CMP Works to Restore Power Following Tropical Storm Isaias

Sixty percent restoration by Wednesday afternoon, more expected throughout the day

AUGUSTA, Maine — August 5, 2020 — Central Maine Power (CMP) crews are cleaning up roads and downed power lines and restoring power as a result of damages caused by Tropical Storm Isais, which caused millions of power outages across the east coast. Nearly 118,000 were impacted by Isais in Maine, including 92,000 at the peak of the storm, and CMP has already restored power to sixty percent of customers by Wednesday afternoon. As of 1:00 PM on Wednesday, about 46,000 customers were without power.

Working closely with local and state emergency management agencies, CMP was prepared to respond to the unique impact this storm had, with sustained winds of up to forty miles per hour, for up to four hours in certain areas.

“Our team has worked diligently to establish safe conditions, allowing our lineworkers to hit the ground running with restoration efforts,” said David Flanagan, CMP’s executive chairman. “Having both our internal crews and contracted partners prepared ahead of time allowed us to make significant progress in restoring power rapidly for many customers.”

In addition to about 200 CMP lineworkers, the company has approximately 240 contracted lineworkers, including 80 from New Brunswick, Canada, and 100 tree crews responding to the outages. More line crews are on their way from Hydro Quebec to assist with clean up efforts.

Restoration priorities:

  • CMP follows an orderly process when restoring service that emphasizes safety and seeks to make effective use of resources.
  • CMP’s immediate concern after a storm is public safety. Restoration teams work with towns and the state to de-energize downed lines, clear roads and restore previously identified critical facilities such as hospitals and shelters.
  • Next, CMP focuses on assessing damage and repairing the backbone of the electrical system: substations, transmission lines, circuits and primary lines. Crews focus on locations where they can restore large numbers of customers at once.
  • Then, crews restore equipment and lines that serve smaller groups of customers.
  • Finally, crews focus on restoring remaining service lines to individual homes and buildings until every customer has service. This phase may begin while higher-priority work is already underway.

CMP urges customers to never go near a downed power line, and to plan accordingly in the event restoration takes time.

CMP crews and contractors are also adhering to COVID-19 protocols that include appropriate social distancing practices for field employees and contractors 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 as situations require

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 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.

Media Contact:

  • Emily Spencer
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    207.274.4702 (cell)
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