CMP Crews Make Steady Progress in Storm Recovery

CMP News

Central Maine Power Company, 83 Edison Drive, Augusta, ME 04336 (207) 622-NEWS 

Corporate Communications - corpcomm@cmpco.com 

 

 

Release: Immediate  

 

Media Contacts: Gail Rice, 207.622.NEWS 

 

CMP Crews Make Steady Progress in Storm Recovery

 

AUGUSTA, Maine, November 3, 2014 " Central Maine Power Co. (CMP), a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, continues work to repair damage from a winter storm that passed through Maine on Sunday and Monday. Customer outages from the storm reached a peak of 84,000 shortly before 8 a.m. Monday. In the mid-coast region of Hancock, Knox, Lincoln, and Waldo counties, the storm knocked out power to nearly 80 percent of the homes and business served by CMP.

 

"Our outage count reached a peak at about eight o'clock this morning, and hazardous travel conditions made for a difficult first day of the restoration," said CMP spokesperson Gail Rice. "Our crews restored service to nearly 17,000 customers since this morning despite the difficulties."

 

CMP began the day with approximately 100 two-man line crews, who were joined by an additional 50 crews from Canada, Maine, and other New England states during the course of the day. This evening 50 more line crews are scheduled to arrive in Maine to join the restoration effort. In addition, to the line crews, the storm response team includes 110 tree crews, supervisory and safety personnel, mechanics, and other support and administrative personnel.

 

CMP has established mobile command and supply centers in Wiscasset, Union, and Bucksport to aid in storm recovery, and the company is re-assigning its crews into areas with the worst damage as they complete the restoration in other parts of the state.

 

"In addition to our restoration progress along major roadways and in settled areas, we expect to complete our assessment of major roadside lines and helicopter inspections of our transmission grid today," said Rice.

 

Utility officials are also sensitive to the timing of the storm response with tomorrow"s elections, and have been in communication with the Maine Secretary of State and municipal officials. In a statement issued earlier today, Deputy Secretary of State Julie Flynn noted that municipal officials are working to make sure that polling locations are up and functional tomorrow, and any adjustments that need to be made will be publicized as broadly as possible. Secretary of State Matt Dunlap advises voters to check with their town or city clerk to see if their polling places are open.

 

Outages by county::

Knox: 17,309
Lincoln: 16,821
Waldo: 16,124
Penobscot: 6,128
Hancock: 5,500
Kennebec: 1,958
Sagadahoc; 1,642
Somerset: 1,213
Piscataquis: 328
Oxford: 308
Franklin: 64
Cumberland: 28

CMP Total 67,423

 

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About Central Maine Power Company (CMP): Central Maine Power Company, a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, is Maine's largest electricity transmission and distribution utility. The company delivers about 9 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually to more than 600,000 homes and businesses, representing about 80% of Maine's annual consumer sales of electricity. The company has been ranked #1 in customer satisfaction six times by J.D. Power and Associates. For more information, visit www.cmpco.com/.

About Iberdrola USA: Iberdrola USA is the U.S. subsidiary of global energy leader Iberdrola, S.A. The Iberdrola USA companies employ about 5,000 people with operations in 24 states from New England to the West Coast, providing electricity generation, transmission and distribution, natural gas storage and distribution, and energy services. For more information, please visit our website: www.iberdrolausa.com. Follow us on Twitter: @IberdrolaUSA

 

 

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