CMP Restoring Outages as Winds Persist

Outages primarily impact coastal counties

AUGUSTA, ME — October 27, 2021 — Central Maine Power (CMP) actively responding to restore power outages caused by high wind gusts Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. By early Wednesday morning a total of 54,500 customers had lost power, and the company had restored more than 55% or over 30,175 customers. The peak number of customers impacted was 27,900.

“Given current forecasts for continued gusty winds along the coast today we expect we may have additional outages; however, we will continue to move our lineworkers to the most heavily impacted areas to efficiently restore them,” said Kerri Therriault, director, Electric Operations.

Therriault added, “Safety is our utmost concern and as the high winds persist, we must continue to be cautious about lineworkers in the air in buckets.”

CMP has 200 company lineworkers, 272 contractors and 236 tree workers restoring power.

Trees and branches falling on power lines cause the vast majority of outages. At this time of year, trees still have plenty of leaves making branches heavier and prone to breaking in high winds. Heavy rain can also saturate and soften the ground, leaving trees more vulnerable to uprooting in high winds.

CMP offers storm preparation tips and a checklist on our website cmpco.com.

Safety tips in a power outage:

  • 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 resource.

Customers may use online tools, accessible at 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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