Our Investing in Maine’s Future Plan will include a variety of grid resiliency, modernization, and strengthening initiatives, including the following:

•  Running hundreds of miles of covered tree wire in rural Maine. Maine is the most forested state in the nation and tree damage remains the leading cause of outages at CMP. Threats to rural communities from tree damage, which is being made worse by extreme weather and pests, can be proactively addressed by replacing unprotected wire in more areas of Maine.
• Replacing decades-old utility poles with the modern standard. In 2024, we replaced more than 5,700 wooden utility poles with new ones that are thicker and stronger. Continuing this work will phase out outdated types of wooden poles. We are also focused on identifying areas where stronger steel poles could be installed to protect the grid from extreme weather and coastal flooding.
• Grid expansion for the growing Southern Maine region. We are proposing a multi-phase plan to address reliability needs for more than 200,000 customers in Southern Maine. This expansion would include installing stronger, modern transmission lines, and a series of substation improvement and construction projects. It will also help facilitate new shore power connections along Portland’s waterfront. This will allow more energy to flow throughout the region and support new customer uses from housing to transportation.
• Installing additional smart technology. We have installed more than 200 automated smart technology devices onto Maine’s grid this year. During outage situations, automated smart devices give our technicians the ability to remotely direct power around damaged sections of line, restoring power to customers within minutes. Adding 2,500 of these devices over the next five years will deliver the power of smart technology to more than 400,000 customers.
• Significant upgrades to substations from York to Penobscot County. Investments at specific substation sites will provide 21st century reliability benefits to thousands more customers. These upgrades include comprehensive plans for backup power pathways, new steel substation structures, new automated technology and higher capacity transformers. Lead times for critical equipment replacements now extend up to two years, which is one reason why we are proposing this long-term plan.

Half of CMP's power outages are due to trees, and sections of infrastructure on Maine's energy grid are nearing the end of their lifespans. With hundreds of miles of unprotected wire, and wooden poles more than 50 years-old, our multi-year plan will modernize aging infrastructure so that customers see improved reliability, efficiency and resiliency in the face of more extreme weather.

Furthermore, it will happen at a time when hundreds of millions of dollars in one-time storm costs are cycled off customer bills, reducing the overall net impact to customers.

Following a formal filing later this year, the MPUC will carefully review our proposal and determine an outcome during a thorough, transparent public process.