are working to repair system damage as it happens as quickly and safely as we can.” 

CMP has about 100 internal line crews, 90 tree crews and 75 contractor crews restoring power across the service area today. 

Early planning and communication with employees this week ensured the company was staffed to respond on the holiday. In addition to line and tree crews, hundreds of CMP employees support storm response efforts behind the scenes and were at work today. 

In restoring power, crews follow a priority process that ensures critical care facilities and hospitals are restored first, and then they make those repairs that will restore the largest numbers of customers at once. It may take time to accurately estimate restoration times across the service area as each repair requires an evaluation of the equipment, personnel and time needed to complete the work before an estimate can be communicated to customers. Customers who check the outage list on the website may see the term “assessing” while the scope of work is evaluated.

CMP reminds customers to remember the following if they have lost power:

  • Stay away from downed lines. No line is safe to touch.
  • Turn off or unplug major appliance and sensitive electronics.
  • Never use range or outdoor stoves to heat your home.
  • If you are in need of shelter or food, reach out to 211 for available resource.

CMP continues to observe all COVID-19 safety protocols in storm response including:

  • Working in separate teams to minimize contact
  • Restricting visitor access to company facilities
  • Entering a customer residence only in the event of emergency and after assessing risk
  • Maintaining appropriate social distancing in the field
  • Allowing one employee per vehicle
  • Wearing masks

Customers may use online tools, accessible at www.cmpco.com to report and monitor outages.

If you lose service:

  • To report an outage, visit Outage Central at cmpco.com. Customers may also report an outage using CMP’s 24/7 automated phone system at 800.696.1000. 
  • Keep sensitive electronic appliances such as computers, TVs and stereos plugged into a surge protector, or unplug them. They could be damaged if a power surge occurs when electricity is restored.
  • Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. For information about food safety, visit http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/refridg_food.html.

For customers with generators:

  • Hire a licensed electrician to install permanent generators and transfer switches.
  • Properly ground all portable generators.
  • Carefully read and observe all instructions in your generator’s operating manual.
  • Never run a generator indoors, or even in an open garage.
  • If your carbon monoxide detector goes off – get out of the building immediately and call 911.
  • Do not store fuel indoors or try to refuel a generator while it’s running.
  • Refer to CMP’s web page on generator safety.

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About CMP: Central Maine Power Company (CMP), a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc., is Maine’s largest electricity transmission and distribution utility. Established in 1899 and based in Augusta, Maine, CMP serves approximately 636,000 customers across 346 communities in central and southern Maine. It operates approximately 23,500 miles of distribution lines and 2,900 miles of transmission lines. Over the last decade, the company has invested approximately $3.5 billion in Maine system infrastructure. In 2019, CMP was named Large Business of the Year by the Kennebec Valley United Way. For more information, visit www.cmpco.com.

About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) is a leading, sustainable energy company with approximately $36 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states. With headquarters in Orange, Connecticut, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. AVANGRID employs approximately 6,600 people. AVANGRID supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2019 and 2020 by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.

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