Central Maine Power outlines storm response, automation plans and local grid limits in Camden briefing

Greg Thompson of Central Maine Power told the Select Board that CMP is the state’s delivery company, not an electricity supplier, and described how the company responds to storms and modernizes local distribution.

Thompson said CMP serves roughly 685,000 customers in Maine and is responsible for poles, wires and substations in the delivery system. He described three grid levels — transmission, subtransmission and distribution — and said Camden’s substation is “radial,” meaning the town’s primary feed lacks redundancy: a single transmission line outage can knock out about 3,000 customers.

Why it matters: CMP’s presentation explained what the utility can and cannot control locally (it cannot set supply prices, which are set through the Public Utilities Commission process) and identified the town’s practical outage risks and mitigation options. That context frames town choices about tree trimming, covered wire, local permitting for pole/pole‑top devices and expectations for outage restoration times.

Thompson said trees are the top cause of outages in Camden, followed by animal contacts such as squirrels. He described several mitigation and modernization steps CMP has been deploying: covered distribution wire to reduce outages from contact, animal guides and insulated tap wire on equipment, fiberglass crossarms and stronger insulators, and electronic reclosers with SCADA that enable remote monitoring and automatic fault isolation. “Automation will reduce outage duration and limit the number of customers affected,” he said, describing reclosers that can reconfigure circuits in under five minutes to restore power to some customers while isolating faults.

CMP representatives also discussed local installation constraints. The new electronic reclosers and associated radios require larger poles and sometimes a separate transformer feed; for some locations CMP must get special property or permitting clearance. Thompson said several devices have already been placed in Camden and that a handful are installed but not yet commissioned because CMP is completing commissioning tests.

On poles and attachments, CMP said most poles in Camden are owned by the incumbent telecommunications company (now Fidium) and that pole‑owner coordination sometimes slows responses to broken poles or midspan requests. Thompson said average initial response time can be about four hours for telephone‑owned poles but that CMP will escalate critical safety issues and work with telephone companies to resolve them.

On undergrounding, Thompson said burying existing overhead infrastructure across an established built area is generally cost‑prohibitive in rocky Maine; it can be feasible and appropriate in new construction or targeted corridors, but not as a wide retrofit. He added that covered conductor can reduce outages but often requires more poles and tighter span distances.

On wildlife and habitat, CMP said it is engaging with an Osprey/power‑line interaction committee and has applied to join that group; staff are evaluating additional deterrents and environmental best practices before widescale deployment.

Q&A: Board members asked about commissioning schedules for devices, the Ames Terrace location, pole replacement near Atlantic Avenue, and response times. CMP said devices already installed at the substation will likely be commissioned by month’s end and that the company will follow up on open property‑ownership and pole questions.

What’s next: CMP will provide requested follow‑up information to town staff on pole ownership, device commissioning schedules and the sinkhole/ pole concern on Atlantic Avenue. Town staff and CMP agreed to stay in contact about permitting and siting for additional automation devices.