CMP’s Completes Steel Upgrade for Sebasticook River Crossing
Stronger materials in new infrastructure will better withstand extreme storms.
Augusta, ME — February 21, 2025 – Central Maine Power (CMP) announced that the company has strengthened a critical part of its transmission system in Burnham by replacing a wooden structure with a new one made of steel.
Transmission lines, along with substations, are the backbone of the CMP system that feed large numbers of customers. This line in particular feeds approximately 3,500 CMP customers in this region of Maine.
The project concluded on Tuesday, February 11 as crews completed attaching transmission line wires to the top of the steel structure.
“Our new steel poles and structures are not just made of stronger materials that can better withstand extreme storms, they are engineered to modern specifications that improve grid reliability,” said Eric Sutton, Vice President of Electric Operations for CMP. “These structures and poles also have longer lifespans than the wooden infrastructure they are replacing.”
In Burnham, the wooden structure that had been in place until last week was installed around 50 years ago in the 1970s.
Below is a link to downloadable video that news-media may use rights-free showing the completion of this transmission upgrade on 2/11/2025.