The new "standard offer" supply rates for residential and commercial customers of CMP and Versant were set through a competitive bid process conducted by the Maine Public Utilities Commission.
Versant Power is the state’s second-largest investor-owned electric transmission and distribution utility, and serves 165,000 customers in northern and central Maine.Â
The federal funding will go toward new technologies designed to improve the stability of the power grid and prepare it to handle more electricity from renewable energy sources.
Versant has dispatched 38 team members with 15 bucket trucks, who left Hampden on Wednesday morning. In addition, Central Maine Power is keeping tabs on the fast-changing situation.
The goal is to establish a "cost-effective transition to a clean, affordable and reliable electric grid," said the chair of the Maine Public Utilities Commission.