“COST OF CLIMATE CHANGE”: CMP Asking Maine Ratepayers For Additional $160 Million to Cover Costs

When it comes to Maine's largest electric entity, Central Maine Power, Maine residents aren't strangers to the utility asking for additional financial resources to help cover the costs of major storm damage.

WGME recently reported that those numbers have been climbing quite a bit in recent years. A result, according to Jon Breed of CMP, of climate change.

2023 was a devastating year for Maine's electric infrastructure as the state saw several large storms which culminated in the largest of them all, the 'Grinch Storm' of December. That storm alone caused tens of millions in damage and forced Central Maine Power to call in thousands of additional crews from out of state.

The end result? An absolutely massive bill that CMP says the ratepayers need to cover. But, how much is that bill? According to the news station, the utility needs help covering a whopping $160 million.

Jon Breed, Spokesman for Central Maine Power, told WGME in part about the reimbursement request,

“What is the biggest priority for our customers? Getting as many crews into Maine to get the lights on so that customers don’t deal with the secondary impacts of power outages, that is kids that can’t go to school because school is closed. That is businesses that can’t open because they don’t have electricity. We do not anticipate those prices getting back to that level. So, bills will still be lower than they were December 31, 2023. These investments are going to be made now so that in the future, we can protect ourselves from this changing climate and from the changing weather around us".

Bill Harwood, Maine's Public Advocate, said in part about Central Maine Power's request,

"In too many cases, they are being forced to choose between food and medicine on the one hand and paying their utility bills on the other hand. CMP did not follow standard industry practice. About 10 percent of our households in this state are really struggling right now. There are ways we can make investments in some of this infrastructure, so that when the nor’easters come and when these storms come, there isn’t $100 million a year in damage."

WGME 13 reported in their article that the Maine Public Utilities Commission is expected to reach a decision on the rate increase by some time this spring. If the MPUC does in fact approve an increase in rates, Maine's electricity customers can expect to see changes in their bills beginning on July 1st.