PORTLAND, Maine — Central Maine Power has recently been awarded a $30 million grant to enhance its grid technology, a significant milestone for the energy provider.
This grant promises to have far-reaching benefits to ensure reliable and efficient power supply to its 650,000 customers across central and southern Maine.
The funding for this innovative project comes from the U.S. Department of Energy, a noteworthy recognition of CMP's efforts to improve power restoration capabilities and resilience in the face of extreme weather events.
"This grant, which was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help improve the resilience of our electrical grid to interruptions from extreme weather, which have become more prevalent due to the effects of climate change," Dan Burgess, director of the Governor’s Energy Office, said. "This is an important, needed, and welcome investment into our state’s infrastructure that should result in improved service and shorter outages for Maine ratepayers."
One of the main objectives of this grant is to enhance power restoration processes significantly. CMP intends to achieve this through the installation of automated devices on roadside poles and wires throughout the state. These devices are designed to isolate and address power outages promptly, ensuring a rapid response to customer needs.
Dustin Wlodkowski, a spokesperson for CMP, explained, "You'll see these in some areas where we have them installed already with approximately 74,000 customers having their power restored in under five minutes."
With the increasing impact of climate change, CMP acknowledges the need to respond effectively to these challenges.
"If climate change brings stronger storms, we're going to need to respond to those as well. These devices will make sure people have their power on more consistently," Wlodkowski emphasized.
The grant covers the installation of 300 of these innovative devices. However, the estimated requirement is around 2,000 installations to effectively cover CMP's service area. This expansion is anticipated to cost approximately $200 million, prompting concerns about potential rate increases for customers in the future.
While the grant provides a substantial financial boost for this transformative project, the utility company and state authorities will need to explore viable funding options to support the installation of the remaining devices.