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Sponsored by: Central Maine Power
Updated: July 18, 2022

Maine’s electric grid is critical to state’s environment and economic health

Q: Central Maine Power has been operating in Maine since 1899 — more than 120 years.  How has the electric utility changed in that time?

Photo / Courtesy of CMP
Joe Purington, president and CEO of Central Maine Power

Joe Purington: CMP presently serves nearly 650,000 residential and business customers across 11,000 square miles and 14 Maine counties. Our primary responsibility is to deliver safe, reliable power to our customers to support their manufacturing and business technology needs as well as their need to be able to work from anywhere at any time.  In the 1890’s, the model was a decentralized group of generators producing power locally for towns to power trollies and streetlights. Today CMP’s nearly 3,000 miles of transmission line are a vital part of the New England regional grid. There are another 23,000 miles of distribution lines — those that run along the roads— as well as 200 substations. CMP employs 940 Mainers throughout the state.

Q: You talk about delivering electricity to customers. How did the state decision to deregulate power in the year 2000 affect your business?

JP: The state separated the business of electricity generation from the delivery of electricity to stimulate a diverse market for power generation. CMP delivers power, we don’t generate it, so we focus on two things: the reliable operation of the grid and customer service. One way customers are affected by deregulation is that while they only receive one monthly bill from CMP, the bill has two parts: one for the energy supply, which CMP does not control in any way, and one for delivery, which reflects the grid improvements, storm response, system maintenance and service offered to customers here in Maine.

Q: How has technology changed the utility business?

JP: New automation and smart meter technology support improved situational awareness, power reliability and customer management tools. We know what is happening on the grid 24/7, and this is key to transforming grid performance and our customer experience. Technology tools allow us to monitor and respond remotely if an outage occurs and enable us to limit the number of customers impacted by any one outage. Our smart meter technology enables CMP to offer customers tools to observe and manage their individual energy use.

Q: How is climate change influencing the way CMP invests in its system?

JP: There are two aspects of climate change that are critical for us as our focus is on building a smarter, stronger and more resilient grid to meet our customers’ needs and enable a clean energy future. First, the biggest challenge to the reliability of the grid is the increasing frequency and volatility of storms related to climate change. High winds and heavy wet snow can topple trees and tear down tree limbs into the poles and wires. Maine has more trees than any other state in the country and our trimming practices are restricted to areas where we have a right of way. This year we plan to invest about $180 million into stronger, more durable poles, coated wire that can better withstand tree impacts and more system automation. This investment strategy is foundational to our approach in improving electric system performance.

The second aspect is planning the grid to manage the unique requirements of clean energy sources.  With more than 700 solar projects in queue to connect to the system, it is something we are working on every day.

Q: You have 940 employees in Maine. What kinds of job opportunities does CMP offer?

JP: CMP is led by local Maine people who live in and know the communities we serve. I am a native of Jay and spent 28 years at CMP before serving as president of Eversource New Hampshire and then coming back to CMP last September. Our leadership team is native or long-time Maine residents with years of company experience. We know our systems. Mainers can find a variety of excellent employment opportunities here, whether through certification as a lineworker at a school like Kennebec Valley Community College, or through professional engineering and project management positions that work on smart grids, Electric Vehicle deployment, transmission construction or energy storage projects. CMP is part AVANGRID, a national energy company where employees also work in renewables or even green hydrogen projects. We offer competitive compensation, excellent benefits and great people to work with.