Project to help Maine power lines better handle storms is almost done, CMP says

MAINE (WMTW) – Central Maine Power says a major project designed to improve the reliability of its grid and hopefully better handle future storms is almost done.

The reliability of the grid has been cause for much concern by many people and CMP has come under fire about the frequency and duration of power outages, especially in recent years. It is an issue 8 Investigates has been following for years.

The Section 80 Rebuild is an $85 million project approved by the Maine Public Utilities Commission in 2022.

As of this week, the project is 85% done, CMP says.

The project involves replacing wooden structures along a 115-kilovolt transmission line that is approximately 22 miles long between Windsor and Warren with stronger poles made of steel and installing new conductor wire.

Officials say the need for the upgrades was first identified in 2019 and the project addresses outmoded structure types and the potential for thermal overloading on this section under certain conditions.

“You can think of this line like a state road as opposed to an interstate,” said Adam Desrosiers, CMP’s Vice President of Electric Operations. “Just as state roads compliment interstates, getting large numbers of people where they need to go, Section 80 is a major component of not just Maine’s grid, but the transmission system throughout New England. These upgrades will make this fundamental part of our region’s grid more prepared for stronger storms and the impacts of climate change for decades to come.”

The new line is expected to go live by late summer or early fall.

Once that is done, the existing lines and wooden structures they are on will be taken down.

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