After a competitor withdrew its bid, Summit Natural Gas of Maine won a deal Thursday to provide natural gas to Augusta’s municipal and school buildings.
The Kennebec Journal reported that city officials voted unanimously to approve the deal. Earlier this month, consultants told city councilors they favored Summit’s plan over a rival proposal from Brunswick-based Iberdrola subsidiary Maine Natural Gas.
Maine Natural Gas wrote in a letter that the company withdrew its bid after city officials publicly posted each company’s proposal online. The company claimed Summit lowered its rates after viewing its competing plan.
Summit, a subsidiary of the Colorado-based Summit Utilities, will now move ahead with a plan for 161 miles of pipeline in the capital city, which it said could provide natural gas service to 90% of the residents and businesses there.
The city agreement is the latest move in a long battle between the two companies over providing natural gas service to the Kennebec Valley.
