Lawsuit accuses CMP parent Avangrid of racketeering, fraud

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 3, 2021

Central Maine Power Co.’s corporate parent is being sued by a former subcontractor who alleges the company engaged in bid-rigging, racketeering and buying unnecessary equipment knowing that the costs could be recovered through higher electricity rates for customers in Maine and elsewhere. The federal lawsuit against Avangrid subsidiary Avangrid Networks was filed Monday by Paulo Silva, a cybersecurity expert and CEO of Pennsylvania-based Security Limits Inc., in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Avangrid, which also is embroiled in controversy over its $1 billion transmission corridor from Quebec to Lewiston, is incorporated in New York, although its headquarters are in Connecticut, and it is owned by Iberdrola, a multinational company based in Spain.