CMP Prepared to Deal with Monday Wind Impacts

Company focused on completing current outages

AUGUSTA, Me — April 13, Central Maine Power (CMP), is focused on completing outage restoration from last Thursday’s snow, rain and wind storm while preparing to address any outages that could result from expected wind gusts today.  As of noon on Monday, 95 percent of customers have been restored and just over 15,000 outages remain, primarily in Penobscot, Waldo and Somerset Counties.

CMP has moved additional crews to those areas to continue to repair system damage while preparing to respond to outages that may occur near the coast from anticipated high wind gusts. Forecasts call for maximum gusts that could exceed 50 mph.

The company has secured the support of 210 independent contract line crews to remain in Maine to work with CMP’s 100 internal crews and 129 tree crews through the wind event. Given the multi-day response, CMP is extremely focused on safety in the field in the rain and wind conditions.

“Since Thursday night, our crews have been working 17 hours restoring outages and then rest for seven hours before heading out again,” said Doug Herling, president and CEO of CMP.  “We remain dedicated to restoring those customers today who are still without power and will ensure that, as always, working safely is our utmost concern particularly as fatigue sets in.”

CMP follows a restoration process that focuses first on locations that restore larger numbers of customers at once, and then restores equipment and lines serving smaller numbers of customers.  With driving rain and muddy roads, crews must take extra care to work safely, and bucket trucks cannot operate in extreme wind conditions.

The company asks that for the health and safety of the working crews and the public that customers not approach lineworkers on work sites.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is also directing lineworkers and field staff to take all appropriate precautions including:

  • Limiting one employee per vehicle travelling to field locations
  • Working in separate teams to minimize contact
  • Restricting visitor access to company facilities
  • Entering a customer residence only in the event of emergency and after assessing risk
  • Maintaining appropriate physical distancing in the field

CMP  advises customers to use online tools, accessible at www.cmpco.com to report and monitor outages.

Restoration priorities:

  • CMP follows an orderly process when restoring service that emphasizes safety and seeks to make effective use of resources.
  • CMP’s immediate concern after a storm is public safety. Restoration teams work with towns and the state to de-energize downed lines, clear roads and restore previously identified critical facilities such as hospitals and shelters.
  • Next, CMP focuses on assessing damage and repairing the backbone of the electrical system: substations, transmission lines, circuits and primary lines. Crews focus on locations where they can restore large numbers of customers at once.
  • Then, crews restore equipment and lines that serve smaller groups of customers.
  • Finally, crews focus on restoring remaining service lines to individual homes and buildings until every customer has service. This phase may begin while higher-priority work is already underway.

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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 624,000 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 $2.6 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 www.cmpco.com.

About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) is a leading, sustainable energy company with approximately $34 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 www.avangrid.com.

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