Maine Power Reliability Program featured on Seacoast Online

CMP crews working on power line upgrade

By Ruth Baker

news@seacoastonline.com

January 19, 2012

YORK COUNTY — Residents will be seeing a lot of construction crews in coming weeks, as work begins to upgrade transmission lines along Central Maine Power's corridor, which will run through Arundel, Kennebunk and Wells.

The project has been dubbed the Maine Power Reliability Program. With work being done in 13 of the state's 16 counties, and carrying a $1.4 billion price tag, the 5-year program it is the state's largest and most expensive construction program to date.

Crews have started preparatory work necessary to upgrade the existing electrical power transmission system in the section from Wells to Eliot. The system has not undergone a major upgrade in 40 years.

The project started in Rumford and Orrington last year, forming a large Y. The two branches meet north of Lewiston and continue south.

The lines now running through that particular section of CMP's corridor are 115,000 volt (115kV) lines. Through the Maine Power Reliability Program, those will be augmented by lines that operate at 345kV, the highest voltage transmission system in Maine. In Kennebunk, the project encompasses improvements to 5.5 miles of transmission lines as well as the expansion of the Maguire Road substation.

The lines will eventually hook up with Public Service of New Hampshire's lines.

Work on the substation is expected to start this summer and will take about two years to build. The entire transmission project is expected to wrap up in early 2015, said John Carroll, CMP public relations spokesperson.

Substation work will start this summer and take about 2 years to build.

Maine's grid connects with electric systems in eastern Canada and the rest of New England, allowing power to be imported and exported as needed, Carroll said. This connection allows local electricity providers like CMP to partner with the other utilities in New England to bring strength and reliability to Maine's electric system.

CMP, along with many other electrical service providers are members of a larger network known as the Independent System Operator for New England, a nonprofit regional transmission organization of electric utilities serving Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The network providers will share in the cost of the program, and make it more affordable for all. Carroll said electricity customers in Maine will shoulder 8 percent of the costs for regional benefit upgrades, including the Maine Power Reliability Program.

The work will be done in stages. First, crews will go out and clear brush and trees, then mark the land where new 75-foot poles will be positioned. The poles will be brought this spring to support the new line. The poles are 20 feet higher than existing ones. Although there has been some opposition to clearing, Carroll said it is necessary to ensure there is no interference and subsequent disruption of power.

"The width of the swath varies," he said, "but it's generally between 40 to 50 feet. The goal is to establish a buffer zone so that there are no tree-related power outages"

Carroll also said great care is being taken to minimize work trucks' impact on the land. Some of the land is wet, but instead of putting in temporary roads, they are laying down timber mats made by placing logs side by side and bolting them together.