CMP Plans to Complete Restoration Today

Challenged by Monday storm, company is on track to finish work today

AUGUSTA, Me — April 14,  Central Maine Power (CMP)  projects that virtually all remaining customer outages will be restored by evening, completing outage restoration work today that was hampered by wind and driving rain yesterday. The company has approximately 6,500 accounts to restore, mostly in Penobscot and Waldo counties. Outages being restored today are a combination of those caused by the initial storm last Thursday and by the coastal winds yesterday.   

In addition to CMP’s 100 internal crews, the company is assisted today by 225 contractors from in- state and out of state as well as Canadian utility crews.

“I know I speak for everyone at CMP when I say that we are grateful for the patience of our customers.  We know that being without power for any length of time is difficult and our customers have shown great patience over these challenging days especially as Mainers are having to remain in their homes,” said Doug Herling, president and CEO of CMP.

“Over the past two days we have seen an outpouring of support from our customers for our line crews.  They have worked hard over a holiday weekend and in very challenging conditions and they appreciate the positive thoughts and comments.”

CMP follows a restoration process where in coordination with local Emergency Management Agencies, the company clears roads of any downed wires, poles and branches. After making roads safe, CMP ensures critical facilities such as hospitals, medical facilities and grocery stores have power; then focuses on locations that restore larger numbers of customers at once, and then restores equipment and lines serving smaller numbers of customers.  With driving rain and hazardous road conditions, crews must take extra care to work safely, and bucket trucks cannot operate in extreme wind conditions.

The company asks that for the health and safety of the working crews and the public that customers not approach lineworkers on work sites.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is also directing lineworkers and field staff to take all appropriate precautions including:

  • Limiting one employee per vehicle travelling to field locations
  • 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 physical distancing in the field

CMP  advises customers to use online tools, accessible at www.cmpco.com to report and monitor outages.

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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 624,000 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 $2.6 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 $34 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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