CMP Announces Future Focused Plan for Organizational and Grid Improvement

Company builds on recognized improvements from July report

AUGUSTA, ME – December 1, 2021 –  Central Maine Power (CMP), a subsidiary of Avangrid Networks, Inc. and part of the AVANGRID, Inc. family of companies, today announced organizational and governance changes designed to strengthen local management and accountability while continuing to improve reliability and service to customers. The Performance Improvement Plan, filed with the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC), addresses the Liberty Consulting Group’s Audit Report that was issued in July. The July audit report concluded that CMP had improved customer service satisfaction levels on actual customer interactions since 2018 and noted a decrease in the number of customer complaints. The report also outlined opportunities for the company to further improve its service to customers.

“CMP is well down the road to making organizational improvements that emphasize local management with Maine leadership and that also leverage the resources of the larger AVANGRID organization,” said President and CEO of Central Maine Power, Joe Purington. “Maine’s electric system is evolving to meet our clean energy goals, and this plan provides greater local control and accountability, and proposes consideration of future regulatory models to support the modernization of Maine’s electric grid and predictability of CMP-related costs.”

“We recognize the importance of ensuring Maine’s electric grid can accommodate new sources of renewable energy and be more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Our plan proposes a more forward-looking regulatory approach to speed this work.”


Among the highlighted improvements, CMP announced the following:


Organizational Structure:
The realignment of management at CMP will enhance local control, decision making and accountability. An example of increased local focus is the announcement that Adam Desrosiers, recently named Vice President of Electric Operations will have expanded responsibilities within operations including Vegetation Management and Substation Maintenance and Control Center operations.

Additionally, CMP announced the establishment of an entirely Maine-based and Maine-focused leadership team that will include a broad cross-section of the business and a new Community Relations team to enhance communications with CMP stakeholders.

Governance:
As a company recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical companies for three consecutive years, AVANGRID prides itself on strong governance, compliance and ethics. Even with exceptional governance and ethics practices in place, CMP and AVANGRID will implement further enhancements to directly address points made in the Liberty Audit including:

  • Avangrid Networks Board of Directors: The company intends to add a new non-affiliated director from Maine to the Avangrid Networks Board. This is in addition to former Governor John Baldacci who currently serves as Vice Chair of the board of AVANGRID, Inc. and Elizabeth Timm, a Maine banking executive and member of UM’s Board of Trustees, who also serves on the parent company board.
     
  • CMP Board of Directors: Customer Champion, former Senator Dawn Hill, will formalize regular presentations to the CMP Board of Directors to maintain focus and alignment on customer needs and concerns.
     
  • Additional CMP Officers: A separate CMP Treasurer and Controller has been appointed to serve the critical role linking financial performance to local operations. The CMP Treasurer and Controller will provide direct financial reporting monthly to CMP leadership.


Performance Targets:
As reported to the MPUC last month, CMP has consistently met or exceeded customer service quality standards for more than 18 months and continues to make significant investments in the infrastructure and resiliency of its energy system. To better balance the needs of the system within the current regulatory framework – an issue raised by the Liberty report – CMP has recommended that the company work collaboratively with stakeholders and the MPUC to establish a forward-looking regulatory structure including multi-year rate plans that provide more rate predictability and performance expectations that can be tracked and measured.

Joe Purington summarized, “The audit report recognized that CMP is on the right path to making needed improvements, and this plan solidifies our commitment to continuing those improvements and builds in accountability. Our focus will continue to be how we can best serve our customers into the future, and help the state achieve clean energy goals with a commitment to reliable power delivery and quality customer service.”

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About CMP: Central Maine Power Company (CMP), a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc., is Maine’s largest electricity transmission and distribution utility. Established in 1899 and based in Augusta, Maine, CMP serves approximately 636,000 customers across 346 communities in central and southern Maine. It operates approximately 23,500 miles of distribution lines and 2,900 miles of transmission lines. Over the last decade, the company has invested approximately $3.5 billion in Maine system infrastructure. In 2019, CMP was named Large Business of the Year by the Kennebec Valley United Way. For more information, visit cmpco.com.

About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) is a leading, sustainable energy company with approximately $36 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states. With headquarters in Orange, Connecticut, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. AVANGRID employs approximately 6,600 people. AVANGRID supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2019 and 2020 by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information, visit avangrid.com.

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