Power Restored for More than 100,000 CMP Customers

Swift response results in significant power restoration, efforts continue through the night

AUGUSTA, Maine — August 6, 2020 — Within the first 24 hours of Tropical Storm Isaias, Central Maine Power (CMP) has restored power to more than 100,000 customers. Significant tree damage resulted in approximately 118,000 CMP customers without power. As of 8:00 PM Wednesday night, there were about 12,000 customers without power.

“This monumental effort is a testament to the dedication of the CMP workforce and its contracted partners,” said David Flanagan, CMP executive chairman. “Our careful planning leading up to this storm allowed us to achieve these positive restoration numbers, and we remain focused on promptly restoring power to the rest of our customer base as soon as possible.”

CMP crews continue to work through the night to further restoration efforts across its service territories. The estimated time of restoration for many areas is Wednesday night, with restoration to be completed for remaining territories in York and Oxford counties by Thursday night, with the exception of a few isolated cases.

Restoration efforts are carried out by about 200 CMP lineworkers, and additionally supported by approximately 240 contracted lineworkers, including 80 from New Brunswick and 30 from Hydro Quebec, Canada, and 100 tree crews.

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.

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