CMP Power Restoration Passes 60 Percent of Monday's Peak
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 Power Restoration Passes 60 Percent of Monday's Peak
AUGUSTA, Maine, November 4, 2014 " Central Maine Power Co. (CMP), a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, is making more progress in efforts to repair damage from a winter storm that passed through Maine on Sunday and Monday. At 4 p.m. Tuesday, an estimated 32,440 customers were without service, down from 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 the utility. An estimated 166,000 customers lost service at some point during the storm.
"Our crews have reduced the outage count by more than 60 percent since the peak on Monday morning," said CMP spokesperson Gail Rice. "Today, we expect to finish assessment to our system, replace more than 100 broken poles, and make additional progress bringing the power back up."
CMP expects to restore power to 90 percent of customers affected by the storm by Wednesday evening.
CMP Service Centers and estimated times of restoration:
Augusta (25 towns): Tuesday, Nov. 4, 11 p.m.
Brunswick (27 towns): Wednesday, Nov. 5, midnight
Dover (25 towns): Wednesday, Nov. 5, midnight
Fairfield (23 towns): Tuesday, Nov. 4, midnight
Rockland (47 towns): Wednesday, Nov. 5, midnight
Skowhegan (7 towns): Tuesday, Nov. 4, 8 p.m.
The utility is working to keep customers informed of restoration progress. Customers can find information on CMP's mobile-friendly web site at www.cmpco.com. The site now includes restoration estimates by Service Center. Click here for a list of Service Centers and towns. Customers can also call CMP's automated outage line " 1.800.696.1000 " if they want information on restoration progress in specific areas. The utility's staff is working to update recordings with the latest restoration information.
CMP had 250 two-man line crews in the field on Tuesday, including crews from utilities and contractors from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Canada. In addition to the line crews, the storm response team includes 110 tree crews, supervisory and safety personnel, and mechanics. An estimated 1,000 field workers and an additional 200 support and administrative personnel are working on the recovery effort.
Mobile command and supply centers in Wiscasset, Union, and Bucksport are helping with storm recovery, and CMP continues to reassign its crews into areas with the worst damage as they complete work in other parts of the state.
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 yesterday, Deputy Secretary of State Julie Flynn noted that municipal officials are working to make sure that polling locations are up and functional, 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 Service Center as of 5 p.m.:
Rockland: 23,705
Brunswick: 4,401
Dover: 3,844
Fairfield: 246
Augusta: 237
Skowhegan: 7
Bridgton: 2
CMP Total: 32,442
The company also urges customers to use caution if they see downed lines.
"Everyone should stay clear of any downed power lines or fallen trees that may be tangled in the lines," says Rice. "All downed lines should be considered live and dangerous. Customers should leave the clean-up to our crews, who are trained and equipped to handle these situations safely."
CMP also reminds drivers to use caution when approaching utility crews. The working conditions are difficult, and the workers appreciate everyone's consideration for their safety.
Additional information on storm safety and restoration, including a town-by-town listing of outages in the CMP service area with an area map, can be found on CMP's web site at www.cmpco.com.
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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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