CMP Restores Power to 295,000 Since Storm Arrived in Maine
Contractors join the effort from far-away states
AUGUSTA, ME—December 26, 2022– As Central Maine Power (CMP) has fewer than 8,000 customers without power remaining in the company’s service area, the company is shifting employee and contractor resources today to parts of Oxford and York Counties and some towns in the midcoast where damage from Friday’s Winter Storm Elliott has been most severe. By mid-day Monday more than 2000 line and tree workers were clearing trees and restoring power and approximately 295,000 customers had power restored.
Today there are contractors working on the system from as far away as California, Texas and Oklahoma. (list of states below).
“While we have restored power to 295,000 customers since Friday, we are at the point in the restoration process where it takes the same amount of time and equipment and the same number of lineworkers to restore a handful or even one customer as it does to restore thousands,” said CMP president and CEO Joseph Purington.
“We realize that customers who have been without power for several days may feel anxious, but we are out in force, gaining access the most damaged and remote areas today and expect good progress with the vast majority restored by Tuesday.”
“Our crews, who are working 17-hour shifts with crews scheduled around the clock, have been buoyed by the public support for their commitment and we are all so grateful for the dozens of community groups who hosted dinners for the crews and for the local restaurants that opened especially to help us provide meals on the holiday. I am so proud to be a citizen of this state in times like these where it is all about Mainers helping Mainers.” (List of companies below)
In addition to field crews, CMP has hundreds of customer service and other administrative staff providing support through planning and delivering meals, reserving hotel rooms for crews, and moving equipment and storm supplies
Customers who remain without power and who seek a warming shelter may consult this list from the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).
Customers may find storm preparation tips and a checklist on the CMP website.
Customers may download the mobile CMP app at the App Store enabling them to report outages quickly and easily, and track restoration times. They may also enroll online in Outage Alerts to stay current in the event they lose power.
Contract Lineworkers Assisting CMP in restoration have come from:
New York, Tennessee, Michigan, West Virginia, Alabama, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Florida, California. Mississippi, Georgia, Massachusetts, Arkansas, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Maine
Canadian Provinces: New Brunswick, Quebec
Restaurants and Civic groups providing meals for Field Workers over the holiday include:
| Restaurant | Town |
| 15 Mile Pizza 45 North Amazing Garden American Legion Burnt Ends College Carry Out DaddyO's Happy Garden Pat's Pizza Perley's Catering Ritchie's Jerk and BBQ Rockwood Bar and Grill Rollie's Buffet Samoset Sedgely Place Stone Cove Catering T&B Catering Town of Anson White Flour Catering Al's Amato's Bishops Cafeteria CERA CMP Assembled/Sam's College Carry Out Damon's Dysarts Flagstaff Manchester Meat Market The Regency Hotel |
Jackman Sugarloaf Augusta Naples Lewiston Augusta Oxford Portland Dover St. Albans Sanford Rockwood Belfast Rockland Green Bristol Skowhegan Anson Augusta Skowhegan Statewide Jackman Augusta Portland Sam's club Augusta Statewide Hermon Stratton Manchester Portland |
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 need shelter or food, reach out to 211 for available resources.
- Stay at least 30 feet away from downed wires and report them to CMP at 800.572.1131.
If you lose service:
- For fast outage reporting, visit Outage Central or use the CMP mobile app.
- 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 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 646,000 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.
About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $40 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns and operates 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 7,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021 and 2022 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2022, AVANGRID ranked second within the utility sector for its commitment to the environment and the communities it serves. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2022 for the fourth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information, visit avangrid.com.
Media Contact:
Catharine Hartnett
Catharine.Hartnett@Avangrid.com
207.458.3510