Central Maine Power Announces Grants to GPCOG, Scarborough Public Library, and Waynflete School

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Program adds electric vehicle and two charging stations in southern Maine

AUGUSTA, Maine, October 4, 2017  Three Maine organizations are adding to their electric vehicle fleets and charging infrastructure, thanks to grants from Central Maine Power (CMP), a subsidiary of AVANGRID Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a diversified energy and utility company. The Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG), Scarborough Public Library, and the Waynflete School in Portland are the latest recipients in CMP's Plug-In Electric Vehicle (EV) Grant Program.

CMP announced the grant winners this week at Drive Electric Maine's EV Workplace Charging Workshop and EV Ride and Drive event, held at Southern Maine Community College's Midcoast Campus in Brunswick. AVANGRID is a clean energy leader with operations in 27 states stretching from New England to the West Coast. It is committed to reducing its corporate carbon footprint and being a sustainable company in its investments, actions and culture.

"Our grant program reinforces our commitment to promoting broader adoption of electric vehicles, said Sara J. Burns, president and CEO of CMP. Our own fleet of hybrid and all-electric vehicles is growing with the purchase of two new all-electric Chevy Bolts later this year. CMP and our AVANGRID affiliates nationwide continue to devote part of our annual fleet acquisition budget to plug-in electric vehicles and equipment as part of a broader effort to reduce our carbon footprint."

CMP will award $4,500 to GPCOG to support the lease of an all-electric Nissan Leaf. Receiving $2,500 each for purchase and installation of Level 2 charging stations are the Scarborough Public Library and Waynflete School in Portland.

"We thank CMP for their leadership and vision in understanding that the future of transportation is cleaner, greener and electric," said Jennifer Brennan, energy projects manager, Greater Portland Council of Governments. "Now we can continue our EV lending program and offer our stakeholders the opportunity to test out the EV technology first hand, for up to a week at a time. We've found the most important factor in getting people to convert to EVs is to let them try out an EV on their own time. We look forward to many more conversions in Maine."

"We want to provide a public service as well as an enticement for people to visit our library, patronize local businesses, and enjoy our town's natural beauty, added Scarborough Public Library Director Nancy Crowell. As a community-centered facility, we have a responsibility and an opportunity to demonstrate good stewardship and promote mindful use of our natural and fiscal resources.
Waynflete School is thrilled to support our employees ability to commute to work in electric vehicles, said Geoff Wagg, head of school at Waynflete.  "We also plan to use our EV charging station as part of teaching our students about sustainability practices."

The grants are the latest in several rounds of awards designed to expand the use of electric vehicles in Maine. Since the program was launched in 2013, CMP and the Avangrid Foundation have awarded more than 30 organizations an estimated $250,000 to help with the purchase or lease of an EV and/or to install charging stations. The programs have added nearly 20 EVs to Maine roads, and scores of new charging stations are now in service at convenient locations around central and southern Maine.
 

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Jennifer Brennan of Greater Portland Council of Governments, Joel Harrington of Central Maine Power, and Mike Windsor of the Scarborough Public Library celebrate the latest awards from CMP's Electric Vehicle Grant Program. Absent: Geoff Wagg of the Waynflete School in Portland.

 

 

About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) is a diversified energy and utility company with more than $31 billion in assets and operations in 27 states. The company owns regulated utilities and electricity generation assets through two primary lines of business, Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks is comprised of eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving approximately 3.2 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables operates more than 6 gigawatts of owned and controlled renewable generation capacity, primarily through wind and solar, in 22 states across the United States. AVANGRID employs approximately 6,800 people. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.

 

About CMP: Central Maine Power Company (CMP) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR). As Maine's largest electricity transmission and distribution utility, CMP serves 618,000 homes and businesses, representing about 80% of Maine's customer base. J.D. Power and Associates has ranked the company #1 in customer satisfaction seven times. For more information, visit www.cmpco.com.

 

Media Contact:

Gail Rice
Central Maine Power
gail.rice@avangrid.com
207.622.NEWS (207.622.6397)